[Kavoir]

Everything in this thread is something you can reasonably find out with some investigation. It is not metagaming to know anything here. If you want more full information you can DM me here or on Discord. 

Overview

A religious organization that worships the Moon. They announced their existence in the year 160 although there is evidence they existed prior to that. They seem to worship the Moon as a pair of "Entwined" Goddesses, The Radiant One and The Shadowed One, although they make a clear distinction between them as entities; what precisely each one is may not be easy to observe by an outsider. One of the order's primary concerns seems to be observing the world and looking for patterns in how things move, trying to derive the cycles of the universe. Healing traditions seem important to them, the primary occupation of most members involves healing magic or alchemy. While they have some public-facing ceremonies a lot of their actual beliefs are concealed from those who have not been initiated. There are three clear ranks within it. 


Observers of the Moonlit Path: The term for those who participate in the religion without being initiated into the cult, while a lot is obscured these people follow what is outwardly visible as the guide to living life by the flow of the moon available to everyone. Whether one qualifies as this or not is more or less a personal declaration.  


Followers of the Moonlit Path: Those who have completed the Initiation process they are what most people think of when they think of members of the religion. Part of that process is giving up your former identity to be reborn as a follower one dedicated to the path of the Moon.  


The Interpreters: One for each Goddess, these two are generally considered the heads of the organization although they are not always spoken of with much reverence by their supposed underlings. Apparently, they are the only people allowed to commune directly with the Goddesses. 

Q & A 

 
Is this a cult?  Yes because it is a small fringe organization that cuts off its members from their old lives and is deliberately insular. 
Is it evil? Yes. Blood has been split in its name and lives have been ruined. Things better left buried, ripped up and examined. The organization as a whole has no problem supporting criminals.
Is it a force for Good? Yes. The organization heals people who could not have otherwise gotten help, and does genuinely seem to be trying to make the world a better place.
How does one join? You undergo a series of trials, one for each phase, that test your commitment in various ways. [Contact me via DM here or on Discord if you want to talk about a pre existing character(You can even be someone who was here before it went public it has only been around for like 100 years that is within some races life spans), seek out an existing member if you want to join now]
Are any specific races/nations/moralities denied from this religion? There are no real limits to what kind of character you can have, though you are expected to follow the listed traditions to some degree. 
How do I identify them? With this easy guide: 

• They will wear a mix of Bright and Black jewellery usually made out of pure metal, six pieces for the official set 
  
• They will stare at the moon if it is night 
  
• They will speak about universal cycles unprompted 
  
• They will ask about any oddities in the physical world 
  
• They wandered into town to heal people others would not 
  
• They frequently smell of medicinal herbs 
  
• They will invite you to one of their weird ceremonies
  
• They introduce themselves with a Mononym
  

Reputation 

General Rumours: 

  
They are involved in necromancy. Basis: They actively seek the knowledge, they want to know how its done and how it works and their only defense is something like “Necromancy is part of the world it is better to study it through existing forces then doing it ourselves”   


They are amoral. Basis: They don’t seem to have any kind of actual moral code beyond certain things about the insight from the moon should not be revealed 


They are all insane. Basis: Many of them will listen to even the most deranged of Shatians and empathise with them, calling them Lunatics or Moontouched will cause a lot of them to shrug it off.   


This is a front for assassins/spies/drug peddlers. Basis: A collection of wanderers who can show up anywhere with little notice and ask weird questions, how is that not suspicious?

Reputations By Region: 

 
Duyuei: Some see them as a second coming of the Sun. An organization obsessed with healing and knowledge clearly shares something with that. Most people though are happy to let them lend a hand to the wall effort regardless of who they are and they seem happy to do so 


Telegard: Some outlying villages have a small hut maintained by a rotating cast of Followers to aid with healing and bringing in things that cannot be found there; they are mysterious but helpful and best not questioned.


Meiaquar: If you have met a follower it is probably because your buddy found this consultant who works cheap and has obscure information on something, sure they are a cultist, but everyone has their problems. 


Geladyne: Members aren’t often seen in Geladyne, but on the off-chance they are, it’s very likely they are there to observe or perform some sort of task. The consensus seems to be that they’re harmless, if eccentric.

