Mo'thagrah

**Mo'thagrah** is the Aran'khutu of the moon and the performing arts. She is the daughter of Go'Shrahd and Klakelaya, the twin sister of To'hkadma, half-sister of Motu'o and Thralzedar, and the mother of Zeala. She is a widely loved god in Kentotra, for better and for worse.

## Appearance

Mo'thagrah is always depicted as a young woman, about in her mid-20s in terms of physical maturity. She is often shirtless with a small, incomplete eye on her chest, meant to represent the part of Go'Shrahd's eye that remained intact after her birth. If she is ever depicted with a top, it always leaves a window open on her chest for the eye to see through. She often wears a skirt that is long and flowing, possibly to resemble her mother's attire, and she carries twirling ribbons with her for use in performances. Her hair varies in length, but it is usually white or silver.

## Personality

For the most part, Mo'thagrah is a relaxed goddess. Though she does guard her heart closely, she is considerate and gentle in all her interactions, acting as a calming presence. She takes her life at her own pace, often ignoring matters that don't interest or otherwise directly affect her. This is not to say she is heartless, as she will intervene and help others when it is important. Rather, she recognizes others' abilities and talents to the extent that she knows when it is safe to not involve herself, especially in human matters. This behavior can make her come across as aloof and distant due to her laissez-faire approach to governing humanity.

Mo'thagrah's keen sense of others' talents also serves as a means of protection, both for herself and others. In her eyes, if someone has the ability to do something, they'll do it regardless of morals or destructive potential. Her intuition unfortunately only extends to natural ability and not intentions, and one's ability to hide their truth until the most opportune moment terrifies her. This idea drives her to be cautious around anyone outside of her close family circle, especially after her former relationship with the human Esthra'ag. She considers herself lucky that her divine abilities are more destructively limited than those of most of her family, lest she fall victim to any hidden temptations she's unaware of.

## Duties

As Mo'thagrah is formed from Go'Shrahd's left eye and even bears its remains on her person, she was tasked with flying across the sky at night to allow her father to watch over Kentotra. Her soft glow also illuminates the night sky, though not nearly as much as To'hkadma in the daytime. As the moon, she dances in the sky, her many different phases aiding the humans in determining the length of months. As Klakelaya's daughter, she also bears the ability to move the ocean's tides, even when she is not in the sky.

## Myths

### Creation of Humanity

As Go'Shrahd attempts to calm Klakelaya to prevent her from destroying the land, she whips around and rips both his eyes out with her bare hands. Her intense fury infused her divine energy with the eyes, fertilizing them and mixing her genetic material with Go'Shrahd's. When she flung the eyes into the sky, they both transformed into two twin newborns: To'hkadma and Mo'thagrah. The infant gods illuminated the sky, casting light upon their mother's misdeeds and their father's agony.

As the dispute that caused the destruction was settled, Go'Shrahd and Klakelaya were now confronted with parenthood. Klakelaya had some experience due to her raising the first generation of humans, but Go'Shrahd did not consider himself a parent nor did he feel ready to become one. Regardless, they agreed on a split custody plan, the family operating as that of a divorced couple. To'hkadma and Mo'thagrah were thus passed between each of their parents for a certain amount of time. When Motu'o and Thralzedar were formed, they also helped raise their siblings.

### Reign of Chaos

Mo'thagrah is one of the central gods of this myth as she is courted by the mortal man Esthra'ag. She finds him one night singing and playing his lute in her temple. Touched by his kindness, she came to him in the morning and praised his musical skills. She learned that he admired her for her beauty and dances, and the two bonded over their appreciation of the performing arts. They formed a romantic bond over time, but Mo'thagrah refused to get physically closer without adequate protection.

Eventually, Mo'thagrah trusted Esthra'ag enough to let him into the divine realm. Unbeknownst to her at first, Esthra'ag casted her father out of the realm to guarantee his plan wouldn't be interrupted. Once they were alone together, Esthra'ag blindfolded her third eye, pinned her down and cut her arm with his dagger. In the searing pain of her injury and the betrayal, Mo'thagrah took a while to realize that he had drank some of her blood. She did not fully come back to reality until she felt her parents next to her. Upon seeing Esthra'ag bound in front of her with blood on his lips, she panicked, requiring Klakelaya and Go'Shrahd's help to ground her.

Once Esthra'ag was sealed away underground and Mo'thagrah's arm would had healed, she closed herself off emotionally from most people. The assault and betrayal made it harder for her to trust strangers, and her newfound anxiety would last for decades. Much to her dismay, she found that some of her protection had broken, resulting in her first and only pregnancy with Esthra'ag's child. She resolved to never let the child see their father lest they fall victim to his ways.

### Tales of Zeala

Mo'thagrah is a major character in Zeala's exploits, as she is his mother and thus primary caretaker. She tries her best to teach Zeala good morals to lead him along a virtuous path. As such, she is Zeala's harshest critic when he commits misdeed after misdeed. This scrutiny is the result of her assault trauma and her inability to separate her son from Esthra'ag, especially when the former talks so much about wanting immortality like his father once did.

TBC

## Worship

Mo'thagrah's association with the performing arts came from the Kentotran belief that the moon changed phases through her elaborate dance routine that spanned the course of a month. As such, all performances were dedicated to her, especially dances. Dancers, actors, and musicians alike would touch statues of her for good luck in their rehearsals and performances, some even carrying their own stone figurine of her with them. She, Motu'o, and Kotamotu were all revered during the week-long Creativity Celebration. It was believed that their creative powers collectively grew during this time. However, modern locals claim that idea, though amusing, was false. It appears this belief changed over time.