Realm of the Moon

Spooktober Prompt: #1 Moon

The Moon (Elven name Jeala) is a celestial body that orbits Totania. It is a large satelite made of rock, or so it appears on the surface. Within is much more, as the Moon is also the Heavenly Realm of the Elven Godess Selene.

The Outer Moon

The surface of the moon is covered in craters. To the naked eye, it seems nearly entirely barren save for these craters and moon rocks.
This is note entirely true, as there are other naturally occuring structures on the surface. One such example are dead volcanoes, long dormant and empty. Some say this was Selene's attempt at replicating the heat of Izanagi's sun, which the Moon was a direct copy of. Others say this was simply something Selene believed would be cool, while others still question why they can't just be natural.

Moon Rocks

It is said that the rocks on the moon contain a special property. If ground up, some people believe that they can be used as healing powder as potent as some of the best healing magic. Others say they are used for different purposes, like breaking the known laws of physics.
The truth is, no one knows if there is anything special about them, as no one has been to the surface of the moon.

The Inner Moon

Some prophets have claimed to have visited the inner layer of the Moon, the Heavenly Realm of Selene, and said that she calls her realm Jeala, which is where its alternate name comes from.
The interior is quite fancy, especially in comparison to the outside, as Selene supposedly covers it in illusions that make it appear to be a beautiful palace in the woods. However, it is also said that a large part of the Moon is actually a one-way-mirror, of which Selene and those in her Realm can see out of, but people on or outside of the Moon cannot see into. With this, Selene is said to watch over the Realm of Man from above, jealously envying the possessions of mortals from above.

Paradyse

This is where it is believed good Elves go after they die, their spirits joining Selene up above the clouds and into the Heavens themselves. The followers of Selene say that Elves that follow her codes will find themselves in a land called "Paradyse."

Yango by Jarhed

What other religions call "Great Moon Hoax" is the foundation of Elven afterlife theory. That Paradyse exists within the moon. Paradyse is a land of trees, oceans, and beaches, where animals like Unicorns, goats, and bison reside alongside the Elves. This area is supposedly watched over by Yangos, humanoid creatures with bat-like wings, which are supposedly Selene's version of Angels.
These Yangos reward the Elves with a lavish lifestyle that can only be found in Paradyse and the richest of High Elven society.

Studies and Doubt

The Moon, as such a prominent celestial body, is the subject of much study and debate, both magical and scientific.
Most people that study magic and the Heavens agree that the Moon is likely Selene's realm, and that Paradyse most likely exists. Even Elven scientists stick by this as fact, saying that there is no reason to believe anything that Selene's Holy Text says about the Moon is wrong.
Dwarven scientists, however, beg to differ. There have been many Dwarven scientists who have devoted their lives to disproving the existence of Paradyse, though many non-Dwarves see this as an inferiority complex. Dwarven Heaven is not called a Paradise, nor is it observable from outside of Heaven, so it is said that Dwarves wish to tear down the visible Heaven to lift their own spirits. There was once a prominent Dwarven scientist by the name of Ilgrop who said that the entire premise of the Moon being more than it was on the surface is ridiculous.

Selene by Jarhed

Selene

The Jealous Goddess of the Elves, Selene's main domain is that of the Moon. The Moon also serves as her Heavenly Realm, with the interior of it being another plane of existence entirely that watches over Totania directly.
Selene is known for stealing things from other Gods. When the first ocean was created on the southern side of Totania, Selene grew jealous of it and stole the concept, creating a new ocean in the North and drowning a continent that was once there. The most notable concept she stole, however, was that of a celestial body that orbited Totania. Izanagi created the Sun as his domain, and in response, Selene stole the idea of the Moon.
Her other domains include illusion and love.

Yango

Yango are the angels of Selene. While many angels of other Gods share outrageous skin colors, like the metallic skin of Hadur's Angels, Selene's share normal skin tones, from the lighter tones of Northern Humans, to the darker tones of Shafaians, and even the greens of Orcs. Only the highest ranking angels have metallic skin, like her head angel.
This is due to jealousy of what other races can look like, as her people cannot be green like Orcs and Goblins, or Blue like Nereids, or any other crazy color of Zavese or Jinn.
The Yango reside in Paradyse within the Moon and reward the souls that have made their way to them. These angels serve not just their Goddess, but also the souls in this realm of Heaven.

"The moon is a fat rock that is just like a chunk that orbits us. I remember basic science and fact. It is all part of a Totanidom, a breakaway from Totania that got into space. No Elves... in space!"

— Ilgrop

While this quote is quite popular among Moon Deniers, Moon Believers cite how Ilgrop was very clearly drunk while giving this speech. They also question whether some Dwarves that wish to disprove the Moon's heavenly connections are simply envious, or whether some Dwarven study of the Moon has actually been with the intent of one day travelling there.

