The Dread Moon Tribe

Structure

The tribe is ruled by The Pale Mother, who is prophet and chosen of their god, Mother Moon. Under the Pale Mother are a council of 10 chieftains who help the Pale Mother enforce her will on the tribe. Then there are simply the rest of the tribesman, however the shamans stand apart from the normal hierarchy and are considered to only be ruled by Mother Moon herself.

Culture

Like many tribes in the Forbidden Lands, martial prowess is paramount to the Dread Moon Tribe. If one cannot fight, then they are not worth saving. As such even the young must be able to show that they are capable of fighting or are simply left to die. Having children that are strong warriors is considered a mark of honor for parents in the Dread Moon Tribe, and so it is common to show off ones warrior skill when courting a potential partner.
It is also known that they do not like the sun. While they aren't fully light blind, their eyes are a bit more sensitive to sunlight as opposed to others. As such, they prefer to stay in dark places, or where special eyeliner that helps block out the sun. They are also said to be strangely good at seeing in absolute darkness, and are able to even fight blind according to the legends. As such they make for excellent night time fighters, a trait that sees their services run up a premium. Occasionally some of the tribe will wander out into the wider world accepting mercenary work, and due to their prowess they are fairly valuable sellswords to have. They also sometimes swear themselves to Sellsword Companies as a way to not only earn riches, but show their worthiness to Mother Moon.

History

As long as mortals have worshipped gods, they have also worshipped that which resides up in the stars. The Empty Range is home to hardy folk, and as such faith is all many of the barbaric tribals have. One such tribe was believed to be known originally as the Unhilrogen, who were a brake away from a Hell Tribe known as The Kairic Cabal. It seems the break happened when a woman denied the chieftains marriage proposal, and so was exiled. This woman has no known name, but it is said the woman would walk across the deadly plains of The Forbidden Lands without water or food. She would arrive near the northwest portion before dropping to the ground, exhausted and dying. However it is said in that time, the natural moon and the black moon would loom high overhead together. Voices called down to her from the moons, and she was brought to full health by the moonlight. She understood the voices as a god like entity that referred to herself as Mother Moon. She would simply demand worship for saving her life, and the woman gladly accepted. She was granted the new title of Pale Mother, and was told to spread the word of Mother Moon.
She would get to work bringing wandering tribals and bandits from the civilized lands under the faith of Mother Moon, with promises of power and unity through a common cause. Soon the tribe named itself the Unhilrogen, and would first wage war with the Kairic Cabal. While the sorcerer barbarians of the cabal were strong, they did not stand a chance when the Black Moon shined its baleful light on them, causing them to twist and mutate in agonizing and horrifying forms before being cut down by the Unhilrogen. They would offer these sacrifices to Mother Moon and were granted more power. SO much power that a great spell was weaved that turned a portion of the northwest of the Forbidden Lands into what is known as the Land of Twilight Eternal. This land is a land that is forever dark, with only the moons to provide light and all manner of strange arcane creatures and phenomena.
Since then, the Unhilrogen (now also known as the Dread Moon Tribe) reside in the Land of Twilight Eternal, praying to mother moon and giving offerings to her. They also do war with nearby tribes to defend their land and simply to show their worth to Mother Moon. They are warriors of great skill, and ones that know no fear in battle, for their souls are already saved.

Religion

The chief deity of the tribe is Mother Moon, who is seen as the benevolent yet also dreadful goddess of the land. She has two aspects, her light and dark form. Her form of light is the natural moon of Tertara, and is said to bring wisdom, knowledge, bravery, and magic to the land. However her dark form is the Black Moon of Tertara, and is said to stand for chaos, war, and death. She is by her nature a chaotic goddess and so despises order and civility. As such, the second god of the land is known as Father Sun, who is a boogeyman of sorts and to be despised and hated, for his light stands for order and light that is far too bright. These two deities war each and everyday, with one having superiority over the other for halves of the day.

"Bring an Age of Twilight!"

Type

Geopolitical, Tribe

Alternative Names

Unhilrogen