Mothkin are a custom homebrew race created by /tg/. Vaguely humanoid and drawing influence from Turkish and Japanese culture, they are the product of (ongoing) collaboration on /tg/.

History[edit]

The mothfolk, or mothkin, are the spawn of the fey queen Cimre. Cimre was the Queen of Dusk, who longed eternally for the dawn. Cimre waited at the horizon for the Sun to rise, and the two collided. From Cimre's wings several feathers fell, landing in the trees below. These were the first mothkin.

Early Society[edit]

The earliest mothkin gathered together into a large colony, the first of their cities. Houses were built among the branches of the great trees of the eastern forests, and they developed language and, soon after, writing. There were no true leaders in the earliest days, and mothkin society was isolated and naive. They wove tales of the fey that they were still connected to, but knew nothing of other races. Vigils were held nightly to the moon, in reverence for their mother Cimre of the Dusk.

This peaceful reality was shattered, however, upon the arrival of one Baloth Ironchin. Baloth was a dwarven miner, and leader of a band of dwarves who had been cast out from their mountain home for reasons unexplained. He was the first non-fey to set eyes on the mothkin, and he saw not beauty and innocence, but frailty and ignorance. Baloth's dwarves marched into their woods, and the mothkin, having never seen such creatures, stood in wonder and fear. But the dwarves hated the fey, and Baloth's zealotry overwhelmed him. Ten dozen dwarves rampaged through the forest, killing those they could and sacking the towns.

Baloth finally departed after more than two hundred mothkin were slain. From that day, the mothkin knew only hatred for dwarvenkind.

Beginnings of the Daimyos[edit]

Scarred by the unprecedented and wholly alien act of violence against them, the mothkin resolved firstly to rebuild. Houses were reconstructed, the forest healed, and new generations of mothkin were raised into a different life than their forefathers.

Around this time of reconstruction did the Church of the Flame develop. To its first practitioners, the fire would cleanse them of their past naivete, and reforge their connection to the fey that had guided them. Among their ranks came one known simply as Tanji. He preached words of revitalization and hope to the mothkin, and was claimed to be an emissary of Cimre herself. The mothkin finally had a leader, and they named him Daimyo.

With their city rebuilt (with walls and palisades, for better defense), Tanji gave a new goal to the mothkin, an order issued at the end of the twilight days that is still followed today: discover.

They were told to spread out, fly beyond their ancestral forest and explore the world beyond, whatever good or bad lied within it. Settlements rose up from the Benayan mountains to the frosted steppes of Kharas, and new generations of mothkin grew up far from their old forest.

Tanji requested that the temple of the Flame, the first Agiari, be built as high as possible. The peaks of a great tree were hollowed out, spiraling steps carved within, and a great altar of flame raised in its canopy, tended eternally by devoted monks. The light of the flame, he said, would always lead the children of Cimre back home in dark times, and thus the first beacon temple was made.

Tashigo and the Necrosavants[edit]

Candleflies were a gift to the mothkin from the fey queen Cimre, a simple insect species that produced light to reflect the light of the moon. They were quickly discovered to have many applications, from decoration to illumination to chemical powders. However, this boon came with a cost: candleflies fed exclusively on dead flesh.

Tanji asked of Cimre how they would sustain them, and she delivered the Death-Head mark, a white skull found on the back of some mothkin upon their rebirth. Cimre named them the Necrosavants, and they were tasked with collecting the bodies of the dead and harvesting them for the candleflies.

Three years later, a Necrosavant named Tashigo found a new use for the candleflies: when their larvae infested a dead corpse, necromantic energies would be exuded. Tashigo attempted to channel this power, and the infested corpses rose, undead husks illuminated by the haunting light of the candleflies from within. Tashigo could not control them, and a host of the creatures ran through Tanjian, but they were finally repelled and Tashigo was slain.

Since then, the mark of the Death-Head condemns a mothkin to a life as a Necrosavant, respected for their invaluable service but avoided and feared for the prospect of the dark energies that they encounter. Many live as recluses, tending the candleflies and then delivering them once they reach maturity, to return again to their den of death and growth.

