Lómëtarindi

"Our thoughts touch… impossibly close. Which of us am I?"

The heavens have long since been a source of divine inspiration and divine faith alike, for races young and old. It is not uncommon that many who seek divine guidance look to the stars, and there are some who, when gazing long enough, ascend to join them.

Such was the fate of the Lómëtarindi, referred to as Moon-Queens in the common tongue. Once a trio of young women who revered the night sky, these elven women were eventually gifted with divine magic, able to imbue their strength to those that followed them. This allowed the trio of priestesses to ascend, before becoming one with the night, and the lunar light that shone down upon their people, the Selunárima.

## History

Thousands of years ago, there was an elven tribe deep in the lands of Siacros. Long before any current settlements, these elven people had many towns, cities, and the like, that spanned across the great forested regions. They travelled by way of magical objects called Moon-Gates, which were said to be enchanted by elven magic that drew upon the light of the moon and the Plane of Water to create mirrors within stone arches that allowed one to step from one beam of moonlight into another, even across great distances.

The Selunárima were a strange people, even by elven standards. They were a sub-group of true elves, said to be warped and touched by the powers of the Moon for reasons unknown. Among these people were three individuals, whose names are since lost to time.

It was said they were the most powerful of their kind, and had direct connections to the night. One embodied the moon, the second the stars, and the third the sky itself. Each one held incredible power, and eventually their people came to refer to them as Moon-Queens, for they were often described as a three-in-one, each one psychically linked to the other, able to transmit thought and words alike without any sound.

After enough faith and belief was given to this trio, legend states a stair of starlight came down upon the mountain peak. The trio claimed a voice spoke to them, beckoning them home. They promised to lead their people from above, strengthening their connection to their ancestral gifts; the Moon.

They vanished that night, and are said to have risen among the stars, becoming deities in their own right. Though not true gods, persay, they were given the name of Lómëtarindi, Moon-Queens in the Elven tongue. Since that night, they have watched over the Selunárima, guiding and protecting their people with the powers of the night, as well as blessing those exceptionally gifted to receive divine gifts of their own.

## Current

With the Selunárima having dwindled and their civilization fallen, it is unknown what has become of the Lómëtarindi. Some believe that with the death of their people, belief in the Lómëtarindi waned, causing their power to diminish, and their spirits to die. Others believe they are now trapped among the stars, alive but powerless, and further still speculation is that the Lómëtarindi abandoned their people, and that is what resulted in the fall of the Selunárima people.

Regardless of truth, it has been generations since any true faith of the Lómëtarindi has existed, and longer since any have received their blessings and gifts.

## Symbol

The symbol of the Lómëtarindi is three women upholding a single bowl in the center, with liquid starlight spilling forth. The women's faces are veiled and hidden, as it is meant to symbolize that the maidens were vessels of power and strength for their people, but it is their actions and blessings that mattered, not the lives they lived before as mortals among the woodland realms.

## Relationships

The Lómëtarindi had a positive view of many deities that they shared the sky with, such as Desna, the Black Butterfly, and Pulura. They would often visit their devout followers in dreams, dancing with them among the stars, and encouraged their people to honor these more powerful deities as venerated saints worthy of reverence.

The Lómëtarindi had an incredible hatred for demons of the Abyss, believing shadow without moonlight to be perverse and malefic. Particularly, the Lómëtarindi condemned vampires as dark stalkers of the woods, and they were also enemies with Zon-Kuthon and his followers, claiming his twisted faith led many to paths of corruption.

## Appearance

None have seen the Lómëtarindi in an age, but it is speculated based on iconography and imagery that they appeared as three elven women, garbed in veils and dresses that touched the floor, giving the illusion they floated. Each of them were slender, with skin the color of pearls and hair the color of moonlight. Their eyes were said to be stars incarnate, twinkling and dazzling to all who looked upon them.

## Church

There is currently no active church of the Lómëtarindi. Any worshippers exist in isolation or seclusion, drawing strength from their belief in an idea more than an actual figure.

## Teachings

The Lómëtarindi taught compassion and offered guidance to their people. Those faithful to them were anything from soldiers to mothers to artisans, as the Lómëtarindi were said to be blessed with power over birth, life, funerals, and the night sky.

It wasn't uncommon for navigators and soldiers to pray to the Lómëtarindi for protection in the night, as well as for those who felt lost to pray for mercy and enlightenment, to be freed from both literal and figurative darkness.

Astrologers, diviners, and others who practiced mystical arts also paid home to the Lómëtarindi, asking for them to bless and guide them as they sought to follow in the footsteps of the Moon-Queens, seeking spiritual enlightenment and divine epiphanies.

The most blessed among the Selunárima were said to be daughters born under lunar eclipses or full moons, as often they were blessed with the powers and gifts of the Lómëtarindi directly, becoming lorekeepers or lunar oracles in service to the goddesses. The most devout them could even aspire to become vessels for their will, and heralds of the divine trio themselves.