Testing - All Manner of Things. dnp.

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Sayings:
"Mother of all that is good in the Galaxy!"
"Helios for eternity"

Aries - "From ashes we rise - and again"

ORIGINS: In the beginning there was only Chaos. Then out of the void appeared Erebus, the unknowable place where death dwells, and Darkness. All else was empty, silent, and endless. Then, Love was born bringing along the beginning of order. From Love emerged Light, followed by the first stars - the constellations and the sun. Darkness, jealous of Love and Light's beauty, waged war with Doom, Fate, Death, Sleep, Dreams, Nemesis, and all other things that dwell in the darkness. This is the endless war which continued to this day and forevermore. Helios, the greatest of the first stars,

When the first humans came to be, Darkness took the opportunity to

The Zodiac Galaxy is comprised of Twelve Constellations, or Houses, that revolve around the great galactic sun Helios, each one named and modeled after a Zodiac Sign.
Scientists believe Helios marks the site of the original Big Bang that gave birth to the Zodiac, and therefore everyone is taught that Helios is the anchor to life, though each House holds its own spiritual beliefs about it. When the first humans were born from Helios, they first settled on Aries and later spread to the other Houses.

When the Thirteen Constellations of the Zodiac foresaw the first people arriving through Helios, each House gave up its Guardian Star. The shooting stars crashed onto planets in their own Houses, and they arose human, each with a Star Stone, or a Talisman, that stored their particular power—the strength they bring to the Zodiac. Each Star was the original Guardian of his or her House, and in human form they were now charged with harnessing the powers of their Stones to protect their planets and people. These mortal Guardians were now charged with harnessing the powers of their Stones to protect their planets and people—and with passing down the Stones to the inheriting Guardians after death.

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HOUSE 1 - Aries
March 21 - April 19
Color of red, Element of fire
Strength is the military

THE CONSTELLATION
The Ram constellation has three colonized planets and a small sun, but only the largest planet Phaetonis has breathable atmosphere, and it’s thin. The planet’s porous, making its gravity weak, though walking on the surface is possible with the aid of an air mask. Phaetonian cities are sheltered under high-tension fabric domes, held aloft by air pressure like giant inflated beach balls, and their buildings squat like bunkers.

PERSONALITY
House Aries brings Military strength to the Zodiac, so it makes perfect sense that its people are brave, bold, competitive, battle-ready, aggressive, boastful, and natural leaders. Aries is the most ancient House in the galaxy: There’s evidence that human pioneers colonized Aries first, before spreading to the other Houses.

PHYSICALLY
Arieans are the most physically fit people in the Zodiac. Their complexions range from dark pink to wine tones, and the average height for both Ariean men and women is six feet.

TECHNOLOGY
When an Ariean turns seventeen, she is considered an adult and is issued an Earpiece—a small device Arieans get pierced into their right ears. (Seventeen is also the age at which every Ariean commits two years to the army.) The Earpiece functions similarly to a computer, only its images aren’t projected as holograms: They’re screened inside the person’s mind, where no one else can see them. Since Arieans are masters in the art of war, troops need to communicate with each other discreetly in the field.

THE GOVERNMENT
Phaetonis is a wild and rowdy place ruled by a junta of warlords. The black market flourishes there, and local militias wrangle for territory. The historic capital city, Marson, is ringed by a gargantuan slum. The Ariean Guardian and Zodai were marginalized when the junta seized power. Now Ariean generals employ their own astrologers, and so do the warring militias. The whole House is under martial law, and soldiers—not Zodai—keep the peace on Ariean planets. Though the soldiers are often the ones disrupting it. The universal corruption and high crime rate may explain why Aries is the most militarized House in the Zodiac—and the most impoverished.

THE GUARDIAN
Once a great warrior, General Eurek is now little more than a figurehead, living under house arrest.