A list of Interpreters

A note about The Interpreter and connecting to them: 
Given the nature of time and life spans, if you want your character to have personally known any of these people just DM me just so I can keep track of it and don’t  produce contradictions. Most of them will start with a cause of death listed as ??? this isn’t because that information isn’t available ICly, if you want to claim responsibility for their death for you or an organization you represent in the world just ask. It can be as unknown as you would like to the world at large though that will be listed as Cause of Death: Unknown instead of Cause of Death: ???. 


Radiant Interpreters 

1. Gap(160?-167): Was a fierce Shatian who always seemed to be in a rush to their next objective barreling through life without concern or regret. She is most notable for being the one who announced The Moonlit Path’s existence loudly to the world with a tour of all known settlements of Korvara. Cause of Death: ???  
   
2. Somma(167-179): A Theno Sailor who would attempt any challenge given to them. Good humoured and willing to accept a loss. Cause of Death: ??? 
   
3. Laughter(179-190): A human always searching for new sights and places. An explorer who saw each fear as something to be conquered. Cause of Death: ???
   
4. Firmum(190-198): A Papillon builder who attempted to make displays of their dreams. Serious about that and flippant about the world. Cause of Death: ??? 
   
5. Slip(198-200): A human who mostly seemed harmless and casual. She was obsessed with infiltrating anything forbidden to her.  Cause of Death: ???
   
6. Zegrand(200-215): A Papilion Mostly famous for hosting massive debauchery filled parties for each phase other than Reflection with the Full Moon being particularly wild. Those who knew her personally would describe her as the consummate host, very attentive to her guests' needs in all respects  Cause of Death: ???
   
7. Mancus(215-227): A one eyed human considered a great judge of character. They travelled the world in search of something to “sastisfy” them what that means is unclear because they never found it.  Cause of Death: ???
   
8. Pond(227-237): Shaitan. Wished to calculate the connection between the alignments of the stars and the formation of Dark Zones. Had very little patience for talking to people but enjoyed sequestering themselves with their works and had several penpals.  Cause of Death: ???
   
9. Costa(237-): A Redtail who tries to help whoever they come across. Not very good at staying in one place even more than normal within this organization 
   

Shadow Interpreters 

1. Eerie(160?-168): An Umbral who seemed perpetually annoyed by Gap’s antics. They had an obsession with finding ways to calculate the flow of focus and convert one type of magic to another. Precision was their ethos.  Cause of Death: ???
   
2. Hark(168-182): A corbie who attempted to catalogue all the plants of Korvara. And later to discover all the possible hybrids. Jovial and easy going, someone who moved at her own pace unbothered by the world around them.  Cause of Death: ???
   
3. Ascia(182-190): A Shatian who believed in Justice as an actual tangible force of the universe that could be observed and calculated. She was Severe but seemingly infinitely patient.  Cause of Death: ???
   
4. Belle(190-195): A suspected Papillon who attempted to find something called the “True Ratio” with a series of almost universally dangerous rituals that seemed more like art projects than scientific inquiry half the time. Vicious and inclined to respond to being talked down to in kind.  Cause of Death: ???
   
5. Snow(195-205): A human who wanted to prove all things decay into focus eventually, their experiments involved more and more outlandish things and methods. Always trying new things and pushing limits in all aspects of their life.  Cause of Death: ???
   
6. Acquia(205-213): A Shaitan who dabbled in many skills, focusing on one absolutely then moving on to the next when they thought they had achieved mastery. Personalitywise defined by trying to live up to a strange standard that only lived in their head, they could be formal or overly familiar depending on what they thought they were lacking at that time.  Cause of Death: ???
   
7. Sage(213-222): The Curse Breaker. A Hyattr who attempted to learn the cure to curses so that they might dispel them. Eventually they changed their methodology to studying the curses in order to make a cure for curses. This led them down a dark path that was self-destructive even by the standards of a Follower of The Moonlit Path. Empathic and dedicated.  Cause of Death: ???
   
8. Sarto(222-228): The Human. Attempted to learn a single undispellable fact about everything. The categories got more and more narrow as they approached death. They were Inpatient and quick to anger if they thought you were wasting their time.  Cause of Death: ???
   
9. Fell(228-238): She who sought the true cure for death, ironic for a Phenex. Excitable and moody, content to spend months chasing a lead without getting bored but whose day could be ruined if they couldn’t find the type of breakfast they were craving that morning.  Cause of Death: ???
   
10. Sors(238-246): An Omina who assists in helping others, yet always seems overly neutral or even dismissive of their emotional plights. They speak in vague comments most of the time when asked about anything relating to the Moonlit Path. Seeks to know more about Fate and its connection to the Moon.
    