From this point the paths of the mothkin diverge.

The Mothkin[edit]

Contact with the Others[edit]

The world in those days was still open and sparsely conquered, but eventually the mothkin came into contact with another race, this time on more peaceful grounds.

The halfling village of Dennborough was understandably surprised at their appearance, but quickly a delegation was assembled to travel to the great mothkin colony of Tanjian. Twelve halflings held audience with the second Daimyo, Kuraga, each party astounded at the other, but a friendship was quickly forged. To the halflings, they gave clothes of the finest silk and fabulous paintings. They taught the art of alchemy, and offered them bottled of their potent nectar-based liquor.

To the mothkin, the halflings had much to share. They showed them metallurgy, logging, and stonework, and shared maps and stories of the many other races in the world. Perhaps most revolutionary, they had brought with them a general, who instructed the Daimyo and his court on the ways of war.

From then after, the halflings and mothkin remained eternal allies and friends, but peace with their world could not last forever.

The First War of the Silk[edit]

Baloth had long been dead, but the terror he wrought was never forgotten, and the halflings had given then the means of vengeance. Kuraga prayed at his temple and, having convened with the fey, led a contingent of battlemages, alchemists, archers and elite warriors northward, seeking the dwarves. They found the kingdom of Bal-Torum.

After several days of miscommunication, Kuraga tired of this wait and declared the attack. Spells and arrows tore through the dwarven vanguard, but they pushed back with ferocity. The mothkin retreated to the forests, and a week later a dwarven brigade marched after them. In several conflicts, the dwarves were ambushed and turned back by mothkin and halflings archers and mages, retreating with minimal losses. After three months of inconclusive combat, a truce was formed, but tensions remained.

Decentralization[edit]

Kuraga died at 127, first of the true dynasty of his descendants. He was replaced by his niece, a former priestess named Michika. She ascended at the age of 32, and was highly pious, forgoing the more ornate dressings of the court for a simple silk robe. Under her guidance, the Church of the Flame spread through the colonies, and beacon-temples arose across the domains. However, the armies of the mothkin were inexperienced and thinly spread. Many colonies had to fend for themselves, often with aid from halfling or human neighbors. The Lich Kingdoms of the south spent more concern on their human adversaries, but Michika recalled the bulk of her forces to fend off the hordes of undead and corrupted from Tanjian. Around this time, a colony of mothkin under the leadership of an apostate named Anenzi trekked into the deserts beyond the Benayan, founding what would later become the Farapidaans. That is a story for another time.

Now, as the armies left the disparate colonies, they raised militias of their own, the Zaibuto. They held a power equal to, or even above, the priesthood in decentralized regions, and their magecraft and alchemy kept their respective towns safe.

The uniting around religion and the relative autonomy of the Zaibuto led to the decline in authority of the Daimyo, whose power would wax and wane over the next several centuries in accordance with the power of the Zaibuto. But because the Daimyo was always allied with the priesthood, the power of the Zaibuto was directly related to the authority the Daimyo wielded.

Tanji II and the Rise of the Merchants[edit]

With no present threats to the mothkin upon the death of Michika, the advent of Tanji II, a wealthy silk baron, was the first not marked by some foreign strife.

Tanji II was unhappy with the way the colonies had separated from the Daimyo's power, and made several efforts to diminish the authority of the Zaibuto by stationing official troops and spreading pro-unification propaganda. This effort had moderate success, and as long as Tanji II ruled, the Zaibuto remained as auxiliary fighters.

With his kingdom back under his influence, the Daimyo patroned art and business, especially in the capitol. As described by halfling advisor Ceagan: "Their emperor was a lover of all arts, finding war and even politics distasteful, but devoting his private funds to the enrichment of his people's culture."