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Taurus
DATES - April 20 – May 20
HOUSE2
COLOR - Olive Green
ELEMENT - Earth
STRENGTH - Industry
THE CONSTELLATION -
The Bull constellation has two planets and one moon. The only inhabited planet, Tauranius, is comprised of twelve landmasses and a shallow ocean. Tauranius is like House Libra’s capital city Aeolus on steroids—from Space, its landmasses are always aglow with artificial light. The planet never sleeps, and its battery never runs out.
THE PEOPLE, PERSONALITY -
House Taurus represents Industry. Its people are competitive, diligent, committed, and efficient—traits that sometimes make them come off as stubborn, tunnel-visioned, and intimidating to outsiders. Taurians are all about working hard to play even harder. They get in the game not for the competition but for the rewards—they work through the night Monday through Wednesday so that they can double their weekends.
THE PEOPLE, PHYSICALLY -
Taurians have earthy complexions, ranging from creamy camel to dark cocoa, and they have fine, silky hair that they tend to keep short. Women rarely grow their locks past their shoulders. Monday thru Wednesday, Taurians dress like business executives with their stiff suits and coffee cups, but Thursday thru Sunday they show off their lithe bodies participating in athletic activities, which win them Star-Stock in select weekend sub-Markets.
THE TECHNOLOGY -
Every Taurian has Star-Stock in the House-wide Stock Market—the people with the most Star-Stock are the best at what they do and therefore command the highest wages and are highly sought after by the House’s top twelve companies. There are all kinds of sub-Markets within the larger Market that divide people up by career field, geographical location, age brackets, and so on. Taurians check their Star-Stock status compulsively throughout the day, since points and reviews are awarded for every completed task. For this reason, Taurians carry with them a Blotter—a credit card-like device that projects holographic data and messages, which they can swipe at any Bull Feed to update their Star-Stock.
THE GOVERNMENT -
Taurus is run like a corporation. THE GUARDIAN - is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), and his or her twelve Advisors are the Executives of the top twelve Taurian companies—together, they form the Taurian Board of Directors. Each company is situated in one of the House’s Twelve landmasses, or Sectors, and they are responsible for the welfare of their people and communities. The twelve companies must employ everyone in their Sector, which includes sponsoring subsidiary businesses (restaurants, retail stores, public services, etc), and they must operate in a way that’s optimal for the environment. All citizens may buy Star-Stock in any company, and when they owe a major percentage, they join the company’s Board of Directors.
THE GUARDIAN -
Chief Executive Fernanda Purecell—Best known for establishing Taurus’s four-day weekend, she wasn’t welcomed at first because her father was a Riser from Gemini, and it was unheard of for a Guardian to be born of Riser parentage. However, her true Taurian nature won her detractors over, and her leadership has resulted in great progress towards the acceptance of Risers on House Taurus and even across the Zodiac.

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Gemini
DATES - May 21 – June 20
HOUSE3
COLOR - Orange
ELEMENT - Air
STRENGTH - Imagination
THE CONSTELLATION -
The Double constellation has two colonized planets. The largest one, Hydragyr, is an airless cratered rock, but its mountains hold a trove of rare metals. The smaller planet, Argyr, has been terraformed to support a vast forest and shines like a green melon in Space. It’s a lush garden planet with plenty of breathable air and decent atmospheric pressure.
THE PEOPLE, PERSONALITY -
House Gemini represents Imagination. Its people are creative, loquacious, curious, and complex, and can be indecisive, cryptic, and moody. Though not all Geminin are twins, only twins can be chosen to be Guardians. In the early days of the galaxy, Gemini led the Zodiac in scientific and humanitarian achievements. Its leading thinkers imagined solutions for every problem and brought many of those solutions to life. When Geminin scientists discovered cell regeneration, holding onto youth became a House obsession.
Gemini is a House divided: The rich live in splendor on Argyr, while the vast majority of Geminin work in beryllium mines deep under the surface of Hydragyr, unearthing the planet’s rich minerals in the hopes of one day retiring to Argyr. There is a second settlement of people on Hydragyr made up of Geminin who aren’t seeking riches; rather, they use their incredible imaginations to build fantastical cities within the rock.
THE PEOPLE, PHYSICALLY -
The people of Gemini have coffee-COLOR - ed eyes and lustrous tawny skin that ranges in complexion from salmon pink to deep burnt orange. The aristocrats on Argyr are all centenarians, yet, thanks to their regenerating cells, they look like twelve-year-olds. They wear formfitting suits that gleam in metallic patterns of brass, nickel, and platinum, with accents of glittering jet. They’re purposefully androgynous, so it’s very hard to tell females from males.
THE TECHNOLOGY -
Their official technology is a Tattoo, a device that is emblazoned on the palms of their left hands, which they can use to call up information and communicate with others. Each Tattoo is unique—in appearance and function—because each Geminin designs and programs his or her own.
THE GOVERNMENT -
Gemini is governed by its Guardians, which are always chosen in sibling pairs. Each time a pair of Twins is chosen, they have carte blanche to re-imagine a government they think will work best for their people. The current Guardians, Twins Caaseum and Rubidum, have been around about three hundred years, and they like to change things up every century. The last hundred years, they ran Gemini as a dictatorship, with Twin Caaseum ruling Hydragyr and Twin Rubidum ruling Argyr. This century, they went for a democratically elected government, themselves opting to serve in an advisory capacity.
THE GUARDIAN -
Twins Caaseum and Rubidum Angelo—They are the longest-living Guardians in the history of the galaxy, with the exception of the Zodiac’s Original Guardians, who are said to have ruled for at least five hundred years.

