Church of Selûne (seh-LOON-eh)

The Church of Selûne was founded several years after the First Rising of the High Moon, often accounted to have formed in the year of 16 HMR. The church itself owns little lands, only enough for the temples which it commandeers for the Selûnians' benefit. The church is divided into five separate levels of domain: The High Priestess, the archbishops, the bishops, the priests, and the clerics. Each of which has decreasing levels of power.   The founder, Epitha Fellmorr, was an Elven priestess from the rich forest known as the Moriar Gardens. She was said to have been spoken to directly by the Goddess Selûne during an evening walk, where she was told to search in the East for the Solution to the High Moon (or as it was called then, the New Moon). For several years, it meant nothing to her, and she continued her rule. After losing her father to an arcane outburst from the Moon, however, she desperately searched Eastwards for her Solution. For years, her search went on, hoping to find whatever it is that was told to her that night. She sent scouts out once a week, and once per fortnight they would return. As the losses increased, Epitha's subjects began to doubt her, and rebellions began within her country, destroying all faith her people had in her. She eventually was forced to flee, emigrating into the East. She had never joined one of the scouting parties, but rather stayed behind to rule over Fellmorr. As she was eventually forced to flee, she ventured through the Calcissan Canyon for the first time.   Epitha was attacked many times as she passed through the Canyon, by bandits, by goblins, by every living creature whom she passed. Each and every one, being barely driven away by her magic and blade, she ventured onwards, searching for the Solution. She'd enter every cavern, climb to every cliff, searching for anything, ANYTHING, that could be her solution. Exhaustion crept into every pore of her body, but she kept searching, day in and out, for weeks, warding off attackers, walking for miles every day, and only sleeping when unconsciousness takes her in spite of her every effort for it not to. Finally, she was confronted with a foe she could not take: a lycanthrope inflicted with a curse of the moon. As she fell to her knees, slashes painting her pale skin crimson under Mensis's full Moon. Her hand thrust out from fear, devoid of magic, her eyelids began to fall heavily to meet one another, as she fell into unconsciousness.   A mere moment later, Epitha awoke, a dwarven man before him, tending to her wounds. The Full Moon still befalling onto her back, now devoid of slashes, she again heard the voice she so searched for, saying, "You have found it", before the world around her fell to silence again. She searched her surroundings for whatever could save the world from the New Moon, with all she could see around her being fields, rocks, a tree stump, and the dwarf, who was now profusely apologizing while mopping the blood off of her. On that very location, Epitha built the Selûnar Temple, where it still stands today. The dwarf, who was the lycanthrope, became the first archbishop of the Church of Selûne.   Ever since that day, The Church has grown in size, reaching the hearts and minds of thousands of people within Tempor'Il. It is easily the most worshipped religion within the region, with many seeing it as a place of sanctum against the High Moon. Many of the people of Tempor'Il find themselves taking refuge within the Selûnar Temple during the High Moon, because of Selûne's protection upon the palace. Each archbishop resides permanently within the Selûnar Temple, acting as priests, worshippers, and servants of both the Godess and The Temple. The Archbishops tend to be Lycanthropes, but stay under the protection of the temple such to protect themselves and others. Bishops deliver orders from the High Priestess to the Priests, who individually run every temple aside from the Selûnar Tempes. The clerics have no physical domain, but are given powers from Selûne herself in order to further the protection that she can give to the people of Tempor'Il   Today, the Third High Priestess, Aora Wildenhart, the second human to be High Priestess, rules over the Church, alongside her 21 archbishops. There are 42 bishops residing over the many Priests of Selûne throughout the world.