“On the Worshipers of Cerilia’s Mysterious Moon God ..

An Essay by Magnus Argent (magicofkings@gmail.com)

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................... 3
ANUIRE......................................................................................................................................... 3
Medoere...................................................................................................................................3
THE RJURIK HIGHLANDS...........................................................................................................4
Hjorig....................................................................................................................................... 4
BRECHTUR...................................................................................................................................4
Grevesmuhl............................................................................................................................. 4
Rheulgard................................................................................................................................ 5
Treucht and The Burrows..................................................................................................... 6
KHINASI........................................................................................................................................ 6
Mairada....................................................................................................................................6
VOSGAARD.................................................................................................................................. 6
Zoloskaya................................................................................................................................ 7
Rovninodensk.......................................................................................................................... 7
THE HIDDEN KINGDOM.............................................................................................................. 8
Timoshev................................................................................................................................. 8
INTRODUCTION
Throughout Cerilia, humans recognize the mysterious god of moon and magic –
although different regions call him by different names. In addition, of the new gods born
from the Battle of Mount Deismaar, he alone has temples that cater to non-humans who
worship him, if not by name, then at least in principle.

ANUIRE
Anuirians tend to call the god of moon and magic by his mortal name, Ruornil – but he
is just as often referred to as the Silver Prince. Although he is honored throughout
Anuire, only a small minority venerate him above all of the other gods.

Since the early days of the Anuirian Empire, those most devoted to Ruornil have largely
been spread out among the provinces of Anuire’s South Coast. About a century ago,
however, a zealous priest of Ruornil, who claimed to have been given a vision, spent
the better part of a decade traveling down the coast, preaching about a “promised land”.
He gathered Ruornil’s faithful in Diemed’s three easternmost provinces and, there, they
carved a home for themselves out of the untamed land. The people called these lands
Medoere, a term in Old Andu that translates to “Holy Land”.

Medoere
At first, the three provinces of Medoere were loyal, peaceful, tax-paying subjects of the
Duchy of Diemed. Unfortunately, the orthodox Haelynites in Western Diemed saw the
prosperity of Ruornil’s followers as an affront to the social order. Medoere was subjected
to a series of new laws designed to disenfranchise those who worshiped the Silver
Prince. The situation came to a head when the Duke sent an army 2000 strong to quell
the civil unrest caused by years of suffering religious persecution.

It is said that, even as Diemed’s army marched eastward, Ruornil selected the
newly-ordained 16 year old granddaughter of Modoere’s first Baron to serve as his
Chosen. Later that night, when Diemed’s army set foot into Medoere, the moon god
caused a beam of moonlight to smite them and the entire army was destroyed to the
last man.

Soon after, Ruornil’s Chosen proclaimed Medoere’s independence from Diemed. Under
her leadership, the priesthood came together to formally create the Temple of Ruornil’s
Celestial Spell and Medoere became the Moon God’s first (and only) Theocracy.
THE RJURIK HIGHLANDS
Druids of Aeric are the only holy men who have any true influence in the day to day
affairs of the Highlanders but the Rjuven honor the moon god nonetheless. They
venerate him in his capacity as the god of night and see him as a guiding light in the
darkness. They know it is he that guards them as they sleep and it is he who is the
driving force that fights the encroaching darkness.

When the Rjuven look up at the moon, they sometimes see his face gazing back down
at them. Thus, they call him “Lirorn” – which can be roughly translated as “Man [in the]
Moon”.

Hjorig
The Rjuven kingdom of Hjorig, however, stands in stark contrast to all others. It is the
only realm populated by Rjuven that does not venerate Aeric as its primary patron deity.
The kingdom was founded by Rjuven who migrated east from the Rjurik Highlands and
ultimately settled in unexplored lands between Brechtur and Vosgaard. They quickly
discovered that this new land was closer to the Shadow World than their native
homeland and they prayed for Lirorn to stave off evil creatures that came through the
veil. For the past six hundred years, in return for their devotion, the moon god has
protected them from the encroaching darkness.

