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The Kingdom of Selene
The Kingdom of Selene holds sovereignty
over the surface of Luna's light side. King Horn, the Man in the
Moon, rules from his throne in the Lunar Palace, which like all
Selenite cities floats in safety above the surface, held aloft by
great heliotropic engines that seek always for the Sun. The kingdom
thus freely travels across the globe wherever the Sun shines, fearing
little save the days of eclipse, when the cities must set down upon
the globe and contend against the hordes of monstrous Matterkin that
spring from the surface. Normally confined to the dark side of Luna,
as sunlight is their destroyer, the Matterkin are beings of pure
chaos that rage against manifestations of order, such as large
cities. It was not until the heliotropic engine was developed and the
floating cities built that Selenite civilization was able to advance
beyond her nomadic roots.
While regular travel between the cities
is accomplished through flying machines of various sizes, dubbed
volant engines, the natural isolation afforded by their design means
that they are generally self-governing. King Horn rarely needs extend
his authority beyond his capitol city, save for the eclipse days when
the cities join together in a massive fortress, and he takes the
mantle of Supreme Lord Protector. He maintains good relations with
the Lords of the Underdeeps, who rule beneath the surface, and whom
he trades captured sunlight and solar weaponry in exchange for
precious metals and other resources mined from the moon's core.
The Lunar Arts
Handed down generation after generation
since the first Man in the Moon developed them, the Lunar Arts are a
special gift of the royal family of Luna. These powers have been
called magic by the ignorant and sufficiently advanced technology by
the superstitious. They are split into several disciplines with many
practical and artistic applications, and produce their marvelous
effects through the manipulation of moondust as a material, or its
consumption as a fuel. The widespread presence of moondust across the
whole surface of Luna allows for the reliable practice of the Arts.
Selenite Myrmidons
Fighting constructs conjured out of
moondust, myrmidons are the fearless servants of the royal family.
Their characteristics vary from summoner to summoner, but they
generally resemble man-high, bipedal arthropods with a mix of insect
and avian features. Their tough crystalline exoskeletons are
impervious to lesser weapons, but will shatter catastrophically if
struck with enough force, or melt under sufficient heat. While not
intelligent in a general sense, they possess a battle cunning formed
from their mistress' personality and mind, and can thus interpret and
carry out general instructions in combat without requiring constant
management. Not possessing an immortal soul or individual
personality, myrmidons are typically reconstituted into moondust
after combat for ease of transport.
The Moon Maidens
King Horn has seven lovely daughters
who assist in the governance of the kingdom.
Leilia
The eldest and most powerful of the
royal sisters, Leilia has studied every discipline of Lunar Arts, and
shifts her appearance frequently based on the discipline she is
practicing. However, she always keeps her face veiled to shield her
sensitive nose from the moondust. Typically stoic in demeanor, she
has been known to crack a smile when tackling a difficult problem or
foe, or in the company of Aphelia and Aurorabella. Leilia is more
distant from her younger sisters, who were born after she began her
intense training.
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| High Princess Leilia, Blood Moon Dusk Hunter Aspect |
Aphelia
Completely unsuited for court life and
incurably given to roam, Aphelia patrols the borders of the kingdom
astride her volant engine, Stardust II, named after her
beloved childhood pony, whom she was forced to dispatch after it
contracted Mad Pony Disease and transformed into a Nightmare. She has
worn black ever since. With her flying myrmidons, she is the terror
of sky pirates and rogue cities throughout the kingdom. Despite her
rough manner and rebellious persona, she cares deeply for her family,
and her securely locked chambers in the royal palace, as well as her
various boltholes, hide a hoard of fluffy stuffed animals.
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| Princess Aphelia and Stardust II |
Aurorabella
Sunny and nurturing in disposition,
Aurora is usually to be found in the royal kitchens creating
something delicious. She chiefly summons myrmidons as kitchen
assistants, but don't underestimate them unless you fancy being
sliced, diced, and pureed. Aurorabella is an avid history buff of
Terra's Space Race, and often teased by her sisters for her crush on
Wernher von Braun. She works hard to set a good example for her
younger sisters.
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| Princess Aurorabella brings forth something tasty |
Selenia
Soft-spoken but steely-eyed, Selenia is
the most astronomically inclined of her sisters, and has made great
study of the effects of planet and star positions on her family's
Lunar Arts. She shares a passion with Aurorabella for rocketry as
well, and the two have launched several satellites into Lunar orbit.
Selenia's Arts are also orbital in nature, offering a very versatile
set of abilities.
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| Her Highness Selenia descends from the Astronomy Tower |
Crescentia
The Diamond-gilt Rose to her allies,
The White Witch of Luna to her enemies, Crescentia has focused her
study of the Lunar Arts entirely on combat. It's like dancing, she
says, but more exciting. Unmatched with a blade save by Aphelia,
Crescentia often travels with her older sister to serve as a quick
reaction force against pirates, when she is not at home training
Desluna. She has picked up some quirks from her time on patrol,
notably, not reconstituting all her myrmidons into moondust after
use, but keeping a small troop of her favorites always constituted.
She swears that they develop personalities if you leave them be long
enough, and has given nicknames to several.
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| Princess Crescentia in dueling attire |
Radia
Radia puts on a show of alluring icy
aloofness in court, but her sisters know her for the kind, fun-loving
goof she is. Having specialized in subterfuge and stealth Arts,
Radia's myrmidons can flatten themselves onto walls like shadows to
move about silently and slip through narrow cracks. Radia is also a
practiced musician, and can bolster her Arts by singing or playing an
instrument. When not assisting her younger sister in pranking the
others, Radia can often be found hanging out with Selenia in the
astronomy wing of the palace.
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| Princess Radia fends off a cheeky doggo |
Desluna
The darling of the court and terror of
her six older sisters, Desluna's sweet manner belies the agent of chaos within.
Crescentia took it upon herself to train her in the blade, hoping to
instill more discpline, and Desluna agreed, chiefly due to idolizing
her big sister Aphelia, the other family blademistress. So far, it
seems to have only accomplished making her practical jokes more
sophisticated, but that is because Desluna considers her inveterate
pranking as practice for when she undertakes (someday) her journey to
the core of Luna. There she hopes to find the legendary Moon Rabbit,
who will grant her three wishes: the ability to turn into a flying
tiger, a box of endless biscuit sticks, and being able to talk to
boys as well as Radia.
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| The Princess Desluna is fond of skulls and spikes |
