Moonlight Shores

The **Moonlight Shores** states are home to a religious and spiritual people that cling to the shorelines of the Misty Sea. They are made up of an Elven-like race, the Ta'lunasir, who worship the moon and other celestial bodies. They build massive lunar temples that follow the moon cycles, and planetary bodies. They have an emphasis on science and technology as well, and magic, often times combining the three.

They are not without adversary as they have defend their homes from the raiders from the Blind Bastard's Domain.

## History

The lands around the Lake Alba are some of the most fertile lands in Sothern Giantstep. A great extension of prairies and fields of grass, perfect for the harvest of wheat, cereals, corn, mixed vegetables and olive trees. The frequent but gentle rains also allow the maintenance of a great number of cattle, capable of staying on a single place for long periods of time, moving only during summer and winter in search of untapped pastures. As such, the area has had a lot of importance for the inhabitants of the region. In particular, this region has been under the influence of Gilgemash for a long time, being its main breadbasket for many centuries. The land was divided in many different provinces, and proved to be much more cosmopolitan than the lands of Sidarí in the north. Many cities popped up around the coast and around the central lake, becoming centers of artisanal production and trade.

Tensions began brewing between many of the cities of the region, however. The increasing taxes and levies for the wars between Gilgemash and the raiders from the Red Land Steppes were a growing burden, especially since the rate of taxation was higher there than in the capital and the central provinces, as well as the amount of men taken to war. Poor government and corruption made matters worse, making cities dens of crime. It all came to a sudden crash around 1.654 ABE, when a great plague ravaged the cities and towns of the provinces around Lake Alba. The spread of the infection was blindingly fast, and the disease was a quick killer, with a high rate of contagion and high mortality. This made the epidemic come and go quite fast, but by the time a cure had been discovered and the disease became under control, it had taken around two thirds of the population of the cities of the region. This caused an exodus of the people to the countryside or to the central gilgemashi provinces, worsening the matters of the abandonment of the cities.

In the capital, the different faction wrestling for power used this disaster to gain more control. The alchemist faction blamed the astromantic faction of reacting late and poorly to the plague in the south, and they also argued that the discovery of the cure was a merit exclusively of their guild. The astromantic faction found itself with the task of fixing the demographics of the region. No matter how much land and privileges they promised people to move back to the region, many refused, still believing the lands were too dangerous for the time being. Thus, they began searching for settlers from the outside, to keep the economy of the region from total collapse. As luck would have it, they found many groups of ta’lunasir, wanderers from all around southern Giantstep, willing to settle in the region under the laws of Gilgemash. Thus, in 1.659 ABE, the King of Gilgemash accepted the petition of the moon elves to settle in gilgemashi lands, something the astromantic faction pushed hard to be done. The ta’lunasir quickly established themselves in the area, outnumbering the local human population. Many also went to the nearby regions such as Sidarí, but the majority of them settled in the abandoned cities and farmlands.

The ta’lunasir quickly adjusted to their new home. The gilgemashi, expecting the new settlers to take a while to the rules of the country, mostly left them alone, just intervening enough to collect taxes and produce. As such, the moon-elves quickly transformed the culture of the region, bringing many of the customs and traditions of their kind to the land. In particular, many astromantic rites and holidays spread like wildfire throughout the region, and even some of the neighbors like Sidarí adopted them. The abandonment of the gilgemashi faiths and traditions began worrying the authorities in the capital, who argued for stricter controls and enforcement of the gilgemashi law in the provinces. The astromantic faction, however, saw the spread of the astromantic philosophy around the land as a way to increase their influence, and allowed it to spread unopposed. This was helped by the increasing old age of the king, more and more mentally weak and dependent on his councilors, who at the time were part of the astromantic faction.

However a series of catastrophes would cause a domino effect in Gilgemash. The growing rumors around illicit activity from the alchemists who had settled in the province of Sidarí came to light. Around 1.694 ABE, many alchemists tried to clean the tracks of their chimerical experiments by releasing them into the wild, causing chaos in the region. The massive crisis that caused in the region, worsened by the arrival of the ettin to the lands and the refusal of many units of the army to enter the region, was the thing the astromantic faction needed to effectively destroy their competitors. But it all came crashing down on them when, in 1.695 ABE, the King of Gilgemash died of old age. In his will, it was discovered that he said that, by advise of his most loyal advisers, he left the provinces around the Lake Alba to the ta’lunasir in perpetuity.

Widespread chaos raged in the capital when that was discovered. Since it had the signing of the king, it was official and irreversible. The alchemical faction used it to accuse the astromantic faction of outright treason. The astromantic faction themselves had no idea how this had happened, or who had pushed for it. Most theories nowadays point out towards the old king, in his senility, simply took the advice from the astromancers to benefit the moon elves as much as possible to the letter, and the gifting of the land was the result. But at the time, every politician, every noble, every priest, every high merchant with their fingers in politics, everyone began accusing everyone else trying to figure out how the kingdom had just given away one of their most important provinces to some elves for nothing. This began a series of fights for power in the capital that would see the country go into a near civil war. The moon-elves themselves just stood back and watched. They were obviously grateful by the gift, but they knew that intervening in the kerfuffle in the capital would bring war in one way or another, so they just stood aside and began organizing their new country.