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Cancer
DATES - June 21 – July 22
HOUSE4
COLOR - Blue
ELEMENT - Cardinal House, Water
STRENGTH - Nurture
THE CONSTELLATION -
The Crab constellation has one inhabited planet, Cancer, and four moons—Elara, Orion, Galene, and Thebe. Ninety-eight percent water, Cancer looks like a ball COLOR - ed every shade of blue and streaked with barely perceptible slices of green. There are hundreds of low-lying islands scattered across the globe, and Cancrian cities are built on massive pods that float calmly on the sea’s surface, like giant, half-submerged anemones. Cancer’s largest structures—buildings, commercial centers, schools—are secured with anchors.
The water is clean and roaring, and tiny whirlpools occasionally form, swirling in various hues of blue—as if the ocean were made of paint. The pod cities light up the horizon with their gleaming, cascading buildings and sun-bleached streets—from high up, they look like massive lily pads cradling Cancrian communities in their palms. The pods that hold the most populated cities are so vast it’s easy to forget you’re not on land—except when a shift in the planet’s core triggers powerful ripples. There are also security outposts in the sky, reachable by aircraft, and a handful of underwater stations that have never been used. They were mainly built for protection, in case life above water is ever threatened.
THE PEOPLE, PERSONALITY -
House Cancer represents Nurture. Its people are loving, brave, compassionate, loyal, and selfless, and can also be quite clingy, self-absorbed, and moody. As represented by House Cancer’s symbol of the Crab, Cancrians are hard on the outside but all heart on the inside. Since they love more deeply than others, their hearts often pack more armor.
THE PEOPLE, PHYSICALLY -
Cancer has the widest range of skin COLOR - s in the galaxy, but all Cancrians have two physical traits in common: their curly hair—which spans every shade but is often bleached from so much sun exposure—and the COLOR - of their eyes, which always reflects the Cancer Sea. Cancrian irises range from the softest of sea greens to the deepest of indigo blues.
THE TECHNOLOGY -
Cancrians believe knowledge is like water—fluid and ever-changing–so they carry with them a Wave, a small golden device shaped like a clam. The Wave provides an interactive way of recording, reviewing, and sending information; and the moment it’s opened, holographic data blooms out and streams all around: news, messages from friends, upDATES - , and more.
THE GOVERNMENT -
Cancer is run by consensus. It’s managed by the Matriarchy, the eldest Mothers of the planet’s twelve founding families. Cancer’s Guardian acts as an arbiter and advisor to the governing body, and she has an equal vote with the rest of the House’s representatives. It’s a matriarchal society, where women often run the household. Children inherit the mother’s surname, and likewise husbands take on their wives’s last names. Caring for loved ones is the top Cancrian priority and broken families are rare. The Matriarchs make sure every child has a home.
THE GUARDIAN -
Holy Mother Origene Candor—Beloved by her people for her good deeds toward the less fortunate, she is also one of the galaxy’s foremost experts on the Psy, or the Collective Conscious, second only to Guardian Moira Willow of House Virgo. When the attack on House Cancer takes her life, the stars choose sixteen-year-old Rho Grace to take her place.

