Editing Mothfolk (section)

==The Farapidaans==

===The Splitting of Faiths===

With the spread of the Church of the Flame across the lands came the inevitable variations, for with any religion the ideologies always become twisted, diluted, and altered when spread over a great number. One of these sects that came to be was the House of the Chasing Lights, founded by the Prophet Anenzi. 

To Anenzi It was not enough to worship Cimre and the Twilight of her domain, but also to use it as an example. Cimre was a being of night who sought the day, so to the followers of the House of Chasing Lights it only made sense to follow her example. Not to drown in sunlight, for that would cause madness, neither to capture of control light, for that was an already proven folly, but rather to seek an existence of Duality, dwelling in the dark yet feeding from the Light. 

This of course caused a great schism within the Church of the Flame, who thought it both great madness and hubris to presume themselves to be Cimre’s equal and to flirt so wantonly close to the borders of being Sunstruck. Soon there were small conflicts between the two sects until finally the Church of the Flame renounced and excommunicated those of the House of Chasing Lights.

At this time Anenzi received a "Prophecy" concerning his people. He decided that the only way for his people to truly fulfill their spiritual obligations was to make a great exodus to the land where the Sun and Moon were most powerful: the desert beyond the Benayan Mountains. And so he took all his followers, gathered supplies, and left for the harsh wasteland, claiming that divine providence shall allow them to build a great utopia.

===The Trek Through the Sands===

The journey through the desert was not an easy one. After purchasing a great multitude of humped beasts of burden from a crazed human merchant (as well as a few provision, mostly derived from dates), they made their way into the great expanse of the desert with not a single clue of the destination save for the Prophetic directions of Anenzi. While their silk robes proved to be well suited for dealing with the heat and biting winds of the wastes, they were still assaulted on all sides from the elements. During the day, many of them had to cover their wings and faces to prevent against the madness and blinding rays of the sun. And though the rays of the moon allowed them to see clearly across the sands, the night was cold and fraught with cutting winds and dangerous creatures.

Many of their kind died during the initial months. However, those that survived became more acclimated and resistant to the rigors of the desert and more cunning and knowledgeable about the wastes. They learned of mystic magics from the winds and the stars, and used them to slay and tame the beasts and savages of the land. Their bodies changed, becoming more compact, while their wings and antennae become broader. They learned to ride thermals into the sky to find nearby oases along their travels and discovered a way to grow potted dates and collect their moisture to drink from. Their skill at alchemy grew efficient as they learned to distill and make the most out of what scant resources they had. Many stopped at the various oases to build settlements. Anenzi allowed this and ensured that they would return for them once the land of providence was found. These sanctuaries flourished as the settlers erected great walls, towers, and shelter of alchemically and magically treated sand and stone.

===Founding of Faradash===

Eventually, Anenzi felt the weight of years grow heavy on his wings, so he gathered those of his inner circle and spoke to them. “I have lived a good life,” he said, “and I have seen this people flourish and grow in strength in the sight of Cimre. However, the time has come that I return to the dust from which I came, thus I have one final Prophecy.” He then pointed at a small hill in the distance. “Take my body to that hill and remove the dust from it. Erect a pyre and scatter my dust and my ashes together as one into the wind. Do this, and my star shall show unto you the Promised Land that Cimre has given us. It shall be yours so long as you remember my teachings.” And with his final words he passed, and his disciples did as he instructed. Upon that hill, which to this day is known as Thardalah, his rites were performed as instructed. And, when his dust and ashes were mixed and cast into the air, they became a bright shooting star, which illuminated what was on the other side of the hill: a great basin with a wonderful blue lake and a small river leading off into the distance.

It was there that they erected their capitol and named it Faradash, and became known as the Farapidaans, to distinguish themselves from their taller forest cousins. They established trade routes with their oasis brothers and built a great civilization for the glory of their goddess and her great prophet. As they built their civilization, so too did they build their culture and knowledge. Great planetariums and observatories were built within and alongside their mosques to observe, study and glorify the heavens. Great bazaars were established where they peddled their silks, potions, and other goods to the other desert-dwelling races. In their grand cities, the sounds of all manner of music could be heard throughout the streets, and the air was fragrant with the smell of alchemists at work, ceremonial perfumes, and the smoke of the occasional hookah. Soon their civilization became as wondrous as that of their brothers. And while there was still the threat of the occasional desert monster, band of savages, rogue elemental, or rare Sunstruck individual, the Farapidaans knew peace.

===Birth of the Moondrinkers===

Eventually, their civilization drew the ire and jealousy of “Kaskrendo of the Stone Mask”, a once proud Efreet Lord who traded his throne to become a foul aggregate of maggots. He grew enraged that such pitiful creatures, not even born of the desert, thought they could rule HIS desert! He tried to destroy their city, but was overpowered by their magics. He sought to conquer it with an army, but none would dare rise up against their empire. So he devised a plan to tear them from the inside out. He took some Farapidaans, some willing while other kidnapped, and experimented on them. He made them faster, stronger, fiercer, and blinded them with an insatiable thirst for blood. Their bodies would rebuild themselves from damage and they would look like normal Farapidaans at a glance. Thus he released his slaves, later to be known as Moondrinkers, unto the Farapidaan lands. Luckily, their creation was flawed. The Sun, once their lifegiver, proved fatal to the Moondrinkers and would burn and poison their forms. Their eyes would acquire a reddish tint over time as they drank, and their dust would smell of blood and ash. Furthermore, their very being became an anathema of life and could be damaged by the holy powers of the Farapidaan priesthood.

Despite these flaws, they proved a deadly foe, and many innocents were slaughtered by their might before the problem could be quelled. They acted as raiders across the desert and even assaulted the mothfolk of the mountains. This caused a brief, yet perilous period of contention between the cousin races, and it wasn't until the Farapidaan priesthood quelled the threat and aided the harried mothfolk did this subside. Still, in the dark alleyways and forsaken crags of the desert, some Moondrinkers still lurk, planning and conniving on how to slake their thirst. Worst still, there are rumors that Kaskrendo still lurks somewhere in the wastes, working on some way to perfect his monsters.