11. Veritas(246-): A shaitan scholar of magic who believes in his superior intellect and understanding above all. He seeks to discover the truth of the cycle itself and other existential truths. Likes to discuss philosophy.
    

    

 

Outwardly Facing Religion 

Their main shtick is the cycle of the moon. Each phase is a time for X according to these people. While there is some kind of ritual or thing associated with most phases the main part seems to be an open interpretation of the action. 
The Cycle 

The Waxing Crescent: is the time for Welcoming. The official recommendation is that you spend this time catching up and meeting new people. But as always how your souls says you should spend this time is more important 


The First Quarter: is the time for Review. The official recommendation for this time is that you take stock of what you know and practice old skills during this time. As always how you choose to define review outside of that is at least as important. 


The Waxing Gibbous: is  the time for Collection. The recommendation is that you take stock of what has happened since the last phase of Collection and record some things you might want to remember. Of course other things it might mean to you are equally valid. 


The Full Moon: is the time for Celebration. There is an odd ritual practiced at this time where Followers(including Interpreters) may show you an object or set of objects and ask you what you think they mean. Beyond that, celebrate life and the cycles of the world however you see fit. 


The Waning Gibbous: is the time for Resolution. The recommended use of this time is to think about your relationship with the path and make declarations concerning your future with the order if you have any. Of course how else you choose to show and act through resolve is better answered by your soul then the order. 


The Last Quarter: is the time for Preparation. This is the time in the cycle where the order as a whole seeks donation and sorts through its collective assets. It is also a time to prepare yourself in what ways your soul feels necessary. 


The Waning Crescent: is the time for Reflection. During this time the Followers hesitate to even speak of the Path. That restriction does not apply to Observers, please honour Reflection however you see fit. 


The New Moon: is the time for Contemplation. There is no recommended practice but the Followers will speak again. Contemplate as you will and can. 

Other Rituals 

 
Soul Binding: A Follower can “bind” the souls of two or more individuals. They are encouraged to practice discretion on who they do this for. The ritual itself is an exchange of tokens that represent their bond that the other may wear, usually on some level hand shaped or crafted, followed by bleeding into the same bowl which the Follower then carries away. 


Funeral Ritual: The Standard Funeral Ritual for when there is no other ritual to take precedence is a pyre around which people may speak on their remembrance until it burns out, afterwards the ashes are collected and poured out into the nearest running water(Creek, river, etc). But they will almost always bow to the national ritual if they don't have a cause to not do so.  For members of The Moonlit Path, the talking part is skipped and the body is burned usually with no preparations beyond looting the corpse of valuables.

Lunar Eclipse Ritual: Lunar Eclipses happen approximately once every six months and always during a full Moon, an additional ritual is added to the standard rituals of Celebration. The practice goes as follows:
1. It starts with a sort of improvised scavenger hunt where each person “finds two things that are connected to each other, it doesn’t have to be a logical connection, you can make the connection yourself.”
2. Those who have presented their findings to the person running the food and drink table can sit down and are handed a piece of paper. They are instructed to write down one thing they know to be true and one thing they hope is true, while attempting to conceal it from others.
3. The person who called the event cuts each truth from its hope and go to a high place, after some brief words they let the paper loose and each person grabs two, they might not be a truth and a hope they might be a two hopes or two truths that’s not a problem. The person who called the Event will walk back down and pick up something that is left unclaimed if there is enough around.
4. Each person tries to find some action to celebrate their two gathered slips, they can afterwards read them aloud and try to state a connection between them but the latter two things are only done if you feel it is appropriate.

While some Followers have been doing small scale versions a major central gathering for such an event has not happened since Mancus did one in 225. The Menu for the food and drinks varies depending on who is hosting it. Zegrand had elaborate unique cocktail style menus for  each of hers, Mancus had people bring things in potluck style if they were so inclined but supplemented it with simple rolls to make sure there was enough, a follower by the name of Bada made special cakes and tea around 150 when he was the main host, and Macer from around 100 gave a spread of wild picked herbs and freshly squeezed juices to gives some examples. 

While there is a Solar Eclipse somewhere once every roughly 18 months those are visible in relatively narrow bands of the Earth’s surface so I assume it is the same for Sigorgana so anytype of solar Eclipse happening on Korvara is probably something that only happens about once every 300 years and therefore I doubt there is any type of codified worship