Man in the Moon

The Man in the Moon is presumed to be a god. Wether it is the actual moon itself being referred to as the Man in the Moon or if it's a deity living on the moon is yet to be confirmed or decided within the world of Strathrand. Humans do tend to favour the thought of the moon itself being a deity, hence why it's common, almost mandatory for every house made in human architecture to have atleast one window shaped as a crescent moon with a nose. Also known as a window shrine.

The religion is followed by a various list of races but is predominantly followed by Humans. The religion is generally called the Moonkin and for those who are prone to magical capabilities they study the school of Moonkin Magicia.

All major Human Kingdoms of Strathrand believe and worship the Man in the Moon except a few smaller societies and Dukeships.

Not believing in the Man in the Moon is taboo in all major human kingdoms to a lesser and greater extent. Non-believers are often referred to as heathens.

A list of human kingdoms worshipping the Man in the Moon.

* The Crown
* The Crying Sun
* The Den
* Kingdom of The Three Stars

A list containing major Human factions worshipping the Man in the Moon.

* Carmen Monastery
* Surgex Infinitratium (to some extent)
* Dukeship of Sondburg
* Dukeship of Dawsson
* The Avenue of Dreams
* The Central Mining Trade Company
* The Sons of Assia
* The Almundia Casino
* The Crimson Council

**The Kingdom of The Three Stars** and **The Crying Sun** both have strong faith in the Man in the Moon but practice religious freedom in their lands. Although believing, speaking about or positively practicing The Mooncult religion or any cunning God is punished by prison or execution.

**The Den** have a casual belief in the Man in the Moon. They respect their culture and religion but don't enforce any laws around it. The Kingdom is open for almost anyone, caring little about religious background. Visitors and citizens are free to practice their religious believes publicly. The only expectation is the worshipping of the cunning Gods or The Mooncult which is punished by a lifetime prison sentence.

**The Crown** have a very strong faith in the Man in the Moon. Practicing any other religion publicly is strictly forbidden within the kingdom and it is punished with exile for visitors and prison time for citizens. The kingdom is open for merchants and adventurers with other religious believes but they may not practice it publicly. Worshipping the cunning Gods or the Mooncult is punished by execution.

**The Carmen Monastery** have an extreme belief in the Man in the Moon, being fanatical zealots that accept no other religion whatsoever. The Carmen Monastery will go out of their way to oppress any living being that differentiates from themselves. They are tolerant towards other Humans but will look down on anyone not worshipping the Man in the Moon. Races they can tolerate, but don't like, are; Dwarves, Gnomes and Faeris. Anyone except these races will be attacked on sight by any member of the Carmen Monastery. Their mission and birth given right , according to them, is to cleanse the world of all Cunning, Mooncult and Unwanted. Any intelligent life form that pose a threat to ordinary humans will be hunted down. In some rare cases they will even attack other humans, especially ordinary citizens, that are not part of their faction. Due to their effectiveness in killing cunning cultists, demons, creatures and Mooncult members they are tolerated by the other human factions. They are however strongly dissliked due to their opressive nature.

### Origins

It is said that a very long time ago during the ages of the ancienticus, before the time of mankind, when the planet was dominated by the Katrixxians and the Amo'Ga'Didu tribes the universe itself drifted its focus to the solar system. Strathrands neighbouring planet Tzinga'Laquid (in ACAL'ACC tongue) exploded due to unexplainable reasons which forced the ancient insectoid race of ACA'LACC to migrate to Strathrand. This was the second time in a very short period of time that an alien race had appeared on the planet of Strathrand. A few years before the Faeris had arrived through a one-time use Eldergaze portal and resettled their whole society on this new found planet.

All these events caused a lot of emotions and distress amongst the physical beings on Strathrand. There was an unusual amount of impressions, vibrations and gatherings confined in a previously , stale, part of the galaxy. This did not go unnoticed throughout the cosmos. All this commotion called for all the seven Gods of the cunning to shift their attention to Strathrand. Being natural enemies and rivals to each other they attempted to dig their claws into the planet as soon as possible and expand their sphere of influence. Neverroth was said to have been the first cunning God to arrive, as stated on an ancient Katrixxian rune, speaking of an foreign deity possessing their hive-lord. Causing it to screech out the word "Neverroth" time after time for years until it passed away due to fatigue and stress.

For thousands of years the Man in the Moon had observed the planet of Strathrand in peace. Analytically, analyzing the inhabitants and the local Gods in an scientific manner. Not interfering in Strathrands evolution. This was about to change. The day the first cunning God bepested the planet with their unholy presence the Man in the Moon spread it's cosmic and magical dust, sending it straight towards the planet of Strathrand.

