Editing Mothfolk (section)

=Religion=

Similar to Zoroastrianism, but with a focus on reverence for the fey beings who spawned them.

The primary faith of mothkin is the Church of the Flame, a theistic religion that has persisted since the early days of mothkin society. Similar to Zoroastrianism, it features a duality between the Day and the Night, as well as Good and Evil, though these two are not always connected. The day-night duality is reflected in the two major deities in the Church, as seen below. Very few mothkin are religious fanatics, as being such is frowned upon by the priests themselves.

===Meratsu, Lord of the Sun===

Meratsu the Phoenix represents the day aspects of the Church: the Sun, heat and flame, ambition and passion. Meratsu is commonly associated with the Dawn that Queen Cimre sought, and is duly associated with desires and dangerous ambitions. Many claim he holds power over the Sunstruck, who had fallen due to their unchecked desires.

Meratsu is not entirely a malevolent character, however. He is seen, especially by the Farapidaans, as a sustaining force which warms and illuminates the world, a passive benefactor which is best revered at a great distance. As a deity of passion and inspiration, Meratsu is also venerated by artists and craftsmen who value beauty and ingenuity over function. He represents the predatory bird that attracts moths with his light to devour them. He gives you the light to sustain life, but flying near him can burn you.

===Cimre, Queen of Dusk===

Cimre represents the night aspects of the Church: the moon, stars, wisdom and guidance. She is worshiped as creator and master of the mothkin, and master of all fey. The Church is ostensibly devoted to serving her and enacting her will.

Though worshipped by most mothkin, Cimre is also celebrated for her associations with wisdom, grace, and portent, making her beloved to scholars, seers, and craftsmen who value functionality and simplicity over brash artistry. She has also been used to symbolize the unknown, as well as the passion for pursuing the unknown, which further endorses the mothkin tendency to travel and explore.

===Ecclesiastical Practices===

The Church of the Flame has a passive governing of its members, content primarily to let them act as they choose provided they give penance to Cimre and to the Flame. However, several practices are integral to the faith and are practiced by all its members.

===Weekly Absolution===

Each member of the Church is expected to, at least once each week, visit their local temple and kneel before the flame for absolution. Any sins or doubts are confessed, and a priest runs a stick heated in the altar's fires across their forehead, representing the act of repentance and forgiveness. This can be completed any time and, if no temple is available to the mothkin, they may run a finger across their forehead to mimic the act.

===Lunar Counsel===

While human faithful may pray to their deities and elvish mystics simply listen to the words of their gods, mothkin claim to, when needed, hold counsel directly with Cimre. These counsels are most often performed at night, especially on days when the moon is closest to full. Mothkin will beseech advice, ask for a blessing of faith, or simply converse with Cimre on spiritual or personal matters. In these regards, Cimre is addressed more as an old friend and wise mentor than as an unapproachable deity.

===Final Consecration===

When a mothkin is nearing death, it will enter a temple. Here, they will hold final absolution with the priests and cast themselves into the pyre to purge their bodies. Those who die suddenly or unnaturally are not expected to undergo this process, and their bodies are given to the Necrosavants. Those who are old of age or too sick to recover often seek Final Consecration.

It is said that if a mothkin survives this ritual, it is reborn in the ashes and rises a new moth, one with great magical prowess and one who is given high reverence. These are called the Phoenix Moths, and appear approximately once every six decades.

==Subfaiths and Other Religions Among the Mothkin==

Though the Church of the Flame is the most present of mothkin religions, one that is apparently supported by Cimre herself, there are multiple deviations and schisms within its doctrine.

===The Sunstruck===

The Sunstruck also follow the Dualism of the Church of the Flame, but have reversed its alignment, placing Metsura as the chief deity, without whom the mothkin would not exist, and believing him to be equal in will and authority with Cimre. To them, following one's passions and ambitions is ideal, as it was Cimre's desires that birthed the mothkin. 
As such, many Sunstruck followers work themselves into a maddened frenzy of desire and fanaticism to achieve a higher state of existence. This has led to their excommunication by the church and general hatred by the mothkin. In turn, the Sunstruck despise anything they see as quelling one's ambition or desires, lashing out against priest and foreigner alike to vindicate their deity.

===The Josai===

Though the duality of the Church of the Flame is accepted by most, vestiges of the animistic worship that presided before the Daimyos remain in isolated pockets of mothkin culture. These are called the Josai and, while venerating Cimre is highest among the fey, they also worship other fey as spirits of their respective domain. Awan, for instance, is a fey of the woods, and is represented as a bipedal deer whose antlers are wreathed in flowers, regarded as dominus of the hunt.

Such worship remains isolated because it is scorned by the Church for diminishing Cimre, but it is popular in the province of Gija, as well as among solitary mothkin, who feel a closer attachment to nature and the earth rather than the heavens.