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Leo
DATES - July 23 – August 22
HOUSE5
COLOR - Royal Purple
ELEMENT - Fire
STRENGTH - Passion
THE CONSTELLATION -
The Lion constellation has one planet, Leo, two moons, Lion and Leon, and a small sun that’s close enough to the planet to play a recreational weekend sport called Sun Sailing. Leo’s citizens don protective suits with wings and dive off Mount Luz—the planet’s highest peak—during the sun’s strongest hours and try to catch a powerful ray and ride its energy wave for a few seconds, until they fall to a net waiting below.
The planet has few sources of fresh water, so Leos must import from their neighbor Cancer. Most of the land is covered in harsh terrain—mountain ridges, jungles, marsh, etc—offering ample opportunities for adventure and discovery. Even Leo’s moons have strange topographies—Lion has forests and a lake that is the House’s largest store of water, and Leon is a vast glacier with mountains made from crystal.
THE PEOPLE, PERSONALITY -
House Leo represents Passion. Its people are larger than life, magnetic, proud, decisive, honorable, and can be self-absorbed, pushy, and vain. As represented by the House symbol of the Lion, Leos consider themselves to be the kings and queens of their universe. They are natural leaders who chase their fears instead of hiding from them.
THE PEOPLE, PHYSICALLY -
The people of Leo have broad faces and toothy smiles. Thanks to such constant exposure to the sun, their complexion is every shade of tan, and they’re usually covered in tattoos, piercings, and scars. Men often dye their facial hair in COLOR - ful stripes, and women rarely keep their eyebrows symmetrical—they often vary in shape and shade.
THE TECHNOLOGY -
Leos don’t like to be tethered down, and they don’t like to dull their senses. They believe technology more often distracts us from the world instead of connecting us to it. Like every House in the Zodiac, they have a specific device they carry with them, but Leos will often damage it from reveling or adventuring too enthusiastically. The device is called a Lighter, and when flicked on, a flame-like holographic menu blazes into the air.
THE GOVERNMENT -
On House Leo, everyone has a voice—and everyone uses it. The planet is divided into Nine Prides, each of which prizes a different Leo value: Courage, Honor, Leadership, Candor, Adventure, Artistry, Competition, Sensuality, and Power. Restless Leos spend part of their lives in each Pride, trying on identities and shedding them, until they find the one that fits. The people in each Pride elect twelve Pride Leaders to govern them and represent their interests in planetary legislation. THE GUARDIAN - acts as advisor to the elected representatives and as spiritual leader to all Prides.
THE GUARDIAN -
Holy Leader Aurelius Maschester—He was the Zodiac’s biggest film celebrity before the stars chose him to be House Leo’s next Guardian, and though now much older, he retains his movie star good looks and still has fans across the universe.

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Virgo
DATES - August 23 – September 22
HOUSE6
COLOR - Emerald Green
ELEMENT - Earth
STRENGTH - Sustenance
THE CONSTELLATION -
The Maiden constellation boasts one planet, ten planetoids, and two moons, making House Virgo the most widespread constellation in the Zodiac. Its planet Tethys is a massive green-and-brown sphere with rolling hills that stretch to every horizon, creating an ocean of grain. The capital city is veiled by Virgo’s mirage technology, and only those with the access code can enter. On the other side of the veil, the Virgo capital emerges like a silver needle shooting into the sky, allowing maximum acreage for growing grain. Virgo’s dozen planetoids and moons were also converted for agriculture, to supply the Zodiac’s ever-expanding demand. Every House in the galaxy buys Virgo grain.
THE PEOPLE, PERSONALITY -
House Virgo represents Sustenance. Its people are organized, practical, shrewd, and analytical, and can be obsessive, a**l-retentive, and pedantic. Virgos are control freaks who like to be self-sufficient—that’s why their gift is knowing the secrets of the earth. Humanity’s most basic need for survival is sustenance, and their control over this need ensures that Virgos are truly independent and do not need to rely on others. They export more and import fewer goods and services than any other House, and their veil keeps them safe from unwanted visitors.
THE PEOPLE, PHYSICALLY -
Virgos are the most uniform-looking group in the Zodiac. They are olive-skinned with eyes the COLOR - of moss. In youth, Virgo hair spans shades of brown that grow iron-gray with age. Popular fashion dictates that most men wax the ends of their mustaches into curlicues.
THE TECHNOLOGY -
Virgos carry around a book-like digital device called a Perfectionary, with which they rarely part. The Perfectionary stores schedules, notes, photographs, diary entries—everything that has any value to Virgos—and it even has an opening for users to insert samples of soil, seeds, fertilizers, etc., for later analysis.
THE GOVERNMENT -
House Virgo is a benevolent dictatorship. Guardian Moira is a Guardian-Empress, and she rules all of Virgo. She is a passive monarch who allows her people to police themselves and only interferes when cases are brought before her.
Given their controlling nature, Virgos find it impossible to submit to someone else’s command. Therefore, THE GOVERNMENT - ensures that every household has access to food, water, housing, and education, but Guardian Moira allows her people to make their own decisions about all other aspects of their lives. She has only two commands: Everyone must contribute in some capacity to growing grain, and no Virgo will interfere with the pursuit of happiness of any other.
THE GUARDIAN -
Empress Moira Willow—The galaxy’s foremost expert on the Psy, or the Collective Conscious, and one of the most beloved Guardians in the Zodiac.

