Latest revision as of 01:15, 6 April 2010

The No Moon

The dark sky offers only mysteries and answers with mere silence - it reveals nothing but holds everything, and by contemplating it did the No Moon children of Luna find their role. They are beings of wisdom, lore, and occultism, whose duty is mostly to simply hold knowledge, dispensing it when the time is right. Famous - perhaps infamous - for their subtly-worded portents and obscure references, the No Moons hold a body of knowledge matched only by their Twilight counterparts, but unlike their Solar cousins, they are charged to keep, not share, it.

The function of the No Moons is to build society and hold its laws, not necessarily to explain them - taboos exist for a reason, and many a No Moon knows those reasons, but to tell another is to rob him of the ability to learn on his own. The No Moons instruct by not teaching - they force their kin to teach themselves. Those things that their kin could not do, they would see to - the art of mastering sorcery was theirs, and the burden of recording the strictures and the overseeing the boundaries. They worked closely with the Twilight Caste, keeping excellent records of mystical secrets, and with the Dawns, sharing portents of battle fortunes.

Of the Lunar Castes, the No Moons did the most to secure their own downfall. They began to horde more of their secrets and become more vague with their portents, thinking that in so doing they would inspire the Solars to try harder to fulfill their true roles - or perhaps merely being contrary, a common trait among the Caste. Yet their recalcitrance with information and their sly portents only hurt their mates - cunning Sidereal astrology wove false portents and omens, and many a No Moon sent her mate to his death. With heavy hearts did the survivors of the Caste move to the fringes of society, taking what wisdom they could - had they not, it is likely that the Realm would hold far more prosperous lore from the First Age - and destroying what they couldn't. They are the principle group that reforged Lunar society in the wake of the Usurpation, their magics creating a web of information that drew forth the Societies as they exist today.

No Moons hold closely to their original function. They horde knowledge and dole it out to those that have earned it, sending fellow Lunars on long quests to secure the right for a tidbit or a forgotten fact - some consider their lack of cooperative spirit to suggest haughtiness, but wiser minds realize that, in so doing, the No Moon emphasizes the importance of the lore, making the Lunars as a whole stronger with experience and wiser with truly treasured knowledge. They are also the leaders of many Lunar Societies - their ability to use sorcery allowing them to communicate with their peers in fashions that others cannot.

Totem Selections: Most No Moons have Mysteries or Alpha Totems. Mysteries Totems are strange creatures of the deep forest or sea floor, cunning and secretive. Alpha totems are gentle, wise leaders - aged lions and gorillas. Cunning totems are sly, spare animals - spiders and serpents. Deceiver totems are repulsive or canny - ravens or rats. Strength Totems are beasts of mental and physical might, vast whales and contemplative reptiles.

Anima Banner: No Moon animas are sinuous, somewhat sinister, lines and tendrils of dark purple light. Merely being brushed by one of the intangible tendrils draws a shiver, and yet they have such light - hidden on the inside- that they routinely bleach fabrics they touch. As more Essence is spent, they become more possessive, wrapping around objects, sources of light, and the Lunar himself - a wall of shadows surrounding knowledge.

Anima Effects: By expending 5 motes of Essence, a No Moon can attune his anima to the flow of mystical power for five turns - he may detect the use of Essence in Charms (But generally not creatures using Stealth charms), see dematerialized spirits, and strike such spirits as if they were manifest.

Caste Abilities: The No Moons are the masters of creation, mysteries, and of the deep oceans - the strict lines of rigidly manipulated Essence and crafting call to them in all forms. Their caste abilities are Craft, Lore, Martial Arts, Occult, and Sail

Associations: The element of earth, the color black, new moons, books, and ravens.

Sobriquets: Does anyone really read these?

Concepts: Sorceror-king, Tribal storyteller, wise man, spiritual medium, sensei on the mountain, mysterious pirate lord, cryptic child-mystic.

The red-crested child will fail in the face of the golden-horned bull, while the hidden ones play out their own silent games. A wise child would do well to remember past grievances and move with caution - a great and ancient prize rests in a white womb for one quick enough to snatch it and smart enough to keep it. Bring me the prize and I will give you the head of the bull. Should you fail, he will gore you to death.

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