Lune (Loon-ay)
May all who seek solace find welcome in my glow. As the moon dances through its phases, so too does the rhythm of life. Embrace my radiance, and trust that love nurtured beneath my light shall bloom blessed. Turn your gaze to the heavens, and let me be your guiding beacon.Lune, the enigmatic moon incarnate, reigns as a cosmic force. Her sway stretches from the ocean's pulse to the lycanthrope's shift, the woman's cycle to the mind's twilight edge. Ancient beyond reckoning, born with the first starlight, she approaches existence with serene composure, moonbeams woven into her being. Yet, like the moon itself, Lune wears many masks. Shrouded in memories of ancient woes, she can appear aloof, a celestial mourner draped in sorrow. But at other times, she dances with exultant grace, a radiant warrior bathed in celestial fire. Chaos is her canvas, change her companion, and yet one constant burns unwavering: her ceaseless battle against Nyx, the primordial void. Lune's sway extends beyond the celestial sphere. Tides dance to her rhythm, solace blooms under her light, and evil shrinks before her radiance. Infused with the moon, she guides the lycanthropes' transformations, known as "Lune's Kiss" a mark of her favor etched in moonlight. During the time of the Menedynn Empire, it is believed that Lune guided herders to fertile pastures, aided lost ships and travelers, blessed marriages and ensured safe births. She also watched over relationships between people and granted visions to those who desired them for good purposes. In Menedynn, Lune bestowed her blessings upon all things beautiful, solely for their aesthetic value. Infants born under a full moon were believed to harbor magical talents attributed to Lune's influence on the Weave. Likewise, individuals conceived in moonlight were anticipated to be devoted worshippers of Lune. There are Moons at night, which the people usually can spectate at night; Lune is more connected to the moons "Lune" that one that has orbit (Sidereal Period) of 10 days, while Sehanine is connected to the Moon "Sehanine", which has a sidereal period of 30 days.
Divine Symbols & Sigils
Clergy, Temples and Worshippers
Lune's diverse worshipers in Theras follow the guidance of the night sky. Sailors rely on the stars to navigate through the seas and seek Lune's protection against Merabyss. Non-evil lycanthropes, astrologers, and fortune tellers also honor her as the master of their fate. Common people see her clergy as agents of good, enemies of evil, caretakers of the infirm, and lunatics. Most Therasians pay homage to Lune during the full moon, respecting her clergy and the ancient religion. Lune's clergy believes that she shines wherever the full moon shines, and her worshipers are patient and accepting. Her lessons of compassion and guidance through observing the heavens resonate strongly with sailors, nonevil lycanthropes, and female casters. Lune's church has a chaotic hierarchy that shifts with the moon phase and other heavenly phenomena. Her clerics value self-reliance, humility, and practical common sense over stodgy ceremonies. They often wield Moon's Hands, special maces with a representation of the moon in place of the standard head, which come in heavy and light varieties. The appearance of Lune’s temples vary as much as her clerics, from small shrines in the wilderness to huge open-air or skylit buildings the size of great mansions. Reflecting ponds, small gardens, and feminine zymology dominate Lune architecture. Clerics of Lune who travel through Theras keep an eye out for those suffering from lycanthropy or madness, and those who have the ability to help provide healing while others bring them to the nearest temple for care by senior clerics. These itinerant clerics also promote a message of female empowerment that is becoming popular among female workers. Clerics who are based in temples typically provide healing, generate revenue for the church by providing astrological readings, and attend to the needs of residents in nearby sanitariums. When evil lycanthropes pose a threat to the community, both types of clerics unite to find and eliminate the affliction. The Church of Lune took it upon herself to teach all children so they would be iterate. In addition, the church of Lune is preparing the people of Theras for every Wild Hunt, with the help of Heimdall.Rituals
People are encouraged to pray to Lune under moonlight, as she gained significant power at such times. Additionally, even those who did not pray to her could be guided by Lune if they meditated under the moonlight. The clerics of Lune perform their prayers at night, always facing towards the moon when visible. The church has a higher number of female members than male, and many of their rituals celebrate the role of women as educators and role models in both the home and society. Lune’s teachings suggest that the moon has a subtle effect on the natural cycles of a woman's body. Female clerics of Lune feel a stronger connection with their deity during the full moon and conduct morning ceremonies to open themselves to special visions, insights, and intuitions during this time. Milk, a symbol of motherhood and feminine power, holds significance in most of their ceremonies. There are many rituals that once commited at the starlight of Luna, are enhancing the potential of magic of the those who participate for a specific night or perhaps for a specific magic intended to be cast or effect to be taken.Special Powers
The Priests of Lune are known to be able to illuminate the vicinity, using their bodies as beacon of light, as if they are becoming the Luna themselves.Tenets of Faith
Embrace all those who seek Lune’s light. Life, like the waxing and waning of the silver moon, is always changing. Have faith in Lune's luminosity, and rest assured that all who love under her glow shall be blessed. Trust in the moon, and she will be your steadfast companion. Advocate for inclusivity and respect for all. Regard all creatures as peers. Assist fellow Lunites as if they were your closest confidants.
