Moon Worship

The Lunar Pantheon is not merely a collection of gods—it is the foundation upon which the Lunar Covenant is built, shaping its governance, warfare, philosophy, and daily life. Worship of the Eternal Moon and her divine kin is woven into every aspect of Covenant society, influencing their laws, traditions, and even the way they fight against the Holy Solarian Empire.

Where the Empire’s faith is rigid, hierarchical, and absolute, the Lunar Covenant embraces balance, adaptation, and personal revelation. For the Covenant, faith is not obedience—it is understanding. The gods of the Lunar Pantheon do not demand servitude, but offer wisdom, challenge the faithful, and reveal truths through dreams, omens, and the natural world. Every action, whether in peace or war, is done with the gods in mind, as the Covenant believes they walk among them, whisper in the wind, and shine from the heavens.

The war with the Empire is not merely one of armies and steel—it is a spiritual struggle, a battle for the soul of the world. Where the Empire burns away the past, the Covenant seeks to protect it. Where the Empire claims absolute truth, the Covenant knows that truth is ever-changing, shifting like the moon itself.

The Structure of Worship

Lunarel as the Center of Faith

• Lunarel is the foundation of faith, embodying the balance between light and shadow, life and death, war and peace.
• All worship begins under her moonlight, with prayers, meditations, and offerings made at night, during eclipses, or by the sacred Lunar Wells.
• Unlike Solenara, who commands obedience, Lunarel guides her followers toward wisdom, allowing them to find their own path.
• Worship is deeply personal—while there are high-ranking seers and priestesses, faith is not dictated from above but discovered within —each devotee finds their own connection to the gods through dreams, omens, and nature.

Temples and Sacred Sites

• The Covenant does not build massive temples like the Empire—instead, they hold sacred groves, caves, and moonlit waters where their gods are honoured.
• Each major god has their own places of worship, woven into the natural world:
• Xeryth’s shrines stand on ancient battlegrounds and watchtowers, where warriors swear oaths.
• Nytheris’ sanctuaries are hidden places of secrecy, where spies and seekers of truth whisper in the dark.
• Thaloran’s groves are forests filled with glowing flora, where shamans enter visions and commune with spirits.
• Zeytha’s crypts and barrows lie beneath the earth, where the dead are given rites of passage into the next life.

Sacred Rituals and Lunar Worship

The Lunar Pantheon is honoured not through rigid ceremony but through natural cycles, dreams, and spiritual journeys.

• The Full Moon – A time of clarity and revelation, when divinations are strongest, and warriors prepare for battle.
• The New Moon – A period of reflection and secrecy, when Nytheris’ followers work in the shadows, and hidden truths are uncovered.
• Lunar Eclipses – The holiest event, where the mortal world, the spirit world, and the gods align. Prophets emerge, visions are granted, and great changes unfold.
• Dreamwalks – Seers and mystics enter trances beneath the moon, seeking guidance from the gods.
• The Rite of Ancestral Echoes – A ritual where elders commune with the spirits of the dead, learning from past generations.

The Role of the Eclipse

• The Eclipse is the holiest of celestial events, where the moon obscures the light of Solenara, signifying a time of divine communion and prophecy.
• Those born under an eclipse are believed to be chosen by the gods, often becoming seers, oracles, or powerful warriors.
• Major decisions in the Covenant—war declarations, alliances, and spiritual matters—are often delayed until an eclipse provides an omen.

Faith and Governance

Unlike the Holy Solarian Empire, which maintains a strict division between church, state, and military, the Lunar Covenant sees no such boundaries.

The Twilight Accord: Faith and Diplomacy

• The Twilight Accord governs through balance, much like Lunarel herself.
• Leaders do not claim divine right, but instead act as stewards of the gods' will, seeking visions and omens to guide them.
• Lunarel’s teachings influence their diplomacy, urging them to seek harmony and avoid reckless war, though the growing threat of the Empire has forced harsher measures.
• The Accord consults seers and dream-walkers before making major decisions, seeking the blessings of the gods before altering the fate of the Covenant.
• No single leader rules the Covenant, for Lunarel teaches that power must be balanced, never centralized.
• Decisions are not made in haste—elders, Crescent Blades, and Circle of Shadows seers gather under the moonlight to seek divine wisdom before acting.