It is said that this cosmic dust was a chemical composition of ultradimensional ingredients that worked similar to spores. With the sole purpose of laying the foundation of necessities the planet of Strathrand needed to create the human race, or as commonly referred to as the Moonkin or the Sons of the Moon.

The humans, atleast believed by themselves, were created to bless the planet with their holy and ethical presence and cleanse it from all the unwelcomed beings that were harming the planet. Especially the cunning Gods. It would however, take hundreds of years before the first humans managed to unite into somewhat sophisticated societies and create their first kingdoms.

### The Great Blessing

Thousand years after the first human kingdom had been formed, the greatest human wizard, at the time, Magetar Carolius Zwiffledorff, summoned all the worlds most powerful and influential human, dwarven and Faeri leaders. To warn them about a potential threat on the Island of Korzdoom. Carolius feared that the Island was being used as a gate to summon a Grand demon of the cunning God Zennephas. Which he believed to be Grand Demon Zaal'thep, lord of treachery and lies. Carolius stressed to the council that it was of utter importance that they approached this threat with caution. Interfering with a Grand demonius summoning at the wrong time could fast track the process tenfold. Everyone seemed to agree, trusting the Magetars knowledge, except one.

Shocked by the news, the four leaders of the newly formed order of the Carmen Monastery where having a meeting to discuss the matter at hand. Arch Duke Octavius Charleston slammed his hand on the table filled with rage and frustration. He proceeded to call everyone heathens and weak for having the patience to simply allow the cultists to perform their ritual without interruption. Octavius stormed out from the meeting and mounted his horse with the Carmen Monastery headquarter of Sunkenholm as his destination.

The next day Arch Duke Octavius rallied his newly recruited batallion and marsched towards the island of Korzdoom. Upon arrival he ordered his engineers to begin the construction of a hundred ships. While also putting an unrealistic and inhumane deadline of two weeks until the ships had to be finished. As expected by everyone, but the Arch Duke, after two weeks only two ships had been constructed. Filled with rage the Arch Duke sent his engineers away, forcing them to walk all the way back by foot through the treacherous landscape without weapons or food. Stating that they should consider themselves lucky that he didn't execute them on spot.

    Eager to save the world the Arch Duke set sail with the two ships he had in his arsenal. Leaving nearly all of his men behind due to lack of space, taking with him only a few hundred soldiers. On his way to the Island, one ship sank due to it being built in a rushed manner and started taking in water. The soldiers on the remaining ship tried to persuade the Arch Duke to turn around and regroup with the army on the beach. The Arch Duke refused and continued his course to the Island.

The ship arrived at the Island just a few minutes later. The Arch Duke marched with his small company of soldiers into the thick murky forest. It didn't seem to be a single living animal on the Island, not even insects or bugs. From nowhere, to their surprise, the sky turned dark and the trees started to chant in a demonic tongue, echoing back and forth causing stress and anxiety amongst the Carmen soldiers. Purple fog appeared from nowhere and the dark demonic chants turned louder and louder. The Carmen soldiers and the Arch Duke started to levitate against their will, their eyes turning purple and even more fog starting to spew out from their mouths. All of this was being witnessed by the Carmen army on the shore that were left behind. After a few minutes every single Carmen soldier, including the Arch Duke, exploded and turned into purple dust as an evil, loud and horrifying demonic growl could be heard. A huge, wretched and insidious beast with horns and large purple wings appeared. According to eye witnesses on the shore the beast seemed to be as large as the island itself or the size of a large castle. It's physical appearance would have been so foreign and alien that they would have had a hard time to grasp how it really looked. Resulting in some of the men in the army on the beach to go insane and commit suicide almost instantly as soon as their eyes set gaze on the powerful and sinister beast.

From nowhere, to everyones surprise the moon appeared in a crescent shape. Luminating a strange yellow light in a way it had never shined before. Every single Carmen Monastery soldier in the army on the beach dropped to their knees and praised the holy moon, chanting for the Man in the Moon to save them. The Grand Demon’s devious and horrifying growl turned to a squeaking and painful noise of torment as it began to shrink. Within a second, a purple vortex-like portal was opened and the Grand Demon dissapeared inside it as yet another explosion could be seen and heard. The Carmen soldiers and the Arch Duke levitating on the Island fell to the ground, drained of their lives. Their souls had been used by the Grand Demon to fuel his arrival.