BRECHTUR
As is the case in Anuire, Ruornil is known throughout Brechtur but has little influence on
their daily lives. Brechts – not an overly religious people to begin with – recognize
Ruornil as the god of moon and magic but for the most part – with the notable
exceptions of Grevesmuhl and Rheulgard – what honor Brechts give him is mostly due
the fact that he is married to Sera, the goddess of fortune and luck, whom they have
accepted as their primary patron deity. Because most of his priests tend to be active at
night and sleep during the day, Brechts generally refer to Ruornil’s priests as the
Nachteben (a Brecht term that loosely translates to “The Nocturnals”).

Grevesmuhl
Worship of the Silver Prince came to Grevesmuhl during the days of occupation by the
Anuirian Empire. The first Governor sent on behalf of the Emperor happened to be one
of Anuire’s few devout followers of Ruornil. When the Governor saw that the Shadow
World was somehow closer to Grevesmuhl than it was in Anuire, he sent word back
home requesting aid. Three priests of Ruornil responded to the Governor’s plea for
help and they became dedicated foes of the encroaching Shadow. Locals took note and
the Anuirian Nochteben became regarded as heroes. Many were inspired to join the
battle against darkness and, as a result, the Nachteben of Grevesmuhl became known
as Ruornil’s Silver Guard. The people of Grevesmuhl have worshiped exclusively at
Ruornil’s temples ever since.

Up until the end of the Imperial Occupation, worship of Ruornil remained largely
confined to Grevesmuhl. Aside from Grevesmuhl, the only region in Brechtur that the
Nachteben became truly relevant is in the lands of Rheulgard – and that relevance has
long since faded.

Rheulgard
In the days following the Anuirian Empire’s withdrawal from Brechtur, Rheulgard’s
eastern provinces became plagued by a constant stream of attacks by Vos raiders from
Molochev. The Nachteben aided in the defense of Rheulgard’s borders and, for some
unknown reason, the Nachteben’s very presence seemed to startle the barbarians and
the raids abruptly ended. It was during this time that Ruornil’s temples became the
most influential faith in all of Rheulgard’s cantons.

Rheulgard enjoyed several months of peace before the raids started up again. This
time, the barbarian attacks seemed even more brutal. Not only were Rheulgard’s
villages pillaged, many of its defenders were captured and enslaved – and the
Nachteben became the raider’s favorite targets. With their numbers greatly diminished,
the Nachteben sought the aid of the Brecht druids. The followers of the Old Father of
the Forest joined in the defense and the combined might of Rheulgard’s defenders
became an unbreakable wall that the Vos eventually became tired of throwing
themselves at.

The Nachteben did not resent losing its influence in Rheulgard’s eastern provinces to
the Druid Circles devoted to the Old Father of the Forests. On the contrary, they were
grateful for the Druid’s assistance and the two groups have since built a strong alliance
based on mutual respect for one another. Recently, however, a third faith has risen to
prominence in Rheulgard. A group of militant priests have been spreading the worship
of Avani throughout Rheulgard’s southern provinces and has become the Canton of
Unbrau’s temple of choice. The Nachteben and the Druids have yet to react so whether
or not Avani’s faith becomes a permanent presence in Rheulgard remains to be seen.
Treucht and The Burrows
It is worth noting that Ruornil has not one but two non-human temples in Brechtur.

The Halflings of the nation known as The Burrows revere a force they call “The
Protectorate” and, although Treucht’s human population worship the Old Father of the
Forest, it has a sizable half-elf population who are devout worshipers of a force they call
“The Treucht Cauchen”. One need only examine the dogma of these two religions to
see that it is the god of moon and magic who answers their prayers.

KHINASI
The god of moon and magic has only one temple in all of Khinasi but that one temple
may be the single most influential temple throughout the Cities of the Sun. Located high
in the mountains called the Fingers of Ayan, all Khinasi mages must present themselves
at his temple, where they are required to swear five unbreakable oaths of service. For
this reason, he is known throughout Khinasi as “Rilni” – a Basarji term that means “one
who binds”, often translated simply as “The Binder”.

The High Priest of the Temple of Rilni is Jabil min Rilni, possibly the single most
powerful priest devoted to the god of moon and magic. As a child, he came to the
Temple of Rilni with a desire to learn .. and he never left.

