The Phases of Tenma
Tenma's Phases define her various moods and aspects, which in turn bode well or ill for the endeavors of mortals. Only her devoted priesthood is fluent in all the nuances of her consorts' effects and permutations, but most Marlemmites are familiar at least with these basics from monuments and Tenma's festivals and rituals.
| Aspect Name | Common Name | Moon Phase | Concept |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tenma-Tenuvra | "The Veiled Face" | New Moon | Tenma resides fully in the shadows of the Danuat. Obscure and invisible enemies prevail. |
| Tenma-Zirukal | "The Thread of Silver" | Waxing Crescent | A time of rising hope, but glamours and illusions move with ease to more easily fool the mind. |
| Tenma-Khadmun | "The Split eye" | First Quarter | A harsh light. Judgement, force, and conflict, but the outcome is often favorable. |
| Tenma-Eshalem | "The Swollen Star" | Waxing Gibbous | Fertility and healing rise as Tenma swells. A fortuitous time to plant and to harvest. |
| Tenma-Kinur | "The Mischief Moon" | Full Moon | Madness and tricks are common. The Danuat's monsters and energies slip freely into Tergaith. |
| Tenma-Ulhazir | "The Howling Light" | Waning Gibbous | Elementals and restless spirits may trouble the living. Witches and wolves are more powerful. |
| Tenma-Nashtaval | "The Fractured Orb" | Last Quarter | A soft light. Forgiveness, friendship and accords arise and grow - but magic may flicker or fail. |
| Tenma-Ashkura | "The Dying Ember" | Waning Crescent | A time of doubts and lost hopes. Auspicious for ending a journey or burying a fallen hero. |
Things taking place during the time of a specific aspect of Tenma are said to be 'under' that aspect, a shorter way to say that they are under that aspect's influence. The aspects can be referred to as standalone adjectives, for instance, "I was bitten by an Ulzahir wolf" or the more common "I was bitten by a wolf under Ulzahir". When referring specifically to the moon in that period, usually Tenma is included in the construction, for instance, "We prayed to Tenma-Zirukal before we started our voyage that night."
As such, the aspect names aren't usually thought of as separate beings, but rather they define different templates or appearances for Tenma - her mood wardrobe, rather than additional deities.
Tenma's Consorts
Like all bronze age empires, the priesthoods of Marlamma are obsessed with the motions of celestial bodies. The Tergaith sky includes 5 wanderers (the literal meaning of 'planet') who are all consorts of Tenma. These move with greater or lesser rapidity forwards and then backwards, or in retrograde, across the sky. One day, Marleven philosophers might postulate that these are literally gigantic planetary bodies in space and the backwards motion is an illusion caused by their position in orbit around the sun relative to Tergaith; but in Tergaith: Bronze, these are actual, literal gods just like Venus, Mercury and Mars are/were on Earth.
They are, however, a separate class of Gods who derive their importance from Tenma. While worshipped individually (separate from Tenma and each other), they are best understood as a group, and their primary characteristic is the way they impact the lunar cycle described previously. Depending on which planets are visible at any given time, what constellation they're in, and where that constellation is relative to Tergaith's sun (Yamut), they create additional conceptual effects. Many of these are fairly tactical, and will impact players. The complexities they impose are generally the sole domain of the priesthood, and most non-priestly Marlammites are less familiar with these. Only the Priests of Tenma have a good grip on all of them, The priesthoods of the consorts themselves are usually only well versed in their own favored deity's effects.