Calligraphy, painting, the furnishing of old wings, and the construction of beautiful ornate clothing grew in his patronage, and these things had one class benefit above all: the merchants. Silk and wings were easy to come by, but the precious metals, especially the gold dust that was used to embellish wings, as well as fine timber and ink from the Benayans, fueled their trade. Tanji II continued the mercantile taxation of his predecessors, rather than increasing it accordingly, and so the merchants quickly grew wealthy.

And with wealth came power, as the merchants used their funds to hire Zaibutos as private soldiers, as well as procuring a permanent seat in the royal court as a station of the Daimyo.

This power would be held until the second War of the Silk, but, even after the influence of Tanji II, their wealth would remain.

Seeds of Unrest and the End of the Classical Era[edit]

Commerce thrived and art flourished in the zenith of the mothkin kingdom, but fate is fickle and nature is no lover of craft. A famine took hold of the provincial colonies 41 years into Tanji's reign, and their crops were reduced to barely below subsistence. Those in the forests of Tanjian never needed worry of food or water, but in the colonies unrest and starvation rose. The merchants left for the capitol, many taking their Zaibuto with them.

Tanji attempted to recourse with a stronger military presence, but this only angered the colonies further. By his 43rd year, Tanji was beset with animosity from all sides. The peasantry demanded better tools and sustenance, the loyal Zaibuto loathed the increase in national troops, and the priests decried Tanji II's apparent lack of faith, as the Daimyo spent little time in the Agiari aside from the monthly prayer required by his position.

Finally, the tension breached the uneasy peace. Peasants armed themselves and drove the militaries out of their towns with aid from the Zaibuto and support from the priests, who worked to reduce their losses. As his army was pressed out of the provinces, Tanji responded with a full scale occupation. Almost five thousand soldiers marched out to reclaim the provinces.

There were few true battles in the revolt, but skirmishes wore down the military, and a force of several thousand Zaibuto and armed proletariat made their way to Tanjian, led by a former mercenary named Amerasu. With his capitol nearly overrun, Tanji finally abdicated.

Amerasu assumed the throne as Daimyo, exiling Tanji II to the deserts of the west and finally bringing peace to the angry peasantry. Though the famine proper had ended months ago, it was accredited to the enthronement of a pious leader, and as the old empire had fallen, a new age began.

Amerasu and the Second War of the Silk[edit]

The provinces had been calmed, the priesthood strengthened, and the Zaibuto took work as mercenaries. Amerasu instilled a parliamentary council, the Diet, to give the people and the provinces a voice in politics, and replaced or threw out most of the old court.

Internal affairs being sorted, Amerasu turned his attention to the dwarves. Three centuries of uneasy peace and contact with most known races of the world had not sated the animosity between them. He found himself lucky when the dwarven kingdom of Taruman was assaulted by a human warlord named Khaban Askai.

Askai coveted the strength and wealth of the dwarven kingdom, but Amerasu merely wished them pacified. The two agreed to work together, and Amerasu began war preparations, calling in an alliance with the halflings.

The first attack caught the dwarven king Drulthum without warning, as human cavalry and mothkin mages tore a blitzkrieg through the surrounding hills. The speed and accuracy of Khaban's horse archers was matched by the skill and number of mothkin alchemists and swordsmen, and the few regiments that guarded the outer lands were quickly overwhelmed. Eventually, the mountain itself was under siege. Drulthum begged aid from the dwarven armies farther north, but no response came to him. The siege, however, faltered.

Aid came to Amerasu in the form of a halfling advisor named Balleg, who showed to the mothkin the incendiary power of the oil they used for lighting. His alchemists worked quickly to design a sort of handheld firebomb, a thin ceramic frame holding the oil and connected by a thin strip of silk. The firebombers flew over the city's walls and bombarded them ceaselessly. Finally, after two weeks of siege, Drulthum conceded defeat. Khaban took what wealth he wanted, and Amerasu returned to Tanjian a victorious general.

