The Sky Freezing
Scarterra has a concurrent "farmers calendar" and a "zodiac calendar". The farmer's calendar is made up of twelve 30-day months based on the yearly agricultural cycles and the zodiac calendar is made up of nine 40-day months dedicated to the Nine. Each calendar tacks an extra five-day month to the end of the year, known as the "Month of the Nike" or "Month of Turoch".
These five days mark the anniversary of Divine Rebellion when the Nine battled Turoch and seized control of the universe.
Lots of things supposedly happen during these five days. Most supposed events are intangible and immeasurable, more based in superstition than in empirical observation.
The sky freezing is one effect that is very tangible and measurable.
Manifestation
Every 28-days, the moon of Scarterra goes through a full cycle, much like the moon on Earth...most of the time.
During the five days of the Nike, the moon stops changing. It doesn't wax or wane. If the moon starts the Month of Nike as a waning crescent, it will end the Month of Nike as a waning crescent. If the moon starts the Month of Nike as a waxing gibbous, it will end the Month of Nike as a waxing gibbous.
Normally the stars and constellation move every night (albeit they move very slowly). The stars and constellations stop moving during the Month of Nike. Also, the relative length of the day/night cycle normally changes every day but freezes during the Month of Nike. So Scarterra doesn't have one longest night of the year, they have a five-way tie for the longest night of they year. About eighteen hours of darkness versus six hours of light, five days in a row. The brightest star in the night sky at this time is called the Winter Star because this marks the winter solstice.
bright lone star (creative commons) by Sven Scheuermeier
Localization
On Earth, the difference between the summer and solstice is very small close to the equator and very large far from the equator.
Scarterra doesn't have the same axial tilt (or a proper solar system) like Earth does. The relative length of days and nights is the same on every latitude of Scarterra, every day. If it's summer in the northern hemisphere, it is summer in the southern hemisphere too.
The five days of the Month of Turoch are the coldest night of the year in every latitude.
"Coldest" is relative. It is still warmer on the equator than it is on the poles because the Void touches the poles and the Void siphons off heat.
Type
Metaphysical, Astral
Really cool. I love seeing how you take this one little thing that only last 5 days and can make everyone agree that this is special. It is also not what I expected to read when I read the title. I thought it had more to do with temperature than the actually standing still of celestial bodies. That was really fun to read about