## Society and culture

The gift of the dead King to the Ta’lunisar came as a complete surprise to the moon-elves. Since they had accepted to follow the rules and laws of Gilgemash from day one, suddenly getting total control over the region as something they did not expect. This meant that the first years of the States of the Moonlight Shores were quite confusing, having to create from scratch an administration capable enough to rule the land. Over time, they managed to organize many different states, mostly by expanding local government and taking over many gilgemashi administrative structures. Nonetheless, the moon-elves never really formed an unified state in the Moonlight Shores, being content with smaller, much easier to rule and administrate states. They are kept together by the bonds of tradition and frequent councils between the leaders of each state.

Since the gift from the dead king, the population has become more and more predominantly ta’lunisar. Many humans had left the lands due to the fears of the plague, and the constant arrival of moon-elves to the Moonlight Shores states quickly changed the demographic composition of the region. This has left many temples and shrines dedicated to gilgemashi deities mostly abandoned due to the lack of faithful. The ta’lunisar mostly help the remaining humans maintain the shrines as a show of gratitude and due to the matters of superstition. Many moon-elves believe that’s bad luck letting sacred places rot away, even if they are not their own (this does not apply to gods or entities considered as evil or destructive). The ta’lunasir brought many of their astromantic customs to the lands, like the exploration of the night sky and the celebration of moon festivities.

The economy of the region is very similar to the one before the plague. The weight of the agriculture and husbandry is still strong, with many imports to Gilgemash and the neighboring regions. Their cities also produce quite a lot of artisanal goods, but now they focus more on stuff related to astromantic pursuits. The region is still quite profitable, and thus is targeted frequently by piratic raids. The moon-elves are not protected by the gilgemashi fleet in the same way as before, and they have yet to build an effective fleet to counter the attacks from the Blind Bastard’s Domain. This has forced many of the cities to dedicate extra resources to fortify their harbors, having to protect the ships they have from being captured and used against them.

Near the lake Alba, the ta’lunasir have built many great temples that double as astronomic observatories. The moon-elves have dedicated considerable efforts to their construction, bringing many astromancers from the world to oversee their construction. These temples have also become great centers of learning, pushing the development of sciences and technology. This has turned the States of the Moonlight Shore some of the most developed nations in Southern Giantstep.

## Foreign Relations

The ta’lunisar have developed a web of relations with many astromantic communities around the world. As the biggest community of astromancers in southern giantstep, the States of the Moonlight Shores are an important center of investigation and debate. Many astromancers from the southern nations frequently travel to the lands of the moon-elves in search of inspiration and to discuss the latest studies of the celestial bodies. Astromancy is not as widespread in the south as it is in other regions of Giantstep, however, so it still cannot compare with the lands of the astromancers to the north, both in terms of influence and development, but it’s still one of the main astromantic centers in the world. The Moonlight Shores have also become great patrons of the arts, with many markets showing great works such as paintings and sculptures, and there is a growing number of theatres where delicate compositions play in honor of the celestial bodies.

The ta’lunasir keep great relations with Gilgemash. The moon-elves are still grateful of the dead king’s gift, and have become steadfast allies of the human nation, developing a productive trade and defensive ties against piracy. Gilgemash, on their part, are still sore that such an important province was lost in such a pointless way. While they don’t really plan to reabsorb the States of the Moonlight Shores, since that would break the word given by a dying king, an absolute taboo for gigemashi rulers, many wish to tie the land as much as possible to gilgemashi politics and economy so that its independence becomes irrelevant. Over the years, they have strengthened their bonds quite a lot, especially in regards to naval defense against the pirates of the Blind Bastard’s Domain. The piratic kingdom represents a threat for the economy of both nations, and since the independence of the Moonlight Shores meant that they needed to defend themselves from now on, they are relying on many gilgemashi dockyards to build the navy they desperately need. In the meantime, the moon-elves have put a lot of effort fortifying their harbors and coastal cities, due to the frequent raids and attempts of stealing their ships. The Moonlight States are one of many nations interested in the destruction of the Blind Bastard’s Domain, but even centuries after the founding of the nation, they still depend on foreign military help to defend themselves.

The moon-elves from the Moonlight Shores keep solid relations with the region of Sidarí. During the exodus of the ta’lunasir to the regions around Lake Alba, many of the more nomadic elves decided to move northwards, to areas much less cosmopolitan, to live a life more in tune with nature. This makes the way of life of the moon-elves from the Moonlight Shores slightly different than those who live in Sidarí, but overall, they are fine neighbors. The Moonlight Shores’ coastal cities serve as an intermediary between the growing economy of the sidarian towns and the rest of the world, something that makes these cities quite a lot of money. The fact that the sidarians prefer to keep simpler lives allows the moon-elven cities to grow without competition, keeping the lion’s share of the profits. The ta’lunasir are worried, however, about the growth of many of the populations of alchemical beasts into their territories. Already there are certain species of alchemical animals present into the shores of Lake Alba and around the rivers of the region. Many mozadizz and sidarian hunter parties have been hired to monitor the growth of the creatures into Moonlight Shores’ territory, and have helped mitigate the expansion of some of the bigger threats, though not enough to stop their growth completely.