Moonborne Culture

The Moonborne are adaptable and self-sufficient, living in small villages, nomadic bands, or hidden fortresses deep in the wilds. Their way of life is shaped by their environment, and each clan has its own skills, trades, and traditions.

Hunting, Gathering, and Trade

• The Moonborne respect the land—they take only what they need and always give back through offerings, rituals, or labor.
• Many cultivate sacred plants, raise moon-touched animals, and hunt using ancient techniques passed through generations.
• Some clans trade with outsiders, offering herbs, rare hides, and crafted goods in exchange for metal, salt, or tools.

Clothing and Markings

• Clothing is woven from natural fibers, often dyed in deep blues, blacks, and silvers, reflecting the night sky and moonlight.
• Warriors wear paint, beads, or carved bone talismans, each symbolizing victories, ancestors, or oaths taken.
• Tattoos are common among elders, mystics, and proven warriors, marking stories on the skin.

Social Structure and Clan Bonds

The Moonborne Clans do not have kings or emperors—their society is built upon strong families, chosen leaders, and sacred wisdom passed through generations.

Elders and Wisdom Keepers

• Each clan is led not by one ruler, but by a council of elders, chosen for their wisdom, deeds, and closeness to the spirits.
• Some elders are seers, who interpret the omens of the stars and dreams. Others are warriors, who have proven themselves in battle.
• Their word is not law, but guidance—it is up to the clan to listen or choose a different path.

Kinship and Found Families

• Blood ties are respected, but family is not always given—it is chosen.
• Many Moonborne are adopted into new clans through trials of honor and loyalty.
• Those cast out from their people are considered truly lost, as exile is a fate worse than death.

The Festival of Two Shadows (Eclipse Rituals)

During a lunar eclipse, the barrier between the mortal world and the spirit realm is at its thinnest. It is believed that on these nights, the gods walk among the living.

• Tribal shamans enter deep trances, seeking visions of the future and the guidance of the gods.
• Warriors paint their faces with lunar ash, believing that those who fight under the Blood Moon carry the power of Lunarel’s blessing.
• The dead are honored with ceremonial feasts, songs, and dances, ensuring their spirits find peace beyond the veil.

The Gathering of Tribes (A Sacred Assembly)

Once every ten years, the scattered Lunar Tribes gather under a great silver moon to renew their oaths to one another and to Lunarel.

• The meeting is held at a sacred site, often a moonlit valley, an ancient ruin, or a hidden temple.
• Tribes share knowledge, trade goods, arrange marriages, and resolve disputes.
• The greatest warriors and seers perform ceremonies, recount histories, and interpret omens for the future.
• The Crescent Blades and Circle of Shadows often send envoys, seeking warriors, guidance, and wisdom.

The Oath of the Moonborn (The First Rite of Passage)

Every member of a Lunar Tribe undergoes a rite of passage upon coming of age, called the Oath of the Moonborn.

• Under the light of a full moon, the young initiate must prove themselves before their people.
• This test is different for each tribe—some require a hunt, a journey, or a spiritual vision, while others demand a feat of endurance, a display of skill, or communion with a sacred beast.
• Upon completion of the rite, the initiate receives a lunar brand, tattoo, or marking, signifying that they are now an adult, bound to their people and the moon’s cycle.

The Fox and the Moon

A Fable of the Moonborne Clans

Long ago, when the world was still young, the Moon and the Fox were dear friends. Each night, the Moon would shine brightly in the sky, and the Fox would dance beneath its silver glow, laughing and playing in the meadows.

One night, as the Moon watched from above, the Fox grew restless.

"Why do you sit so far away, shining alone in the sky?" the Fox asked. "Come down and dance with me."

The Moon smiled. "I cannot, little one. If I leave the sky, the world will be lost in darkness."

But the Fox was cunning. It knew many paths, many tricks, and it thought that it alone could guide the night.

"Then I will take your place, and you may dance with me," the Fox declared. With a great leap, it tried to snatch the Moon from the heavens.

The moment the Fox touched the Moon, the sky went dark. The stars blinked out. The rivers stilled. The spirits whispered in fear.

And the Fox, who had once danced so freely, now found itself lost in an endless night, its clever eyes blinded by the very darkness it had created.

Desperate, the Fox cried out.

"Moon! Forgive me! I was foolish! I did not understand what it meant to bear your light!"

The Moon heard its plea and returned to the sky, restoring light to the world. But as punishment for its arrogance, the Fox was forever marked—its tail dipped in silver, so it would always remember the night it stole the Moon’s light.

Since then, the fox has never forgotten its lesson. It still dances in the moonlight, but now, when the Moon begins to wane, the fox bows its head, remembering the price of pride and the wisdom of patience.

And so, the Moonborne Clans teach their children:

"One may long for the light, but not all are meant to carry it."