Federalization and the Modern Era[edit]

All was not peaceful within the kingdom when Amerasu returned. The merchants had declined in power with the rise of the Diet, and the scholar-gentry held power over the priesthood and provinces. Ever an adamant defender of provincial rights, the Daimyo instated government exams to weed out corruption in the scholar-gentry and fortified the colonies with a proper regimen of soldiers, this time as protectors rather than occupiers. The Zaibuto objected, but were dismissed from service and left to their own pursuits.

Each province, well defended and somewhat represented, was free to develop an identity of its own, pulling from the region's past and the traditions they carried. In the Gija province fey worship experienced a resurgence, while in the Benayan regions tensions with the Farapidaans subsided and a cultural exchange began.

The Sunstruck, maddened radicals of the Church of the Flame, spread through the south of the kingdom, and though they were hunted and hated by the locals, they remain today a terror to surrounding regions.

The Farapidaans[edit]

The Splitting of Faiths[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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.

Biology[edit]

Larval Stage[edit]

Having hatched from their eggs, the larvae start as blind, thin, and hungry. Their diet is very important to their development and metamorphosis. Standard diet includes leaves and bark for forest mothkin, and cactus flowers and grass for desert mothkin. However, some larvae are raised to consume certain foods or quantities that determine their growth. Larvae who eat mineral-rich dirt have more lustrous wings and are purportedly inclined towards art, while larvae who eat mulberries grow large and develop more silk than usual. This silk is produced by all mothkin larvae, and is harvested by adult mothkin. Those raised to produce higher quantity silk are raised on mulberries, which leaves their adult forms stunted slightly and with dull wing patterns. Female larvae instinctively eat more than their male counterparts, causing their adult forms to be larger and better-equipped for reproduction.

Metamorphosis[edit]

After approximately three months of eating and growing, the larvae are ushered to the treetops to develop a cocoon. They curl into pupae and attach themselves to a branch. For two weeks, the pupa is disassembled and reconstructed inside its cocoon, undergoing pubescence and emerging a fully grown, adult mothkin. Outside observers are still unsure of how a pupa survives the deconstruction of its body, or what occurs within the chrysalis, but the mothkin claim to be equally confounded.

Adult Mothkin[edit]

The anatomy of the adult mothkin is, internally, most similar to that of the elves, likely due to their fey lineage. Digestive and respiratory systems are normal, whereas the endocrine system is linked to their wings, and changes in hormones or the like will trigger a respective release of dust from the wings. Their bones are light, designed for an airborne species, and they can only carry at most half their body weight. Externally, a chitinous, thin exoskeleton covers the body, and is in turn coated with a layer of fur which gathers in tufts around the neck, wrists, and ankles. These tufts are usually discolored from the rest, producing "tiger-stripe" patterns on the moth. The torso and waist have the least fur, and the exoskeleton is sometimes exposed.

Mothkin have no mouth, but a thin proboscis from which they collect water and other liquids. Energy is supplied from a form of photosynthesis, gathering light from the sun or moon through their wings. This process also supplies their body heat. Changes in temperature and atmosphere are noted through their antennae, which also pick up vibrations and allow them to hear. Their eyes are large, with no sclera and situated closer to the sides of their head.

Society[edit]

Despite the presence of a mostly patriarchal Daimyo, mothkin society is, in the whole, highly egalitarian, with women being high positions as readily as men. The two highest social positions within mothkin society are that of Matriarch and Daimyo.

As the mothkin have a solitary society, each individual generally operates without reliance upon others. They share knowledge about sources of water and local growth patterns, but seek out water sources on their own. The largest shared things among their culture are nectar first, and knowledge a close second. There are centralized living areas, which are focused around areas that grow essential plants, are near water sources, and have plenty of natural lighting.