The Crescent Blades: The Warrior’s Faith

• Xeryth and Kytheris dictate military discipline, ensuring that the Crescent Blades fight not for conquest, but for defense and righteous vengeance.
• Warfare is seen as a tragic necessity, only to be used to restore balance when the Empire threatens to consume all with fire and zealotry.
• Crescent warriors are taught discipline, but also reflection—before battle, they spend nights meditating, seeking visions of the battle to come.
• Their blades are not merely weapons, but sacred tools, forged under Veyra’s watchful eye. Each warrior’s sword is blessed before battle, carrying a piece of the wielder’s soul.
• Fallen warriors are honoured through song and ritual, for they do not truly die—they are believed to rejoin the cycle and return as spirits or guiding stars.

The Circle of Shadows: Mysticism and Forbidden Knowledge

• The Circle of Shadows follows Nytheris, Myrath, and Zeytha, seeking secrets, lost knowledge, and divine mysteries.
• The Circle believes that knowledge is power, and secrets shape the future.
• Magic is sacred, not to be feared but to be understood and wielded with wisdom—hence why many Lunar mages draw upon Myrath’s teachings.
• They search the ruins of the past, unravel forgotten histories, and seek prophecies hidden in dreams.
• While the Empire fears the unknown, the Covenant embraces it—for even in darkness, Lunarel’s light remains.

The Gods and Daily Life

While the Empire’s faith is about order, duty, and fire, the Covenant’s faith is deeply tied to nature, change, and personal growth.

Faith and Nature

The Lunar Pantheon is deeply tied to nature, and its people live in harmony with the world around them.

• Farmers follow Thaloran’s teachings, planting by the moon and offering the first harvest in gratitude.
• Hunters and warriors honour Kytheris and Xeryth, believing that every battle must have purpose, never cruelty.
• Blacksmiths pray to Veyra, for every creation must have meaning, and every blade must be used wisely.

Death and the Afterlife

Unlike the Empire, which fears death and purges the dead with fire, the Covenant embraces death as part of the cycle.

• Zeytha teaches that death is not the end, but a passage into the next phase of existence.
• The dead are buried beneath sacred trees or moonlit waters, so their spirits may watch over the world they left behind.
• Some return as spirits, others as stars, and a few are reborn—their essence guiding new generations.
• Dream-seers and death-walkers communicate with the departed, believing that the dead still guide the living from beyond.

Art, Song, and Celebration

• While the Empire suppresses freedom of expression, the Covenant believes that art is sacred, a means of speaking to the gods.
• Poets, musicians, and weavers are just as respected as warriors and seers, for a blade may cut the body, but a story shapes the soul.
• Elyndra’s influence is seen in music, dance, and storytelling, which are essential parts of Lunar culture.
• While the Empire’s faith is strict and ritualistic, the Covenant celebrates life, believing that joy and laughter are sacred acts.
• Festivals are held on full moons and eclipses, where people dance beneath the stars, drink, and tell the stories of those who came before.

Worship Through Cycles and Nature

• Lunarel teaches that all things move in cycles—life, war, death, renewal. This is reflected in their way of life.
• Farmers and hunters honour Thaloran, ensuring their crops and herds remain plentiful.
• Blacksmiths and artisans pray to Veyra, believing that creation and destruction are intertwined.
• Sailors and wanderers honour Selkaron, watching the tides for signs of his will.

The Struggle Against the Empire

The Lunar Covenant does not seek war—but neither will they allow the Empire to destroy them. Faith teaches that resisting tyranny is a sacred duty, and that the Empire’s zealotry threatens the balance of the world.

The View of the Empire’s Gods

• The Covenant does not deny Solenara’s existence—they see her as a force of fire and conquest, unchecked and unbalanced.
• They believe the Empire has lost its way, worshipping fire without balance, law without wisdom, conquest without restraint.
• Serrathis is feared, for he embodies the Empire’s unchecked wrath, and the Crescent Blades watch for his influence in Imperial war tactics.

The Spiritual War: Fire vs. Moonlight

• The Empire burns away the old—the Covenant seeks to preserve the past.
• The Empire’s gods demand obedience—the Lunar Pantheon offers guidance.
• The Empire fights for dominion—the Covenant fights for survival.