Religion in the Wildmarches
The basis of Feral religion is the moons. Two distant circles in the night, and yet their influence on the Feral psyche is profound. Long philosophy has tried to capture the feeling that the moons give the Ferals, but has not been sufficient. In briefest summary, the Ferals feel mystically, emotionally, and physically tied to the moons. When a Ferals moon waxes, the Feral is stronger, and when it wanes the Feral is lessened. As no other aspect of the world gives such a profound feeling to the Ferals, no other aspects of the world are worshipped. Yet men can feel stirred by the world, and thus their religion has flourished.
Worship of the Moons
Each race of Ferals has a different name for each of the moons, but the attributes ascribed to each are very similar throughout the races. The silver, long-period moon and the cobalt, short-period moon each have unique characteristics that grant specialized powers to the adepts that worship them.
The Silver Moon
Each month the moon of silver follows its cycle, slowly going from new to full and back again over a period of 32 days. To Feral thinkers, this exemplifies patience and careful planning in all things. Followers of the silver moon are slow to act and slow to back down, building their power and releasing it in a powerful and slow-to-end torrent. Priests of Silver have access to the domains of War (any weapon), Water, Earth, Healing, and Crafts.
The Cobalt Moon
Every week the cobalt moon dies and is born again, four times in the month and thirty-six times in a year. This exemplifies the power in spontaneity and quickness in all things. Followers of the cobalt moon are short-tempered, quick to act, but quick to forgive and to release their onslaught. In war, they will make a lightning fast attack against unprotected enemies, but cannot sustain this power for long. Priests of Cobalt have access to the domains of War (any weapon), Fire, Air, Weather, and Magic.
Alignment
Each individual in the Wildmarches, Feral or man, is bound to the cycles of the moons. To the Ferals the rising of the moons is an event that can be felt even in complete darkness, and having ones moon full causes a surge of energy. To men the tie is much less extreme, but even they are not completely free of lunar effects. There are four different types of moon-signs that an individual can be born under, each of which has a different effect. Most Ferals, and some men, will undergo a ritual later in life to be tied to the sign that represents their city or organizations methods. When two nations fight, the lunar alignment can make all the difference in how battles turn out.
Silver Ascendant
An individual born on the 9th, 10th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 23rd, 24th, or 26th of the month is tied to the ascendancy of the silver moon. On these days the silver moon is at least a quarter and is larger than the cobalt moon. Ferals (not men) aligned to the silver moon gain a +1 bonus to all d20 rolls whenever their moon is gibbous, +2 when full, the 13th through the 24th of the month, but suffer a 1 penalty to all d20 rolls whenever their moon is at crescent or new phase, which is the 29th through the 32nd and the 1st through the 8th. Spellcasters, either men or Ferals, aligned to the cobalt moon can detect, harm, and protect against those aligned with the cobalt moon, and can cast warding spells, such as Forbiddance, to only permit those with silver alignment.
Cobalt Ascendant
An individual born on the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 12th, 13th, 28th, 29th, 30th, or 31st of the month is tied to the ascendancy of the cobalt moon. On these days the cobalt moon is at least a quarter and is larger than the silver moon. Ferals (not men) aligned to the cobalt moon gain a +1 bonus to all d20 rolls whenever their moon is gibbous, +2 when full, the middle three days of the week, but suffer a 1 penalty to all d20 rolls whenever their moon is at crescent or new phase, during what has commonly become the weekend. Spellcasters, either men or Ferals, aligned to the cobalt moon can detect, harm, and protect against those aligned with the silver moon, and can cast warding spells, such as Forbiddance, to only permit those with cobalt alignment.
Balanced Ascendant
An individual born on the 11th, 14th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, or 27th of the month is tied to the ascendancy of both moons. Balanced Ferals gain a bonus on any day that either moon is bright, but take a penalty on any day that either moon is dark, gaining a +3 bonus in the middle of the month and a 2 penalty at its end and beginning. Spellcasters, either men or Ferals, aligned with balance can detect, harm, and protect against either alignment, but all balanced are subject to detection, harm, and protection from either type of caster. They can also erect wards to admit either alignment, or balanced alignments only, and can pass through any ward aligned to only admit one lunar alignment or the other.