Schmeelon Cunkuck by andreaspsillos4

SelenX

SelenX is a Dwarven company owned by Schmeelon Cunkuck. There is no direct evidence that it exists, but if it does it is an offshoot of his main company Vreslo, which is known for making Hot Airships.
The believed purpose of SelenX is to reach the Moon. Some people say that Schmeelon Cunkuck intends to one day reach the moon so that he can stand among the Gods.
They say he wants to build his way up and show that mortal ingenuity (and exploitative labor of low wage workers) can elevate a mortal to a God and that, perhaps, the Gods were not that special. Then, he'll show the Gods that he means business, and ascend past the reaches of normal mortality.
This is all speculation, of course, and many find it ridiculously offensive for people to theorize about a real living person. But he's an asshole and his lifestyle and business relies entirely off of what is just barely legally distinct from slavery, so it doesn't matter much if he's living, dead, real, or fake. He sucks.

Cultural Impact

The Moon plays a large role in Elven society. Every night, Wood Elves make a prayer to the Moon, hoping Selene will directly hear their prayer. They know she will not act on it, but hope that just her hearing it will grant them some holy power of sorts to get what they need.
High Elves have a telescope in the Castle of the King, where they can observe the Moon when allowed. Anyone can see it in the sky, but only the King and those he deems worthy are given the privilege of seeing it up close with the telescope. It is a sacred location, after all.
Dark Elves, cut off from most interaction with the Moon, do not worship Selene for the most part. However, they still carry some ancient traditions related to the Moon without exactly knowing their origins with the Church of Selene. One of these is the carvings of Moons at the top of their cave. Another is the participation in the Lunar Raiding Festival.

Lunar Raiding Festival

The Lunar Raiding Festival is a yearly celebration where Elves celebrate Selene's thieving tendencies by stealing as much as they can. This festival happens because of the Full Day Moon, where on the 26th of the Month of Festivals, the Moon does not leave the sky for the whole day.
This happens again thanks to Selene's jealousy, as she and her Moon were relegated to Nighttime, she never got to see a day on Totania. So she simply made one day a year where this rule is not true and her Moon is out during the day.

Mythology

There are many stories in mythology about the Moon. The most well known is of course the creation, where Selene was jealous of Izanagi's Sun and tried to copy it, creating the Moon.

Day and Night

Another prominent one is the explanation of the Day/Night cycle, which says that Totania was once only day at all times, but Selene felt like this gave all of the glory to Izanagi. So she and Tsukuyomi, God of Darkness and brother to Izanagi, put their powers together to remove the day entirely, creating an eternal night.

Vulnon by Jarhed

Izanagi did not do anything to counteract this. He knew, better than anyone, how this would backfire. The Giants who, at the time, were the only civilization on Totania, entered a famine where no crops would grow and the time they had begun measuring with a sundial went entirely out the window.
They prayed to their Gods, Athena, Leigong, and the Nameless God, but to no avail. The Giant King Vulnon had no idea what to do. Selene laughed at their pain, saying that if only they worshipped her she wouldn't have needed to do this. But Izanagi came in now, seeing their pain, and returned the daytime.
Izanagi understood Selene's reasoning and did not remove night, he simply halved it so that they could share a given day. She would gain some worship, and the rest would go to him. However, Izanagi did not do it for worship. He did it to prove to the Giants the power of a God and that they were not just harmful, but helpful, even when not worshipped. In doing so, he created the cycle of night and day.

Mooning

One tale that is less well-known is the origin of mooning. This is a follow-up story to the creation of the Moon in the image of Izanagi's Sun. The legend says part of Selene's reasoning for doing this was to mock Izanagi for creating a monument to himself that orbitted Totania and was visible from below.
It is said she stood on the surface of the Moon and faced away from Totania. She then pulled up her dress, saying that this was what she would show Totania instead of the face of a pompous blowhard God. This is where the term Mooning came from. It has become a sacred greeting in the Church of Selene, as it was "what Selene would show Totania."
Priests and Priestesses are meant to Moon each other every first day of the week, both mocking the other and showing off themselves in the manner deemed holy by Selene herself. For this reason, as well, this practice has been banned in the Religion of Izanagi. This and other similar practices is what caused Izanagi's Holy Text to include clauses about public indecency and public nudity being against his teachings.

Tides

It is believed that the Moon has an impact on the tides of the Oceans in Totania. The explanation comes from the Flood Myth, where Papatūānuku created the Great Sea, Selene grew jealous and made a sea of her own, the Northern Sea.
With this, the Giant Kingdom was all but destroyed. After some time, even Selene saw how destructive the Ocean could get when constantly bombarding everything. But she did nothing to stop it until Papatūānuku, Goddess of Nature and the Sea, stepped in and forced Selene to act.
Consulting Sia, Goddess of Knowledge, they were given the idea of reeling back its destructive power by simply halting its force at intervals of the day. At some hours, it would have the high waves it did now. At others, the waves would not reach below the ankles. Selene and Papatūānuku both agreed to create High and Low Tides in their Seas.
Selene, however, cheated a bit. She did not agree to specific times purely so that she could mess with Papatūānuku, which is why the Northern Sea has longer High Tides than the Great Sea.