Al-Kaniali is the Old Orian name of a brilliant white star that was visible in the skies of Miouran antiquity. It is thought that some regions of Ores revered the star as a deity unto itself, and Orian iconography often bore suns and stars in equal part. The significance of al-Kaniali is sometimes thought to be exaggerated due to the disproportionate amount of Orian artifacts that survived to be documented during the Millennial Calm, and modern archaeologists argue that Ores was more likely to have held the sun in higher regard than a singular star only visible in the night sky. Nonetheless, al-Kaniali's prominence in these surviving records has resulted in a small but dedicated effort throughout centuries to identify what star visible in the present-day might be the historical al-Kaniali.
Etymology
The honorific al- is generally translated as "great" or "grand" from Old Orian, but it has also been seen in some historical records as a term used for rulers or masters in a student-teacher context. The root word kani is known to mean "dream"; while the significance of the ending -ali has no clear meaning, the name as a whole has been translated as "Grand Dreamer" by various spells.
Orian records written in Middle Shekzardic called the star al-Kaniali; with the absence of records from the language's originating nation, Shekzard, that make clear reference to the star, it is unclear if Shekzardic had its own name for the star at any point. Astronomy records from this period are scarce, and it is unknown if any other culture held the star known as al-Kaniali in high esteem.
The Orian Star Tome
One of the most enduring pieces of history regarding al-Kaniali is the Orian Star Tome, a book of Orian origin written in the nation's displaced native language and thought to have been penned before Felthren-dro-Dlenruksurd. Its exact authorship is disputed, though it is likely to have been someone of relatively high status in Ores due to the presumed rarity of literacy in ancient Miouran cultures. The worn parchment pages of this book bear runes that resist translation via spells and that were unrecognizable to the first generation of "awoken" precursors during the Millennial Calm. For years after, the book was called only by its most distinctive feature — the stitched white star on its beaten leather cover.
A lingual decryptor was recovered in 3178 CGC that allowed for the partial translation of the Orian Star Tome. This lingual decryptor was a journal kept by a scribe in Ores' last days who appeared to have come into possession of the Orian Star Tome and detailed attempts at translating it. The journal's author, likely to be Falgren-dras-Kethlark based on analyses of the writing style and handwriting, wrote in Middle Shekzardic, making the work easy to translate, though the incomplete nature of the decryption did not allow for a full translation of the Orian Star Tome. The most complete translated section in the tome suggests that the book may have given insight into the worship of al-Kaniali, as it refers to a prophesied birth of "the dreaming star's daughter" and contains a passage thought to be a prayer or mantra. Its natural translation is as follows:
- Salve that which is not broken.
- Wake that which is yet woken.
- Dream that which is not said.
- Conquer that which is yet dead.
- See now: The star still quavers in the sky.
- See now: The light still laments from her eye.
- When all is lost, call forth its name into the night.
- When all is lost, draw forth its love, cleave to the light.
- Into my slumber shall you fall, but never shall you weep.
- O my lost child, this world was never ours to keep.
The Orian Star Tome presently is kept in the Miouran Restoration Museum located in the Estvoldian city of Dai Lhan.
The star's identity
Throughout the Millennial Calm, astronomers from Arien City sought to chart this star of unusual significance in surviving Miouran records. Those that had been in stasis since Felthren-dro-Dlenruksurd, regardless of their nation of origin, seemed drawn to al-Kaniali most of all, likely because it represented a clear link to the world they had lost. Initially, the star was thought to be Wyretorra Io-1151812, a luminous star visible from Mioura's southern hemisphere (where the historical Ores was located). Precession, the changing visibility and orientation of stars in the night sky due to rotational or orbital shifts in a planet over the course of thousands of years, also marked this star as occupying a stable position during Miouran antiquity in the southern pole. For its perceived lack of movement in the night sky, along with its stellar brilliance, it would likely become of interest to these ancient cultures.
While research into al-Kaniali has waned since the Watershed, it is suggested from recent astronomical discoveries that al-Kaniali might be Usurper, the once-hidden second sun of Ealdremen, or Rolokus, one of the Chrono Stars that has a notable white luster.