Dead moon cults are small religious groups that believe the moon Abashmu to be a gigantic dead spacefaring creature known as the Beast-Moon, or alternatively that said creature is contained within the moon. Loosely connected and diffuse, these cults can be found primarily in the lands around the Aban Steppe, and in particular in Yurukan and western Abanir. Cultists are disproportionately elven or half-elven, or else live in areas with large elven populations, perhaps tying the cult to older aerolith-era elven faiths. Nearly all dead moon cultists believe that the Beast-Moon will one day wake up and continue its journey to Kishar, after which it will consume the world.
Edicts and anathema
- Edicts
- Destroy sources of arcane, primal, and occult magic, offer sacrifices to the Beast-Moon
- Anathema
- Use or tolerate the use of non-divine magic, observe the moon directly
History
The origins of the dead moon cults are unclear. That most cultists have elven ancestry suggests it perhaps developed out of old elven beliefs, yet apocalypse cults are almost completely unattested to in ancient Eitan records; if the cults are elven in origin, they began well after the exodus from the Cradle began. Regardless of its beginnings, the dead moon cults have been present around the Aban Steppe for over two millennia - massive figures carved into the flat expanse of certain plateaus, characteristic of dead moon cult worship, date back at least that far.
Beliefs
No two dead moon cults have exactly the same beliefs, but there are some core tenets that are widely shared. The most fundamental of these is the idea that the moon Abashmu is actually a massive space-borne creature that died on its way to Kishar, eventually accumulating enough dust and debris around it to obscure its true form. To a minor subset of the cults, the creature is instead smaller and contained within the moon, which served as a vessel for its journey. Regardless, both groups hold the core beliefs that the creature sought to consume the world before its death and that it might attempt to do so yet again. Seeking to allow it to continue its evil divine goal, cultists pray and perform sacrifices in order to breathe life back into the Beast-Moon.
Cultists are somewhat split as to why the Beast-Moon seeks to eat the world. To the majority of cultists, the world is a malignant tumor in the cosmos, a place where life and magic grew out of control. From out of the void, therefore, the Beast-Moon emerged to excise the growth. To others it is simply a ravenous creature, albeit a god-like one.
Similarly, there are multiple lines of thought as to what caused the moon creature's death, including that the magic radiating from the planet was fatal to the entity, that it simply died to hibernate until it arrived closer to the planet, or that some other divine entity caused its death.
Dead moon cultists view the use of non-divine magic to be akin to wounding the universe, unmaking or remaking creation into something warped and aberrant. Cultist rituals often center around the intentional destruction of magical items, offered as ritual sacrifices at moonlit religious sites in the open steppe. The more powerful the item or artifact, the more pious the sacrifice. Some cultists even turn to sacrificing magic users to their dead moon god.
Followers
Dead moon cultists can be found scattered throughout the Aban Steppe. Nearly all keep their beliefs secret, as those of other faiths largely fear and ostracize them. Cultists can be found within both the fortified cities and nomadic groups of Abanir, as well as amongst the elves of Yurukan, in the great cities of Rovakhit, and even in eastern Druzda. The few dead moon cultists that do not hide their faith mostly congregate together into nomadic bands that wander the steppe, raiding and pillaging as they move.