Halmos

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Represented by the symbol commonly used to designate the end of a mathematical proof, Halmos is a day dedicated to the dead. It is a day for family, contemplation, and remembrance where Triangulum Nobles reaffirm their ties to the House.

Typically on Halmos nobles start their day a little bit later in preparation for the long night ahead.

The majority of the House attends a church service in the late morning. Both the High Church and the sects of the Church of Humanity Repentant hold special services on this day. Attendance tends to be higher at these services than other times in the year due to more inactive members attending with their families.

Traditionally after church, families gather together to share a large lunch with their loved ones. This is a chance for extended family members to take a break from their busy lives and reconnect. After lunch, families split up. Those that married out of their birth family return home and spend time visiting and catching up with siblings, parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents, highlighting the interconnectedness of House Triangulum.

Two hours before the station’s orbit takes it out of the light of Pamita Cha people start to make their way to the Bistan Tidhkari, bringing with them a Sfaíra for the evening's ceremonies. Sfaíra are high-tech decorative glass orbs of varying sizes that are capable of flight, create a luminous light and house a small VI for communication and integration with other Sfaíra. More traditional members of the House design their own each year, but they are also available commercially in the weeks before Halmos. Sfaira can represent a variety of things, such as a deceased loved one or tragic event. People also bring flowers to lay at the base of the three memorials that stand outside of the Bistan Tidkari.

The first of these memorials is dedicated to those who have lost their lives in the numerous sector-wide conflicts that have occurred over the eons. Simple but elegant in design it is believed to have been placed at the same time as the first trees were planted in the Bistan Tidhkari. It stands inert in the current time but there are rumors that it is actually a pretech device of unknown purpose.

The second memorial is a tall sculpture composed of metal reclaimed from the 5 fallen orbital stations and 9 great domed cities lost due to the Scream. It stands as a testament to the devastation wrought on the House.

The third memorial commemorates the War Against the Artificials and is controversial because of its ambiguity. House Triangulum has a complex relationship to the most recent war. The House did not create the Synthetic Menace and actively worked to combat it, however, many families were still killed for their work in artificial intelligence. And while the House played a pivotal role in ending the war, facilitating the destruction of Gats, many members consider the use of terraforming technology to cause such all-encompassing destruction at odds with the House's mandate from God. Somehow this memorial reflects back the viewer’s personal outlook of the war commemorating triumph or memorializing loss.

After depositing their flowers at the base of the memorials, members of the nobility enter the Bistan Tidhkari and perform a pilgrimage to the silver trees that are scattered throughout the grove. In front of these trees are informational displays detailing the contributions the deceased family made to House Triangulum’s understanding of the universe. A handful of displays only show the words “Here stands in honored glory the tree of a Noble family known but to God.” As people visit the trees they release their Sfaíra, which float and settle, hovering, in the branches.

As the station’s orbit around Lovelace starts to take the Biodome out of Pamita Cha’s light, families congregate by their family trees. When the last rays of light have faded from the dome the Sfaíra activate. Their VI’s connect in a swarm interface with the other orbs gathered around their tree. The swarms then reach out and establish communication with each other. As this connection is established the Sfaíra begin to play the first cords of the Triangulum hymn Ευλογίες, which was written in the aftermath of the Scream.

The gathered Nobles join together, siblings, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, a House united, their voices raised in a song of remembrance. The Sfaíra dancing through the air, spiraling around their silver trees before joining with other swarms in a single dazzling exhibit of light and color that weaves through the Grove, masterfully controlled by the VI interface so that no leaf is torn and no twig is broken.

As the notes fade families break out thermoses of their own special blend of Huzyna and people split into smaller groups to exchange memories and stories of those who have passed away. The Sfaíra swarms divide and meander through the grove. Their VI’s work together to synthesize music and complimentary lighting effects creating a distinctive display in that is different each year.

The oral stories shared on Halmos are not what you would find in a written record, but personal accolades that have been handed down from generation to generation and memories of those who are no longer with us. It is a night of laughter and tears.

People settle in the grass or on collapsible anti-grav chairs. In the earlier parts of the evening children are encouraged to remember those who may have passed recently or are told stories of the antics of their ancestors. Some families work together to harvest the fruit from their family trees. Eventually, the children are taken to bed, but usually not before some have drifted to sleep in the grass or the laps of older relatives.

The exchange of stories and memories continues long into the night under the light of the Sfaíra swarms dancing through the grove.

## Some Sfaíra examples

Sfaíra vary in size and designThese orbs are capable to flight and can preform complex aerial maneuvers.Some Sfaíra are hand made while others are available commerciallyThe Sfaíra are personal expressions of grief and memory and may commemorate a person, event, or idea.When their VI's interact the Sfaíra create complex melodies.