The Order of The Twin Moon is a twisted religious sect that serves two of the most feared and enigmatic gods in The Netherveil: The Matron of Memories, goddess of Memories and Fate, and the Night Mother Nyx, the mother of Curses and Change. These two deities, often referred to as the "Twin Moons" by their followers, represent the duality of existence in the Netherveil—faded memories and cursed existences.
The Order resides within Temple Isle, located in the City of Evernight, a nightmarish city known for its warped morality and worship of mad gods. Clad in robes of grey and black, the monks of the order offer sacrifices and conduct elaborate rituals to honor both the Matron of Memories and Nyx, believing that to serve them is to understand the fragility of life, the malleability of fate, and the inevitable decay of the world.
The Twin Moons of Evernight
In the lore of Evernight, the Twin Moons represent the balance of dark powers that govern the lives of its inhabitants. The city’s skies are said to be eternally shrouded in twilight, where two crescent moons—one of shimmering silver and the other of ebony black—hang in the sky, symbolizing the ever-present influence of the Matron of Memories and Night Mother Nyx.
- The Silver Moon (Matron of Memories): The Matron of Memories is the goddess of Memories and Fate, a cold and distant deity who covets faded and forgotten memories. Her followers believe that memories define existence, and without them, the soul is lost. To revere the Matron of Memories is to revere the weight of the past, to know that all deeds are recorded, and that fate is an inevitable force. The Matron's worshippers offer her rare magical artifacts and tomes of ancient lore, hoping to preserve the essence of the past and gain her favor in shaping their destinies.
- The Ebony Moon (Nyx): The Night Mother Nyx, goddess of Curses and Change, is a deity of transformation, chaos, and bitter irony. Her followers believe that all things must wither and decay, and through curses, change is brought to the world. Nyx created vampirism, lycanthropy, and other dark afflictions that twist the body and soul. Her worshippers, drawn from those seeking power, revenge, or freedom from their own fate, invoke her name to bring about change, whether by curse or calamity. She is fickle and vain, forever hidden in shadow, for she knows of a mortal imperfection that could destroy her.
Symbolism and Worship
The Order of the Twin Moon holds great reverence within the City of Evernight, where the morality of the city has been twisted by the teachings of the two mad gods. Worshippers perform rituals that reflect the duality of their gods. Monks chant in forgotten tongues, recalling the lost memories of the Matron, while others invoke Nyx through dark rituals that give their bodies to her cursed power, marking each moon's influence on the city's inhabitants.
- Memories and Fate (Matron of Memories): The Matron's worship focuses on remembrance, fate, and the flow of time. Her symbol, often displayed in the temple, is a pale crescent moon encircled by a veil of mist. Her followers collect rare and forgotten artifacts, relics of the past, which they present as offerings to secure their place in the eternal order of fate. The monks often see themselves as caretakers of forgotten memories, and their archives are filled with lost knowledge and lore.
- Curses and Change (Nyx): Nyx's influence is seen in the darker corners of Evernight, where curses are whispered as tools for both vengeance and transformation. Her symbol is an ebony-black crescent moon, often depicted with twisting, thorned vines that represent both the pain and beauty of change. The twisted morality of Evernight allows curses to be used as a form of justice, and her followers often inflict curses upon themselves or others to bring about necessary change. Nyx’s devotees are known to wear amulets of onyx and crimson, invoking her favor in dark ceremonies where sacrifices are made to the goddess of change and suffering.
The City of Evernight
Evernight is a city of constant shadow, its twisted morality shaped by the worship of the Night Mother and Matron. It is a place where power is found in memory and curse, and where fate and change are the most potent forces governing life. The city's elites are known to make pacts with Nyx, hoping to alter their fortunes or escape the fate decreed by the Matron of Memories. Those who find themselves on the wrong side of these deals often disappear into the night, cursed to live out their remaining days as twisted shadows of their former selves.
Evernight's twisted sense of justice revolves around the belief that nothing is permanent—neither memory nor life. The influence of the Twin Moons hangs over every decision made in the city, where ancient knowledge is traded like currency, and curses are feared and revered in equal measure.
The Monks of the Twin Moon
The Monks of the Twin Moon serve as the custodians of the temple and as intermediaries between the denizens of Evernight and the Twin Moons that they worship. Their robes, marked with the symbols of the Matron and Nyx, represent their servitude to both gods. The monks believe that the ultimate truth of the world lies in the balance between memory and curse, between fate and change.
Despite their dedication, the monks are feared within Evernight, for they hold the power to alter fate and memory itself. A single word from a monk can doom a man to forget his own name, or to be cursed with an affliction that could last generations.
The Order of the Twin Moon is both revered and feared, standing as the keepers of a dark and twisted faith that governs every corner of The Netherveil.