Each mothkin “settlement” is clearly marked by a single distinct feature: The Agiari, sometimes referred to by halflings and other outsiders as a “Sky Hive.” This will be the single tallest structure in a mothkin settlement, signified by a large magical pyre atop it. This serves many purposes, such as being a watchtower and a homing beacon for traveling mothkin, a place of worship for the Church of the Flame, as well as being something each individual merely finds beautiful to look at. This structure will hold a majority of the “living spaces,” which are closer to communal sleeping areas where each one comes and goes as they please and belong to no one specifically. These communal spaces are always close to a source of light for sustenance during the mothkins' rest. Each individual has no single, centralized home, but might keep their things in a single area in order to keep things easier in pursuit of their hobbies and profession, and these spaces are respected by other mothkin. This is the closest thing that mothkin keep to a “domicile”, but they still have a very clear sense of territory as a species, and will defend that territory against others.

The mothkin spend a lot of time collecting and distilling nectar into a liquor that seems fairly mild to the mothkin, but is seen as quite potent by outsiders. Perhaps even to dwarves, if they were ever to get a chance to taste it, but, due to cultural hatred, this is unlikely. The predominant professions within the mothkin society are astrologers, scholars, alchemists, carpenters & craftsmen, artisans of rare and intriguing forms, and relatively few merchants or tradesmen. The alchemists are most highly regarded outside of mothkin society. In fact, the dust of their wings is frequently used by the alchemists for various products which are then traded to halflings as alchemical components, usually in exchange for rare reagents not found in the mothkin native woods. Even the astrologers are thought to know the heavens better than most, if not all of the civilized races.

Mothkin Art[edit]

The mothkin very meticulously preserve the wings of every Daimyo and Matriarch who has lived and ruled, and these are all displayed in the Agiari of any grouping. These wings are hung in a spiral pattern along the interior of the Sky Hive and serve as a guide for their oral history, using portions of each wing to represent events in a continuous timeline. More modern rulers still carry the vestiges of previous rulers’ patterns on their own wings as a visual reinforcement of their right to rule, while carrying a living record of their people.

Mothkin also enthusiastically engage in calligraphy as a pastime as well as an extension of their oral history. Many mothkin artisans are known to create long, flowing scrolls telling stories of greatness and mothkin pride. They also use calligraphy in the recordings of their alchemical formulae and descriptions of plants, the flowing scripts becoming as educational as they are beautiful. Frequently, the alchemists will synthesize a glowing ink from candleflies for calligraphers, as further embellishment to their writing. This ink glows permanently and is often used in their sacred texts for emphasis as well as embellishment. The results are scrolls, breathtaking to behold, that are illuminated technically as well as literally.

Daimyo[edit]

The Daimyo acts primarily as a monarchic figurehead of the Church of the Flame. The Daimyo also acts as part of a scholar gentry, an organization of philosopher-mages who hold much of the society's knowledge and act as patrons to its businesses and civilians. The Daimyo is not elected by vote or by heredity alone, but rather appointed by the Church of the Flame from within a select group of the higher echelons of society. A Daimyo may not choose their successor directly, but there are certain actions a Daimyo may take to ensure those they favor will likely succeed them. The Daimyo is widely considered the most centralizing figure of mothkin society, apart from the Church of the Flame itself, although the Daimyo will often be seen as the more accessible and more identifiable of the two.

The Matriarch has the duty of overseeing the welfare of the mothkin society as a whole and taking care of most internal affairs, acting as adjudicator of laws and a voice of guidance for those seeking her counsel, whether moral, legal, natural, or astrological. The Daimyo is responsible primarily for interactions with outside groups, acting as a diplomat as well as leader of military forces, and enforcer of the will of the Matriarch. The Daimyo also adds his counsel to the Matriarchs when available while deferring to her judgment. In practice, this means the Matriarch decides what must be done while the Daimyo decides how to do it. The same is true of military preparations, although the Daimyo is given leave to respond without the Matriarch’s counsel in times of great need. As mothkin are a highly solitary and intrinsically spread-out society, these positions are often unnecessary, and the offices hold far more pomp and circumstance than actual power despite being universally respected. The Daimyo and Matriarch are always from few select familial lines which are very carefully traced and often mate for political and hereditary reasons.

