Sunday, April 5, 2020

The Selenites of Luna


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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The Princess Desluna is fond of skulls and spikes








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