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STORY: When the letters of the alphabet began disappearing, word spread there was a murderer among their ranks. They agreed every letter with a sharp edge on its body was a suspect. This ruled out O, who was asked to be the judge. He put each letter on trial and eventually blamed X, who had the most violent appearance and the worst disposition of them all. The real killer went free. It was the eraser. For the Librans, the villain of the story is O because he judged without knowing all the facts.

Libra
DATES - September 21 – October 22
HOUSE7
COLOR - Yellow
ELEMENT - Cardinal House, Air
STRENGTH - Justice
THE CONSTELLATION -
The Scales of Justice constellation has one planet, Kythera, which glows lemon yellow and looks like a smooth velvet ball. Smoky swirls and vortexes dimple its surface. The planet is blanketed in clouds as thick as fiberglass, made of black carbon and yellow sulfuric acid. The clouds press down on the planet below with bone-crushing weight and lock in every joule of heat, making the surface weather brutal. Acidic storms can grind away entire mountains in a single night.
This is why Librans live in flying cities. On Kythera, hundreds of communities float in the cloud tops like silver bubbles. Some are gigantic, while others very small, and they all drift on leisurely currents in the upper atmosphere. Occasionally, they bump together and bounce slowly apart, their movements fluid and dancelike. The spheres contain breathable air, which is much lighter than the planet’s dense atmosphere. Each sphere is weighted at the bottom with ballast so it can’t flip over, and the storied levels inside are oriented to the planet’s surface. The uppermost level gets the most sunlight, so it houses the city’s corporate farms. The lower levels recycle air, water, and waste.
THE PEOPLE, PERSONALITY -
House Libra represents Justice. Its people are fair-minded, charming, graceful, nonviolent, vain, cocky, and keenly perceptive. The pursuit of justice is a sacred quest for every Libran, and it’s represented by the House’s symbol, the Scales of Justice.
THE PEOPLE, PHYSICALLY -
Everyone has blond hair on Libra, whether it’s natural or not. Yellow blond, platinum blond, silver-gray blond streaked with gold. Libran eyes glisten in shades of green, gray, and quartz, and a gold star—the Scan—adorns their right iris’s lower corner. They wear a variety of fashions, but they prefer to show off primary COLOR - s—reds, yellows, and blues.
THE TECHNOLOGY -
Librans believe education is the key to forging a fair world. As an antidote to snap judgments and rash reactions to difficult situations, they recommend reviewing all information available and studying all of one’s options. That’s why every Libran has a star-shaped Scan embedded in the corner of their right iris. Librans use this device to scan new information into special storage spaces in their brains. This storage space is built and housed in a small chip that is implanted in the brain when Librans turn twelve.
THE GOVERNMENT -
Libra is governed through a system of checks and balances. Each flying city elects a dozen Commissioners to govern its people, and all laws submitted by the Commissioners must be evaluated for approval by a randomly selected jury of a dozen citizens. Not even THE GUARDIAN - can make unilateral decisions—a jury of a dozen dignitaries must be present to consult on each ruling. Additionally, each city elects two Senators to represent it in House-wide governance, which is headquartered in the Libran capital of Aeolus.
THE GUARDIAN -
Lord Neith Sol—Following his pacifist predecessor Lord Vaz’s famed footsteps, Lord Neith’s educational reforms and open-door policy toward the other Houses have endeared him, above all, to the youths of his House.