One odd practice seen by the mothkin is when an individual reaches a new village of mothkin, or an area where he has not met the local Daimyo, or even individuals returning after a journey of several days or more, the mothkin will seek an audience with the Daimyo for a brief welcoming ceremony. This ceremony is partially a mode of reinforcing tribal connectivity as well as respect and submission to the Daimyo in the form of a ritualistic antennae-cleaning that is otherwise stigmatized in mothkin society. The mothkin bows before the Daimyo, presenting their antennae (or “wreath,” as they call it) and reciting an old quotation from the Church of the Flame.

"It is the daimyo's choice should I carry my wreath. Should I be unfit, he may pluck them from my head, and my wreath is lost to be blind without sightlessness."

If the mothkin individual is respected or has done no wrong, the Daimyo will clean their wreath whether needed or not, as a symbol of encouragement and providence. On rare occasions if the mothkin has dishonored themselves or their tribe, or is an outcast and has attempted to return, then the Daimyo will tear one or both antennae from the head of the mothkin, rendering them without the anatomy to smell and removing their natural proficiency in alchemy. A mothkin who loses their antennae in such a way is no longer considered a mothkin by other members of their society.

Beginning of the Daimyos[edit]

The position of Leader within mothkin society was, prior to this, a tenuous one. There existed a position simply called Emissary, after the tradition of Farapid the Traveler, who was the first Emissary, and this position was primarily one of diplomat. However, after the first contact with the dwarves, this was changed with the formation of the Church of the Flame.

Scarred by the unprecedented and wholly alien act of violence against them by Baloth Ironchin, the mothkin resolved firstly to rebuild. Houses were reconstructed, the forest healed, and new generations of mothkin were raised into a different life than their forefathers.

Around this time of reconstruction did the Church of the Flame develop. To its first practitioners, the fire would cleanse them of their past naivete, and reforge their connection to the fey that had guided them. Among their ranks came one known simply as Tanji. He preached words of revitalization and hope to the mothkin, and was claimed to be an emissary of Cimre herself. The mothkin finally had a true leader, and they named him Daimyo.

With their city rebuilt (with walls and palisades, for better defense), Tanji gave a new goal to the mothkin, an order issued at the end of the twilight days that is still followed today: Discover. They were told to spread out, fly beyond their ancestral forest and explore the world beyond, whatever good or bad lied within it. Settlements rose up from the Benayan mountains to the frosted steppes of Kharas, and new generations of mothkin grew up far from their old forest.

Tanji requested that the temple of the Flame, the first Agiari, be built as high as possible. The peaks of a great tree were hollowed out, spiraling steps carved within, and a great altar of flame raised in its canopy, tended eternally by devoted monks. The light of the flame, he said, would always lead the children of Cimre back home in dark times, and thus the first beacon temple was made.

Necrosavants[edit]

Candleflies were a gift to the mothkin from the fey queen Cimre, a simple insect species that produced light to reflect the light of the moon. They were quickly discovered to have many applications, from decoration to illumination to chemical powders. However, this boon came with a cost: candleflies fed exclusively on dead flesh. Because mothfolk were born from Cimre and to her they must return.

Tanji asked of Cimre how they would sustain them, and she delivered the Death-Head mark, a white skull found on the back of some mothkin upon their rebirth. Cimre named them the Necrosavants, and they were tasked with collecting the bodies of the dead and harvesting them for the candleflies.

Three years later, a Necrosavant named Tashigo found a new use for the candleflies: when their larvae infested a dead corpse, the glow they produced was charged with Necromantic energies. Tashigo channeled this power, and the infested corpses rose, undead husks illuminated by the haunting light of the candleflies from within. A host of the creatures ran through Tanjian, but they were finally repelled and Tashigo was slain.

Since then, the mark of the Death-Head condemns a mothkin to a life as a Necrosavant, respected for their invaluable service but avoided and feared for the prospect of the dark energies that they encounter. Many live as recluses, tending the candleflies and then delivering them once they reach maturity, to return again to their den of death and growth.