The army on the beach could see confused and shocked cultists on the island running back and forth in panic, blaming each other for the unsuccsesful attempt to bring the Demon to Strathrand.

This event is considered to be one of the most, if not, the most holy event in human history and serves as prime evidence in mankinds struggle to prove their Gods existence. Claiming that this unnatural phenomenon must be proof enough to safely claim that the Man in the Moon do exist.

### The Age of Doubt and The Crown-Staric Wars

Two thousand years after the first human kingdom of Eisenbrook had been formed. During the Age of Cultivary, often called the Age of Contempt, the humans had reached their peak of evolution. The humans on the planet experienced the luxury of living a relatively peaceful life with good economy and wellfare, thus giving them time to focus on artistic hobbies such as art, literature and architecture. The Kingdoms flourished and their combined population was estimated to approximately 500-600 million individuals.

All of this would change one day, when a scientist from the Kingdom of The Three Stars claimed to have proof that the unnatural phenomenon two thousand years ago that caused the grand cunning Demon to explode was in fact a natural phenomenon. A phenomenon that occurred once every ten thousand years when the moon sheds its stardust. Claiming that the cunning demon simply was poisoned by it.

King Barnaby Effelhoff of the Kingdom of The Three Stars didn't denounce the scientist’s claims but instead said he was allowed to continue his research to see if he could find any evidence to support his heathen-like claim. The news of this research spread across the planet quickly. Not only to human kingdoms but to almost every single creature and race across the planet. Thus, starting the Age of Doubt in the human timeline.

    This angered King Felix Equinius, King in the Kingdom of The Crown. He claimed that it was heathen-like behaviour from King Barnaby to even allow such preposterous claims. It infact angered him so much that he orchestrated a surprise attack on his former ally. Thus starting the Crown-Staric wars.

The Kingdom of The Three Stars got taken by surprise. Never in a million years could they have anticipated this. An attack from an ally and even more surprisingly so, a fellow human kingdom.

The Crown sacked and plundered the cities of Jeronburg and Selfridge before they were met by Field Marshal Lionel Crowson of The Three Stars, leading a large army to intercept The Crowns forces before they could reach deeper into The Three Stars territory. Lionels superior strategies outmaneuvered King Felix and pushed the invading forces out of the Kingdom. King Barnaby was furious and ordered his Field Marshals to make ready for a counter offensive assault on the Crowns territory.

The Magetar at the time, Magetar Porelius Mazkarbast tried to reason with the two kings but it proved futile. Their minds were clouded with rage, so he set out to solve the problem himself. Magetar Porelius had heard of some kind of artifact that could serve as proof of the Man in the Moon’s existence. However, it was possessed by The Central Mining Trade Company that found it while digging for minerals in an ancient ACCA'LACC ruin.

Magetar Porelius arrived at the Central Mining Trade Companies capital of Damcrank and promised them that they would recieve one third of an ancient green orb of order if they gave him the artifact. He pleaded that it was the most ethical thing to do in order to save human lives. The orbs of order are the most rare and most powerful material on the planet so they happily accepted the trade. They themselves didn't possess the knowledge to fully understand what the ancient artifact said.

    Magetar Porelius traveled to his old school in Brookridge, the Witchcraft Academy, to meet with the high magistrates of Magicia to translate the the articact, however, the school was closed due to a recent event where one of the students had sighted a Sylvnerdorff vampire in the school basement. Porelius then traveled to the Crimson Council and asked them to help him transate the artifact. The room turned silent when the artifact had been successfully translated. The artifact clearly stated that just some years after the Moon released it's cosmic dust into Strathrand after the arrival of the chaos god Neverroth in the ancient times the ACCA'LACCS had an encounter with a strange being for the first time. A being that stood on two legs and looked almost like a Faeri but slightly shorter and slightly bulkier with smaller ears. There even was a picture depicting a human on it. A human that went by the name of Assia. This was no coincidence. If a Human appeared for the first time ever in history just years after the Moon released it's dust on Strathrand, surely the belief that humans were created by purpose by the Man in the Moon to fight all evil beings on the planet must be true. It even serves as proof to the the Man in the Moon being a godlike deity with a consciousness rather than just a source of power one can connect to. Not only that, but the name Assia is constantly repeated in ancient human scrolls and referred to as as a Saint. This changes everything.

The two Kingdoms stopped fighting eachother instantly when the news of this artifact had been delivered to King Felix and King Barnaby by the Magetar, thus starting the Age of Belief.