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Scorpio
DATES - October 23 – November 21
HOUSE8
COLOR - Black
ELEMENT - Water
STRENGTH - Innovation
THE CONSTELLATION -
The Scorpion constellation has three planets, but only the largest, Sconcion, is inhabited. Orbited by two moons, Sconcion’s surface is eighty percent water with a sprinkling of landmasses spaced throughout the globe. Some of these landmasses are used as spaceports, but most are designated testing zones for Scorps’ latest inventions and experiments.
Scorps live and make their homes in underwater cities. There are a dozen waterworlds on Sconcion, each its own sovereign territory. Half are located in waters shallow enough for the city-tops to break the ocean’s surface, while the other half are buried in waters so deep that only House Scorpio’s special deep-sea watercrafts can endure the pressure.
THE PEOPLE, PERSONALITY -
House Scorpio represents Innovation. Its people are inventive, inquisitive problem solvers who can also be obsessive, greedy, secretive, dark, and moody. As represented by their symbol of the Scorpion, Scorps are most often likely to sting first and ask questions later. They can spend their lives exploring rabbit holes so deep that others would drown in their darkness. Yet Scorps dive eagerly into every depth, determined to discover the secrets of tomorrow before even the stars do.
THE PEOPLE, PHYSICALLY -
Scorps are typically thin and wiry and have long faces. Their most distinctive trait is the way they add strange pieces of technology to their clothing that are often their own inventions.
THE TECHNOLOGY -
As they are always in some stage of creativity, Scorps use a fingertip device called a Paintbrush to design holographic blueprints of their latest innovations. The device can also be used to record, review and send information.
THE GOVERNMENT -
Scorpio’s waterworlds are sovereign territories, so each is run differently and independently from the others. Though THE GUARDIAN - is the spiritual leader of all Scorps, no one authority wields House-wide power. Instead, THE GUARDIAN - rotates from one waterworld to the next, spending six months in each, acting as advisor to THE GOVERNMENT - and mentor for budding inventors.
THE GUARDIAN -
Chieftain Placarus Skiff—A descendant of Galileo Sprock, who invented the first hologram, Guardian Skiff is a great inventor himself. He designed the very first Skiff, which he named after himself—a one-person rescue ship equipped to assist escape pods and other small vessels that run into danger in Space.

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Saggitarius
DATES - November 22 – December 21
HOUSE9
COLOR - Lavender
ELEMENT - Fire
STRENGTH - Curiosity
THE CONSTELLATION -
The Archer constellation has four planets—all inhabited—and five moons. Their main planet, Centaurion, is a circus of curiosities: The buildings are bizarre shapes and COLOR - s, their outer walls covered with questions and diagrams and ideas; the sidewalks are lined with strange gadgets for ogling or tinkering with, from the antiquated to the futuristic; and people share the streets with androids, floating devices, and every kind of transportation vehicle imported from all over the Zodiac, spanning every time period.
THE PEOPLE, PERSONALITY -
House Sagittarius brings Curiosity to the Zodiac. Its people are inquisitive, intelligent, brave, independent, and natural adventurers who can sometimes come off as argumentative, detached, and impatient. While most citizens do live on their own home planets, Sagittarius is one of the more widespread Houses because they’re born wondering wanderers: Sagittarians are truth-seekers who will follow a trail of knowledge to whatever end, having fun the whole way.
THE PEOPLE, PHYSICALLY -
Sagittarians have thick dark hair, and their skin spans shades from soft cinnamon to coal black. They have long-cut cat eyes that are sometimes slanted.
THE TECHNOLOGY -
Sagittarians don’t believe in most age restrictions, so children are encouraged to travel with their friends from age eleven on—that’s why Sagittarians’ computer-like device is a Tracker. Since they’re such nomadic souls, the Tracker is a flint wristband that projects holographic data and doubles as a locator. It’s so Sagittarian families can track their loved ones across the Zodiac.
THE GOVERNMENT -
Sagittarius has a democratically elected government, and THE GUARDIAN - serves in an advisory capacity. Sagittarians believe all humans are equal and are the only House that doesn’t bow to its Guardian or use a holy title to refer to her. Above all, they value freedom and dislike being tied down—which is why they have one of the most youthful House governances in the Zodiac.
When Sagittarian Zodai—Stargazers—complete their Academy training at twenty-two, they can present themselves as candiDATES - for House elections. By that age, most Sagittarians have traveled extensively with their classmates—Sagittarian schools frequently plan field trips to the House’s other planets, even to neighboring Verity on Capricorn to explore the Zodiax—so by their graduation, Sagittarians are ready to channel their education and explorations into a position of power. Even though, technically, anyone can put themselves forward, it’s rare for someone over thirty to volunteer, since by that age their interest in home begins to wane and they start itching to explore the rest of the universe.
THE GUARDIAN -
Guardian Brynda Wazel—Only twenty-three years old, she was chosen by the stars two years ago and is thirsty for a chance to prove herself to her House and the Zodiac

