Moon-Tears

"May the moons shed a tear on you."
~A common phrase spoken to those going through tough times

With the fall of the Kincyan City-States, many of their secrets were lost. One of the few to survive is at once the best known, but the least understood.

Summary

The Kincyan were known to have a powerful ability to harness a bestial, primal nature that would transform them into pure hunters. All know that the ability comes from the four moons, but it is said that the Kincyan could control the curse-like transformations that linger in the region's inhabitants. They did so with the use of the Moon-Tears. They were said to combine the influence of all four moons into one steady presence, which allowed the wielder to remain in full control and awareness. Some believe the Moon-Tears to be stones while others believe they are a ritual instead. All that is agreed upon is that the Moon-Tears have not been seen in thousands of years, since none of those cursed with the dreaded transformations have been able to remain sane.

Historical Basis

The Kincyan City-States were a powerful collection of communities that dominated their region for hundreds of years. The moons' influence on them is unquestioned and the powers they granted are evident still today. Ruins of their great cities remain and any fragment of lore that can be recovered is scrutinized in great detail by scholars. Many records clearly make reference to "Moon-Tears" as part of the primal power they once harnessed. The transformations that continue to the present day are evidence enough that the power existed and the prevalence of the Kincyan people in a region so plagued by the cursed transformations must mean the ancient civilization had some way of coping with the moons' influence. While the exact nature of the Moon-Tears is still guesswork, the fact that they are real is not in question.

Spread

The idea of the Moon-Tears is well known to anyone living in or near the region under the moons' influence, but not much more than the idea of keeping the moons' madness at bay. Those who have never been to the region know very little if anything of the Moon-Tears.

Variations & Mutation

The most common understanding of the Moon-Tears is that they are some kind of gem or precious stone that holds the power to control the transformations brought on by the four moons. Less common is the idea that they actually refer to a ritual that would allow an individual to retain their own mind when the transformations come. A few scholars believe the Moon-Tears are in fact specific items, crafted by the Kincyan to counteract or balance the influence of the moons.

In Art

Ancient inscriptions found sparsely in the ruins of the Kincyan cities and rarer texts preserved in sealed vaults depict cryptic illustrations with even less specific descriptions have shown what appear to be a teardrop descending from each of the four moons to be grasped in the hand of someone who then takes on the form of the hunter caused by the moons' curse, but retaining the civilized outfit they had worn. A second transformation is often depicted alongside the first, showing the transformation occurring without the Moon-Tears and the victim losing all signs of their former identity.