Balanced Descendant
An individual born on the 1st, 2nd, 8th, or 32nd of the month is tied to the decendancy of both moons. These individuals were born or re-aligned on days where both moons were dark or nearly so. On the first of the month, when both moons are new, these Ferals gain a +1 bonus to all d20 rolls, but take a 1 penalty on the 20th and 21st, when both moons are full or nearly so. Spellcasters, either men or Ferals, aligned with decent cannot cast any spells that affect alignment. However, decent aligned individuals are not subject to alignment detection, harm, or protection from specific alignments. They do suffer an inability to enter areas warded to permit an alignment, rather than to block one out. Most ninja groups re-align themselves to descent, but few others do so.
The Gods of Men
Humans, elves, dwarves, gnomes, and half-breeds do not experience the profound alignment to the moons that is felt by the Ferals. Instead, men can be inspired by many aspects of nature and begin worshipping them as gods. A few such deities have received widespread worship from humans and give spells and powers to the especially devout. Most of these have access to the Cleric spell list, but Wilderness Protectors of the Eldritch Forest gain their spells from the Druid list instead.
The Eldritch Forest Healing, Plant, and Growth Domains
The Endless Ocean Water, Protection, and Travel Domains
The Eternal Sun Fire, Sun, and Gate Domains
The Majestic Mountains Earth, Animal, and Strength Domains
The Raging Tempest Air, Weather, and Luck Domains
The Spirit of Government Destruction, War, and Judgement Domains
The Spirit of Innovation Magic, Crafts, and Knowledge Domains
Alignment Effects Chart for Ferals
Day |
Silver Phase |
Cobalt Phase |
Silver Aligned |
Cobalt Aligned |
Balanced Ascent |
Balanced Decent |
1 |
New |
New |
-1 |
-1 |
-2 |
+1 |
2 |
New |
Waxing Crescent |
-1 |
-1 |
-2 |
|
3 |
New |
First Quarter |
-1 |
-1 |
||
4 |
New |
Waxing Gibbous |
-1 |
+1 |
||
5 |
Waxing Crescent |
Full |
-1 |
+2 |
+1 |
|
6 |
Waxing Crescent |
Waning Gibbous |
-1 |
+1 |
||
7 |
Waxing Crescent |
Last Quarter |
-1 |
-1 |
||
8 |
Waxing Crescent |
Waning Crescent |
-1 |
-1 |
-2 |
|
9 |
First Quarter |
New |
-1 |
-1 |
||
10 |
First Quarter |
Waxing Crescent |
-1 |
-1 |
||
11 |
First Quarter |
First Quarter |
||||
12 |
First Quarter |
Waxing Gibbous |
+1 |
+1 |
||
13 |
Waxing Gibbous |
Full |
+1 |
+2 |
+3 |
|
14 |
Waxing Gibbous |
Waning Gibbous |
+1 |
+1 |
+2 |
|
15 |
Waxing Gibbous |
Last Quarter |
+1 |
+1 |
||
16 |
Waxing Gibbous |
Waning Crescent |
+1 |
-1 |
||
17 |
Full |
New |
+2 |
-1 |
+1 |
|
18 |
Full |
Waxing Crescent |
+2 |
-1 |
+1 |
|
19 |
Full |
First Quarter |
+2 |
+2 |
||
20 |
Full |
Waxing Gibbous |
+2 |
+1 |
+3 |
-1 |
21 |
Waning Gibbous |
Full |
+1 |
+2 |
+3 |
-1 |
22 |
Waning Gibbous |
Waning Gibbous |
+1 |
+1 |
+2 |
|
23 |
Waning Gibbous |
Last Quarter |
+1 |
+1 |
||
24 |
Waning Gibbous |
Waning Crescent |
+1 |
-1 |
||
25 |
Last Quarter |
New |
-1 |
-1 |
||
26 |
Last Quarter |
Waxing Crescent |
-1 |
-1 |
||
27 |
Last Quarter |
First Quarter |
||||
28 |
Last Quarter |
Waxing Gibbous |
+1 |
+1 |
||
29 |
Waning Crescent |
Full |
-1 |
+2 |
+1 |
|
30 |
Waning Crescent |
Waning Gibbous |
-1 |
+1 |
||
31 |
Waning Crescent |
Last Quarter |
-1 |
-1 |
||
32 |
Waning Crescent |
Waning Crescent |
-1 |
-1 |
-2 |