Mairada
The Temple of Rilni is small but its influence throughout Khinasi cannot be overstated.
Moreover, the current Sultana of Mairada has proven herself to be somewhat
incompetent. Because she frequently ignores her duties, many of the government’s
ministers have come to rely on the wisdom of the Temple of Rilni’s High Priest. Now,
even when the Sultana does give orders, the ministers check with Jabil before carrying
out her will, making him Mairada’s unofficial de facto ruler.

VOSGAARD
In the frigid, desolate lands of Vosgaard, the barbarian tribes of Vosgaard call the god of
moon and magic Lirovka (meaning, “The Weaver”) – the title once given to the most
powerful of Vorynn’s mortal mages. As Vorynn’s successor, Lirovka inspires dread in the
Vos — and that fear translates into a deep hatred for wielders of arcane magic.

Because of this hatred, no wizards are known to exist among the Vos. However, on the
rare occasion, a tribe will produce a child in whom the power of Vorynn’s bloodline runs
strong. Most of these children do not live to adulthood. The few who do survive become
powerful Sorcerers who have learned to use their magic as a show of strength – a
Sorcerer who doesn’t intimidate their kinsmen doesn’t live long.

For most of its history, not a single priest of Lirovka has existed in Vosgaard. The Vos
never imagined that a priest would actually devote themselves to Vorynn’s successor
until they encountered the Nachteben while raiding Rheulgard. The barbarians found
the notion of clerics dedicated to Lirovka greatly amusing and gleefully captured as
many as possible during their raids. Then, as a show of its great prowess, Molochev
turned around and sold the Nachteben as slaves to the rest of Vosgaard.

In time, with the aid of Irakhan’s tree-hugging Druids, Rheulgard was able to mount a
strong enough defense that more and more, Molochev chose other targets to raid.
Eventually, the supply of Lirovka-worshiping priests dried up and when the last of the
Nachteben slaves finally died, worship of Lirovka in Vosgaard died with him.

The effect that the Nachteben had on the Vos people, however, was as tremendous as
it was subtle. The Nachteben introduced their Vos masters to the idea that prosperity
was not only desirable, but that it was achievable through unity. Most Vos laughed at
such notions but a small number of progressives found the idea of working together
instead of constantly striving to kill each other appealing. Their beliefs were secretly
passed down from generation to generation.

Today, unknown to most outsiders, Vos society is divided into two groups. Those who
continue to follow the teachings of Belinek and Kriesha, call themselves “Torva” Vos
(‘Traditionalists’). They consider those who embrace this new philosophy as weak and
call them ‘Nona” Vos (meaning ‘New’ or ‘Upstarts’).

Zoloskaya
In most of Vosgaard, the Nona are a small but growing minority. In the Kingdom of
Zoloskaya, however, the majority of the populous are Nona – most of the Torva were
killed during the Days of Fire. In Zoloskaya, the Temple of Lirovka has risen to
prominence and the kingdom stands as a shining example of Nona success – or, rather,
it *would be* if it hadn’t closed its borders to the rest of Vosgaard.

Rovninodensk
And the Kingdom of Rovninodensk is currently wrapping up its most recent civil war.
Tsarvo Andrei Tcherninsky emerged as the victor with aid from the Nona faction.
Because of their support, the Nona currently have the upper hand in Rovninodensk and
a small temple dedicated to Lirovka has recently appeared –it was they who performed
the Tsarvo’s ceremony of investiture.

THE HIDDEN KINGDOM

Of all of his followers, those most devoted to Ruornil consist of the families descended
from the small handful of Vos who remained loyal to Vorynn throughout the War of
Shadow. In the wake of the Battle of Mt. Deismaar, they feared destruction at the hands
of their vengeful apostate kin and prayed to Vorynn’s chosen successor for salvation. In
response, Ruornil sent his mortal Herald to guide them to safety. They and their
descendents have been protected and concealed by mists of enchantment for the past
1500 years.

Timoshev
The location of this kingdom remains a mystery but their presence hasn’t gone entirely
unnoticed. One of their outposts has been seen on several occasions in the northern
region known as the Icemarches – although those who have caught a glimpse of it have
no idea of its connection to the Ancient Vos. No two individuals who claim to have seen
it place it in the same location, but they all refer to the city as Timoshev (“City of Ice”)
and, over the years, the stories inspired by it have become legendary.