Holidays
All clerics observe two annual holidays, the Conjuring of the Second Moon and the Mystery of the Night.
- The Conjuring of the Second Moon, held every New Year, is a coordinated chant at every Therasian temple of Lune. This confluence of devotional energy summons the Shards, a cadre of blue-haired female planetars, to do the bidding of Lune's terrestrial clergy for a single night--usually battling the forces of Nyx. On the following dawn, the Shards elevate one moral cleric to their order.
- The Mystery of the Night must be performed once every year by each cleric of Lune. During the ritual, clerics fly high into the air to commune with the Moonmaiden while in a deep trance.
Physical Description
Identifying Characteristics
In both her avatars and her religious artwork, Lune appears in many forms, like the phases of the moon. One is a dusky-skinned Human woman with long limbs; perfect and exquisite beauty; wide, radiant, lime-green eyes; and long, ivory-hued hair that fell to her knees. Another is an ethereal young girl of slender frame, dark eyes, and dark hair, wearing diaphanous robes colored white or resembling dappled moonlight, which trailed her "moondust" or "moon motes". A third is a matronly middle-aged woman, plump yet fair and aging gracefully, with gray-streaked dark hair. This one sometimes lives among mortals; the most notable such avatar is the innkeeper Luna. A simple depiction of the goddess is of a woman's face on the disc of the moon.
She is also ever changing, ageing but ageless. If watched over time, her appearance seems to grow to full radiance or to age and fade away, in keeping with the waxing or waning of the moon. Such changes only affect her external appearance and do not reflect any change in might, at least to mortal eyes.
In any form or state, whenever she is in darkness, Lune's avatar continually emanated a faint blue-white glow like moonlight.
Special abilities
When manifested as an avatar, she can cast a wide variety of magical spells, except those of the plant sphere and any that conjured darkness. She avoids reversed and injurious forms of healing spells and necromantic sphere spells, unless absolutely necessary. She can freely cast divination spells, even alongside other spells. Her spells all have a similar appearance, beginning as streaks of moonbeams and only revealing their true effect when they strike. She radiates protection from evil to a distance of a 100 yards (90 meters), and no good summoned creature within this range can be dispelled or banished. Meanwhile, a holy word from her automatically banished evil extraplanar beings.
She can not be damaged by electricity and light spells, and can not be affected by illusion, enchantment, or charm and charm sphere spells. No lycanthrope can attack her. She can not be detected or revealed by divination magic unless she willed it.
If pressed into battle, Lune is an awesome warrior, fighting with divine fury but with martial and magical skill in coordination.
She typically manifests as trails of dancing motes of light, similar to will-o'-wisps, commonly called "moondust" or "moon motes", which can shed moonlight where there should be none. In this form, she guides travelers lost in the night or journeying over hazardous terrain, and comes to shine for her faithful when light is needed for a delicate action. These moon motes occasionally exude a radiant, sparkling, pearly-hued liquid known as "drops fallen from the moon", which is the holy essence of Lune and is prized by the faithful.
