FAMILIAR AND UNKNOWN
The Legacy of the First People
The Toraja appears like the earth in many respects and seems familiar. "Toraja" - it even means "earth".
The inhabitants of the Toraja look like humans, they behave like humans and resemble us humans from Earth in many ways. But they are not humans, not Homo Sapiens - they are "Torajans".
Their resemblance to us is based on the legacy left by the First People, the first advanced civilisation to spread across the Toraja. Which disappeared just as suddenly as it appeared. But the First People were not "Torajans", they were colonists who came from a distant, dying planet, our future Earth and wanted to create a new home for themselves.
Their legacies bring a touch of "science fiction" to the fantasy that characterizes most of the ages.
DAY STAR AND NIGHT SUN
The two suns of the Toraja
In ancient times, it was believed that the sun god orbited the Toraja and gave light and warmth during the day. But the sun is not the only bright star in the Torajan sky: from late autumn to spring, a bright day star shines in the firmament, which sometimes was called "Asiranas' torch".
From spring to autumn, the Night Sun shines in the sky. It shines brighter than the full moon at night and plunges the Toraja into a dark blue night, in which people can see without difficulty and even read without artificial lighting. But which also makes navigation by the stars difficult, as only a few, very bright stars can be seen at all.
This is why the first half of the year has been called the "Bright Year" since ancient times, while the second half is called the "Dark Year".
In ancient times, it was still unknown that the day star and the night sun had the same origin: a second sun.
The "Toraja" is a fictional exoplanet in the Alpha Centauri system. Since I am no astronomer, I also take quite liberties with the design of the "astrophysical truth" of this world - knowers and experts may forgive me.
Through the ages
Beware different Epochs!
The Toraja has a history and I present it here in different eras. The two cornerstones are the ancient times, in which my RPG is also set, and the "now", which actually differs from our time only by magic, chaos and demons.