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Capricorn
DATES - December 22 – January 19
HOUSE10
COLOR - Brown
ELEMENT - Cardinal House, Earth
STRENGTH - Wisdom
THE CONSTELLATION -
The Seagoat constellation has one inhabited planet, Tierre—the largest in the Zodiac—and one small moon. Tierre has the widest range of topography and animal species of any House; its surface is COLOR - ed in various shades of green, brown, orange, gray, and blue. The planet has a single massive landmass, Verity, surrounded by an ocean. Capricorns live in modest homes on vast plots of land, and nearly every citizen has multiple pets that live free-range.
Yet Verity’s true riches lie beneath its surface: Deep underground, Capricorns have built a treasure trove of truths—books, art, technology, achievements of human intelligence—a labyrinthine collection of artifacts that spans nearly the whole globe and contains the collective wisdom of the Zodiac. It’s called the Zodiax. There is an underground train—the Vein—that transports people through the Zodiax, its route mapped by subject, not geography. The Zodiax contains libraries, museums, galleries, theaters, and more, and all Capricorns are devoted to maintaining and protecting the knowledge housed there—as well as expanding it.
THE PEOPLE, PERSONALITY -
House Capricorn represents Wisdom. Its people are wise, patient, organized, down-to-earth, by-the-book, stubborn, and conservative. They carefully amass knowledge throughout their lives, and every Capricorn considers it his purpose to protect the planet’s animals and environment, as well as pursue and promote knowledge.
THE PEOPLE, PHYSICALLY -
Besides being the wisest people in the universe, Capricorns are also the tallest and shortest: Half the population is tall and dark-skinned, and the other half is short and ruddy-complexioned. Capricorns don’t follow any fashion trends—black robes are the House’s traditional “uniform.”
THE TECHNOLOGY -
Capricorns believe in quantifying and containing knowledge, so they carry with them a Sensethyser, which they use to capture and create holographic versions of anything new they stumble across, in addition to sending messages and searching the Zodiax database. When pointed at an item, the Sensethyser digests every detail and creates a holographic replica that is simultaneously downloaded in a terminal of the Zodiax for review and classification.
THE GOVERNMENT -
Capricorn is a socialist society where there is no personal property. Everything is everyone’s and no one’s—their philosophy is we borrow possessions while we’re alive and return them when we die. Everyone has communal meals, everyone gets the same size plot of land, and everyone contributes to the greater good of the whole. The only political figurehead is THE GUARDIAN -, and his or her function is ensuring the Capricorn way of life is not disturbed, as well as communicating with the other Houses to document new truths they’ve uncovered. THE GUARDIAN -’s Council and Royal Guard are in charge of controlling and overseeing House-wide essentials, like food production, social services, transportation, security, and so on.
THE GUARDIAN -
Sage Frederique Ferez—Almost a centenarian and considered the wisest man in the galaxy, his good standing with the other Guardians has enabled him to coax truths for the Zodiax from even the most secretive Houses.

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Aquarius
DATES - January 20 – February 18
HOUSE11
COLOR - Aqua
ELEMENT - Air
STRENGTH - Philosophy
THE CONSTELLATION -
The Water Bearer constellation has three planets, each with its own moon. The atmospheres of all three planets are in perfect harmony, so Aquarians live on every surface available to them. Each planet is home to two Clans.
THE PEOPLE, PERSONALITY -
House Aquarius brings Philosophy to the Zodiac. Its people are introspective, intelligent, inquisitive, humanitarian, and true trailblazers, though sometimes their determination to design a better world can make them seem excessively eccentric, radical, and revolutionary to outsiders. At heart, Aquarians are full of hope for tomorrow, and their minds are fountains of ideas for how to create a more interconnected world.
The House’s people are divided into Six Clans: the Nightwing (their glyph is an Owl, they’re the House’s star readers), the Literati (their glyph is a book, they’re the House’s literary scholars and educators), the Fellowship (their glyph is a Hand, they’re the House’s social conscience and philanthropists), the Naturalists (their glyph is a Tree, they’re the House’s environmentalists), the Visionaries (their glyph is an Eye, they’re the House’s creators of a better tomorrow), and finally, the Royal Clan, which is represented by a Crown and is where the House’s Monarchy resides.
THE PEOPLE, PHYSICALLY -
Aquarians have narrow faces, ivory skin, and glassy eyes with irises that span every shade of the sky—white, gray, blue, purple, black, yellow, orange, pink, red. The Elders on Aquarius (the House’s Guardian and Zodai from each Clan) lose their birth names when they are sworn in and adopt a new name that’s given to them by their Clan, consisting of a single, personality-embodying word.
THE TECHNOLOGY -
Citizens are divided into one of the Six Clans, each represented by a different symbol. All Aquarians carry with them a Philosopher’s Stone, a computer-like device encased in a lead pendant that hangs from a silver chain around their neck. Its design varies according to Clan, and they use it to access holographic data or send messages to others. Clans are connected through a network of Philosopher’s Stones so that at any given moment, an Aquarian can access every member of her Clan at once, transmitting a video feed of what she’s seeing and opening a channel to her Elders’ counsel.
THE GOVERNMENT -
House Aquarius is a Royal Monarchy under the rule of the Supreme Guardian who is always a member of the Royal Clan. On Aquarius, being Guardian is a birthright, so lineage is determined by blood. Often, the House’s best star reader will actually be THE GUARDIAN -’s Senior Advisor and not THE GUARDIAN - himself.
THE GUARDIAN -
Supreme Guardian Gortheaux the Thirty-Third—The youngest Guardian in centuries, he is only six years old, so Senior Advisor Copperneus rules in his stead.

