The Circle of the Moon

Mythology & Lore

The Circle of the Moon worship the ideals of Galdarian. The religion itself is probably the most complex and misunderstood religion on Obrios.
Those who practice the ways of the Circle of the Moon believe that Galdarian once ruled with his sister Tamriel. Galdarian and Tamriel used to create together, with Tamriel designing the creatures that would live during her reign during the day, and Galdarian designing the creatures that would live during his reign of the night. Things were split evenly between the two gods until one day Kestramore exploded into existence. When Kestramore came, the balance of Obrios was upset. Now, day was longer than night and Galdarian's creations started to struggle to survive. As Tamriel and Kestramore bonded, Galdarian was pushed further and further away until eventually he started to create on his own. It was difficult for him, but he split parts of himself, creating children and creating stars in the night sky. There they would be safe from the harsh sunlight of the two sun goddesses. Eventually Galdarian could not take watching his poor creations on Obrios struggle. He had to preserve them, he had to preserve the whole of Obrios.
Galdarian called upon his sister Tamriel and she agreed to help him with a project he had in mind, for she missed creating with her brother. The two of them created a council of Beings known as the Council of Origins. Many who practice the ways of the Circle of the Moon believe that the council was created to help preserve Obrios and to protect all of its creatures from whatever might harm them, including the gods themselves. Other on Obrios believe that the Council was created for the soul purpose of destroying Kestramore.
Whatever the reason, the Council was divided and many members joined Kestramore and Tamriel, while others joined Galdarian. A great war was fought but eventually Galdarian was slain. Most believe that with his dying breath, Galdarian cast his children from the sky and destroyed them and all his creations on Obrios, for he believed that if he was not there to take care of his creations, they would be destroyed. Members of the Circle believe differently however. They believe that when Galdarian died, he used his dying breath to preserve his creations and children, hiding them away on Obrios so that they could not be harmed by the sun goddesses.
Some members believe that Galdarian created a secret sanctuary hidden on Obrios for his creations, while others believe that the Dawnstones themselves are Galdarian's creations. The one thing that all members of the Circle agree on is that Galdarian's power still lingers on Obrios and it is believed that when one draws in power for their Dawnstone, they are drawing in power from all the gods, including Galdarian.
Most members of the Circle of the Moon struggle to uphold their religion, but they feel it is important. Like Galdarian, The Circle of the Moon believes in the balance and preservation of Obrios. While at times it is difficult for them to practice a religion that supports a god who tried to destroy the planet, it is less about worship of the god himself and more about the preservation of history and what he once stood for.

Divine Origins

The Circle of the Moon was founded by a small nomadic group of Vucboon shortly after the Fracture. They believed that even though Galdarian was dead, the history of the Fracture and what took place should not be forgotten.
It is primarily because of the Circle of the Moon that the history of Galdarian still lives on to this day.
This group of Vucboon after ascending with Eioc and receiving their Dawnstones very quickly decided to leave the rest of civilization, for their views did not line up. The new visions granted by the Dawnstones pushed society forward and people seemed to very quickly want to leave the bloody history of Obrios behind. The Circle of the Moon decided to remain on the edges of society and make sure that the quick expansion and development of society did not harm the world that the gods created for them too much.
Over the years members of the Circle slowly integrated themselves back into society. While most people accept members of the Circle, there are still many who do not understand those who practice the ways of the Circle of the Moon and believe that the Circle worships an evil god. Despite what people may believe, members of the Circle still pay tribute to the two goddesses of the sun. Members of the Circle try and uphold Galdarian's ideals which primarily involves preserving the world in which the goddesses have created for everyone.

Cosmological Views

The Circle of the Moon have similar beliefs to other religions on Obrios, however they believe that upon Galdarian's death, he used his last breath to create a new realm where he and his creations could be preserved forever, away from the heat of the sun goddesses, while still working in tandem with them. They believe in a spiritual domain similar to the Order of Light except, instead of being ruled by Tamriel and Kestramore, the spiritual domain is watched over by Galdarian while the Obrios itself is watched over by the sun goddesses.
It is believed by the Circle that when one dies, they are guided by one of Galdarian's children who were lost on Obrios and taken to the spiritual realm where they are greeted by Galdarian and their souls are preserved for eternity.

Tenets of Faith

Generally those who are members of the Circle of the Moon have stricter tenets of faith then some of the other religions on Obrios.
Members of the Circle try to uphold the tenets of Balance and Preservation. They will not destroy unless they must. If they do destroy, they must attempt to fix and restore balance to that which they have caused instability.
Usually if a member of the Circle of the Moon cuts down a tree for lumber, if they are able, they will plant a new tree in its place.

Ethics

The Circle of the Moon believes heavily in the preservation of anything created by the gods. Typically they will avoid wars or anything that would cause great harm to the environment or the world in which the goddesses have created. It is heavily frowned upon within the religion to destroy something without purpose or reason.

Worship

Usually worship is performed on ones own and usually consists of going out into nature and performing a meditation. Sometimes one will find a dark cave or black out a room except for their Dawnstone light and meditate that way. While members of the Circle often pray to the world around them, very rarely do they actually pray to a specific god or goddess.
There used to be temples to Galdarian and places where the Circle could worship, but over the years the temples would get desecrated and vandalized, so the Circle eventually moved to praying in seclusion.
On the 438th day of each year there is a gathering of those who practice the ways of the Circle of the Moon. The members gather in a dim room with a hole in the ceiling and lay offerings to a tree which the eldest member of the Circle has planted. This is to represent the death of Galdarian and the birth of the new world, as Galdarian was killed on the 438th day of the year. Once the elder who planted the tree dies, their body is burned with their tree and then the youngest member will plant a new tree. Not all members of the Circle of the Moon will have a tree, but it is considered a great honor.

Priesthood

The Circle of the Moon does not have priests, for it is typically a religion one practices on their own. However, there are elders within the religion who make sure to uphold the tenets and are there to help guide new members of the Circle.

Political Influence & Intrigue

While the Circle of the Moon is frowned upon by most members of society, the Circle of the Moon does have representation in certain governments.
There is always a representative of the Circle in the Eshallan High Council. Recently the Juspian Monarchy has also had numerous meetings with elders within the Circle of the Moon.

Deities

• Galdarian