To indicate her favor or presence or to help mortals, Lune may send owls; weredragons or song dragons; certain breeds of good lycanthropes or other shapechanging creatures; or one of her loyal planetar servants known as the Shards, or lesser beings known as slivers. Other signs are the colors blue and silver and the appearance of moonstones. For example, a Lunite captured by Believers of Nyx who spy a moonstone ring on one of their fingers would understand there is a spy in the cult. Lunite would also create moonfire for her faithful during a ritual, which can enchant items or the worshipers themselves.
Finally, Lune can sense any deed that occurr in the open light of the moon, anywhere in the world. She can also instantly create any magical item that could heal, influence shapechangers, or bestow spells of the Moon domain.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Lune is the more prominent Aspect of Sehanine, even though, Lune is actually an Aspect of Sehanine.
It is told that when the elves were created, the first thing they saw, is Sehanine's and Lune's creation of the stars and moon. Sehanine, which saw the potential in good in the other races, opened herself to them, knowing full well that elves might be the Eldar and always the one with the essence of the moon in their heart.
An uncrescent moon is the declaration of war on the assailants that have happened for dozens millenias, with no winner on either side.
The Emergence Theory
Scholars have long debated the existance of the moon. In the Chronicles of many Dragonborn and sometimes dragon hoards, they found the night to be the utter dominion of Dark Lady. When the Elves came, so did the stars, in a seemless invasion of Theras. The Void had been caught, strangely enough, unware and unable to prevent the coming of Lune. As Nyx had fought Sehanine for the dominion of the night, Lune came in and snatched a victory from the Darkness.An uncrescent moon is the declaration of war on the assailants that have happened for dozens millenias, with no winner on either side.
Myths and Legends
Even though people refer to Nyx and Lune as sisters, they are far from it. Nyx is a primordial, that had a deal with Farraj, for which she plotted with against the other primordials. She had done and had control of the world and the world had no sun and no moon until the goddess Sehanine Moonbow (also known as Lune) and the god Stronmaus (Also known as Ixtaar or Helios) came to the world and established the natural order. Until then, Nyx had control over everything in the darkness, for all the world was in darkness, perhaps many stars that existed before the moon and the sun.Personality Characteristics
Motivation
Again like the cycles of the moon, Lune has many and changing moods and natures. Her faithful, coming from many walks of life, view her in countless different ways, and she reflects this. Sometimes she is enthusiastic, vivacious, joyous, and majestic, given to action and dance. At other times, she is subdued, motherly, and almost poetic or tranquil and embracing. Then she is remote and weighed down by sadness at defeats and tragedies, even those that happen long, long ago. Finally, she can be aggressive and fierce, but cold, and with little mercy for her enemies. These shifting personalities made her versatile. Nevertheless, she is viewed as a calm power.
Nevertheless, at all times, Lune is caring and accepting of most beings, and forgiving of most of her followers' faults. She is both ageless and ancient. She is quietly mystical and, as a being of chaos, well used to change. She has a serene and peaceful nature and is slow to anger; she does not fight if she can help it, but nor does she hold back if she must. She is fiercely protective when confronted by evil. The one constant is her eternal conflict with Nyx.
She is generous and freely bestowed gifts and blessings on mortals. She also makes few demands of her followers. When beseeched by her clergy, she always responds.
Titles:
Our Lady of Silver;The Moonmaiden;
The Night White Lady;
She Who Guides;
Mistress of Moonlit Dreams;
Eternal Moonlight Muse;
Divine Classification
Alignment
Chaotic Good
Realm
Children
Other Affiliations
Related Myths
| LG | NG | CG |
| LN | N | CN |
| LE | NE | CE |
Orders
Swords of the LadyOne order of fanatic Lunites was known as the Swords of the Lady, who were often referred to colloquially as the "Lunatics". Its members are led by a few Lunites crusaders who tend to act rapidly in response to threats from Nyx and her priesthood, although their behavior is often viewed as bizarre by the public at large.
Oracles of the Moon
The Oracles of the Moon is a group of female diviners who worshiped the Night White Lady. They perform fortune-telling rituals and are some of the highest bards and priests in the faith.
Silverstars
Operating mainly in the north, especially High Star and the Codquet Ice Fields, these priests and priestesses are dedicated to protecting the vulnerable. Gifted Silverstars are normally gifted with a Moonblade, which have special properties to harm those who are evil.
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