The Schism

The Schism (Not to be confused with Schism, the extremely popular Virioz religion) is a nebulous occurence which can be seen in the night sky exactly once every year. Common belief holds that it is an entity, and that the many holes that can be seen within it are its many mouths. According to the religion named after the entity, it accidentally dreamed up all of existence, and has been attempting to rectify its grievous mistake ever since.

History
The Schism has been visible since before recorded history. There have been thousands of attempts to understand what it is or what it is doing in the sky, but no one has ever reached a conclusive answer. The Lodeborn have come the closest to interacting with it, at one point creating a massive tower which used mirrors and large echo chambrers in an attempt to communicate with the Schism. At first, nothing happened, but then, in an instant, utter devastation covered the entirety of the Lodeborn species. Cities fell. Hundreds of thousands died within a day, as rebellions and natural disasters brought the Seventh (and so far final) Lodeborn Empire to an end. Many blamed the experiments with the Schism, and the Schism religion was updated to include the event as the moment that the Lodeborn 'lost their souls'. It was partially based in prejudice from many who the empire had persecuted, and partially based in the incredible changes which began to take place in the Lodeborn species; children were born with flawed skin and hair, while their ability to manipulate metals was soon vastly diminished. The Lodeborn became outcasts, scattered across the world, and to this day regard the Schism as a terrible omen.

Biology (?)
Though it is unknown if the Schism is truly a living thing, many academics have attempted to study it and draw what they see in its brief flashes over the years. The most notable and visible parts of it are the 'Maws', large, gaping tunnels which lead into nothingness. They seem to stretch on forever in either direction, though that may simply be just because very little of it can be seen. Other parts of it are the vividly colored 'body' of the Schism, which can generally only be seen tying the Maws together. Some Schismwatchers report seeing other parts of the Schism, but these reports are generally inconclusive and hard to corroborate.

Viristics maintain that the Schism is a mirage, or some rare trick of the light in the sky.