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Pisces
DATES - February 19 – March 20
HOUSE12
COLOR - Silver
ELEMENT - Water
STRENGTH - Spirituality
THE CONSTELLATION -
The Fish constellation includes one large uninhabited planet, Icthys, five habitable minor planetoids, and the most dangerous passage in all of Zodiac Space—the Kyros Belt, a broad band of ice that few have ever returned from. There could be anything beyond the Kyros Belt—no one has ever seen what’s out there. Icthys is covered in a misty shroud of fumes, and in Space the planet shines like polished glass. It’s an ice world, sheathed in glaciers of frozen ammonia and methane. Ichtys is even larger than Capricorn’s planet Verity, so its surface gravity would flatten a human to a crusty smear of frost. Piscenes use drones to harvest the planet’s meager resources, while they live on their five minor planetoids, practicing spiritual devotion and seeking tranquility.
THE PEOPLE, PERSONALITY -
House Pisces represents Spirituality. Its people are compassionate, faithful, selfless, intuitive, introspective, quirky, and can at times appear spacey and detached. Piscenes are more concerned with the soul’s inner journey than the body’s physical one. They can explore a single thought or feeling for hours, but decide to dive off a fifty-foot cliff in an eyeblink.
THE PEOPLE, PHYSICALLY -
When they travel beyond their House, Piscene men and women wrap themselves in veils of woven silver to hide their features. This is because usually when a Piscene travels, she is on an altruistic mission to help others, and Piscenes believe that in order to be truly selfless, one must remove the temptation to show one’s self off. Beneath the veils, Piscenes of both genders have very delicate, feminine features, with smaller frames and statures than people from the other Houses.
THE TECHNOLOGY -
Piscenes don’t depend too much technology and prefer to commune with people and the stars through more direct and antiquated methods, such as speaking face-to-face, or practicing Yarrot. For this reason, they don’t subscribe to a House-wide device—instead, they watch the Piscene newsfeed together, three times a day, and they use public terminals to send messages or conduct research.
THE GOVERNMENT -
There is no traditional government on Pisces. THE GUARDIAN - is worshipped as a Prophet, her Advisors keep the peace among the people, and all Piscenes take turns participating in civic duties. Starting at age eighteen, citizens rotate jobs every month. These shared duties include cooking meals, picking up trash, policing the streets, driving public transportation, teaching school, and more. At age forty, Piscenes can choose to specialize, in which case they can select a permanent post in a specific field. These specialists then become guides who train the new class of eighteen-year-olds when they rotate into their field.
After Aries, Pisces is the second poorest House in the Zodiac because they don’t have many natural resources. Yet, given all the time Piscenes spend meditating and reading the stars, they’re among the best star readers in the Zodiac. They are often hired by people from other Houses—sometimes even governments and Guardians—to give specific readings for events, meetings, etc.
THE GUARDIAN -
Prophet Marinda Mariner—She created her own elixir for reading the stars from her own recipe of Piscene plants called Kappa-Opioid that’s very popular on Pisces but often too strong for members of other Houses who don’t spend as much time meditating and practicing Yarrot.

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