Necrosavants are few in numbers; even in the biggest cities one can hardly find a dozen of them. Even the most ambitious rulers stave off using them, because, while being able to raise an impressive undead army, Necrosavants’ control over the risen is unstable, and that army can easily turn on you.

The Death-Head mark is also known to the Farapidaan, but it is rarer and does not hold as much significance in their culture. When Anenzi left with his flock to the desert, most of their candleflies died during the exodus, and they eventually adopted a tradition of cremation instead. Most of the time, when a Death-Head is born, which is quite rare, they would tend to find themselves taught in the priesthood in order to perform proper funeral rites.

In recent days, however, there are those who speak of training and utilizing them to hunt down and identify Moondrinkers. However, this thesis hasn't been fully tested yet.

Religion[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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.

In-Game Stats[edit]

Farapidaans (Pathfinder)[edit]

Small Fey.

+4 Intelligence, -2 Wisdom, -2 Constitution, -2 Strength: Farapidaans are inquisitive creatures, but also overtly curious and frail.

Small: Farapidaans gain a +1 size bonus to their AC, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, a –1 penalty to their Combat Maneuver Bonus and Combat Maneuver Defense, and a +4 size bonus on Stealth checks.

Slow Speed: Farapidaans have a base speed of 20ft, fly speed 30ft (clumsy).

Darkvision: Farapidaans can see in the dark up to 60ft.

Light Blindness: Farapidaans become blinded for 1 round, then dazzled for another round when exposed to bright sunlight.

Photosynthesis: Adult Farapidaans need not eat to gain sustenance (though they do still need water like any other creature). Instead, they collect sunlight with their wings and conduct photosynthesis. Each day, they must spend 4 hours with their wings exposed to the sun or equivalent light (such as from a daylight spell) to be properly well fed. A Farapidaan can go without sunlight for 2 days without feeding, afterwhich it suffers from starvation as per the normal rules.

Four-Armed: Farapidaans possess four arms. A member of this race can wield multiple weapons, but only one hand is its primary hand, and all others are off hands. It can also use its hands for other purposes that require free hands.

Spell-Like Ability: 1/day: glitterdust (DC ?). Caster level ?.

Mixer: Farapidaans gain a +1 racial bonus to Craft(alchemy) and Appraise skills.

Desert Dweller: Farapidaans receive a +4 racial bonus on Constitution checks and Fortitude saves to avoid fatigue and exhaustion, as well as any other ill effects from running, forced marches, starvation, thirst, and hot or cold environments.

Weapon Familiarity: Farapidaans are not proficient with any weapons, but treat any weapon with the word “mothkin” or “Farapidaan” in its name as a martial weapon.

Language: Farapidaans start off speaking Sylvan and Common. Farapidaans with a high enough Intelligence score may also learn to speak Auran, Draconic, Dziriak, Ignan, Gnoll, Orc, and Terran.

Mothfolk (Pathfinder)[edit]

Medium Fey.

+2 Intelligence, -2 Constitution, -2 Strength, +2 Dexterity: Mothfolk are intellectual and graceful, but their forms are fragile and not built for close combat.

Medium: Mothfolk have no bonuses or penalties due to size.

Slow Speed: Mothfolk have a base speed of 20ft, fly speed 30ft (clumsy).

Darkvision: Mothfolk can see in the dark up to 60ft.

Light Blindness: Mothfolk become blinded for 1 round, then dazzled for another round when exposed to bright sunlight.

Photosynthesis: Adult mothfolk need not eat to gain sustenance (though they do still need water like any other creature). Instead, they collect moonlight with their wings and conduct photosynthesis. Each day, they must spend 4 hours with their wings exposed to the moon or equivalent light (such as from a daylight spell) to be properly well fed. A mothfolk can go without moonlight for 2 days without feeding, afterwhich it suffers from starvation as per the normal rules.

Four-Armed: Mothfolk possess four arms. A member of this race can wield multiple weapons, but only one hand is its primary hand, and all others are off hands. It can also use its hands for other purposes that require free hands.