Servant of the Moon #1 - unedited draft

Servant of the Moon.

A promise made to the Moon cannot be broken, but the Goddess can be a fickle protector. Sometimes She closes Her eye, sometimes Her Oracles do not understand Her warnings and Her Servants suffer. IF they survive.

The apostates, who chose ambition over honor, wait to test the faith of the chosen ones with grief, doubt, and hopelessness by robbing them of all they love.

Comhnyall MacGealimir was the youngest son of the Master-of-Arms of the Warrior Wolves of New Wemyss. The young Master-of-Arms prophesied to grow up to be a King, Comhnyall is meant to have a life with Moire, his mate, the Queen-to-be whose pure heart will inspire the hearts of all wolves. They are meant to rule together where no monarchy had existed before. Their duty to the Moon is to restore faith and honor to the lost wolves of this land, with the help of the Moon’s chosen Oracles. IF they survive.

Esther and Delilah Ayala were born to be the Delphi together, to share the highest rank of oracle. Inheriting their gifts from the legendary Oracles of the Benjmin-Naphtal pack, they are destined to be the future leaders of Servants of the Moon Goddess. But tragedy chases them. As they struggle with their own altered destinies and to escape those who would abuse their power, they hold the power to save the world. IF they survive.

There are those of ancient Des Rues royal lines, who desire the destiny promised to Comhnyall and his mate, and wish to enslave the power of the Naphtal Oracles. An Alpha line whose lust for power makes them to willing to defy the Moon’s will. Wolves who care nothing for duty or honor or faith, and they will take what they want, even if it means killing all of the Moon’s Servants and faithful. And among them is one, raised to hate the Moon, desiring to burn the world in the name of his sun god.

INFO ABOUT SERVANTS

Who are the Servants of the Moon? The Servants of the Moon are a collection of oracles, wanderers, and teachers who’s duty it is to help wolves who are struggling and go where the Goddess sends them. Oracles have the ability to see beyond this world and receive messages from the Goddess. They are the Keepers of Faith in the Moon Goddess. They are peacemakers, peace seekers, and peace keepers. Those who leave the temples to work in the world are caller Wanderers, the are liaisons between the oracles and packs, there are several ranks of Wanderers. Warrior Wanderers called Protectors are those who go out to train and defend smaller packs or act as moderators during intra-pack conflicts. Seeker Wanderers are basically spies, usually trackers, it is the job of Seekers to discern intrigue and discover information to help clarify the visions of the oracles. Teachers instruct on the faith in the Goddess, traditions and history of the werewolf world, and the sovereignty of all wolves.

They are those Chosen by the Moon Herself and who have promised to serve Her. She marks them Herself. Sometimes their Mark is visible to all, sometimes it is only visible to other Servants. Male servants have dark swirling Moon Mark tattoos over the right shoulder and around the torso. Female servants are ‘moon painted’, their Moon Marks are only visible in moonlight or in daylight, to those Servants who are Moon blessed. Not all wolves can see the ‘moon painted’ marks of female servants, but pure blood vampires and some earth-witches can.

The Delphi is the highest ranked and most powerful oracle, she is the Moon’s highest representative. Often the she-wolf chosen has powers other oracles do not, They are responsible for training acolytes and discerning visions that other Oracles find confusing. She is chosen by a group of Elder Oracles, but the decision does not have to be unanimous. In recent years, a Delphi was chosen based on political reasons of some of the Elders, which resulted in disastrous consequences since she used her influence to increase to prestige of her pack and harmed other packs. The Goddess became angry, sending terrifying warning which were only heeded by some. She was stripped of her title as Delphi and sent back to her home pack. Sometimes the office of Delphi remains vacant until a worthy candidate is found or comes of age. The temples are associated with packs devoted to the Moon, not all are Servants but most are dedicated to their duty.

The Oracles have two main temples, both located in sacred lakes; in the west is the Eye of the Goddess, called Crater Lake by the humans, and in the east is the Moon’s Gate called Lake Manicouagan or the Manicouagan Reservoir by the humans.

The Tides of the Sacred Waters is the place between the worlds where the Oracles gain their visions. Some oracles only see into the Tides called shallow scrying or wading. Other Oracles, such as the Delphi, can actually travel across the strange spirit world, called Walking the Tides, witnessing things in the real world as the happen and seeing the possible futures of choices to come. When they are Walking the Tides, the oracles exist in what is called their Tidal form, like an astral projection in either skin or wolf. They can see into the Fields of the Moon (werewolf heaven) sometimes with tragic or painful results. Most Oracles use their tools to control their visions and keep themselves from becoming lost in the Tides. Some Oracles can be pulled into visions by refracted images, flickering light, or flashing lightning, or by the Goddess Herself. Oracles are not to scry for themselves, because doing so often results in the most painful or horrific of revelations, ie. the deaths of themselves or loved ones.

Tools of Oracles: Oracles use bowls of water made of different types of stone that call the a certain oracle or pools of water, natural or built. Rare oracles can use silver bowls or silver-backed mirrors. They also use carved runes to seek guidance. Runes can be made of ivory, bone, stone, or wood. Incense is burned in certain blends to help focus oracles. The Naphtal oracles have a Tide stone, a smooth piece of Labradorite, that helps them enter the Tides and in the case of the most powerful oracles, share visions.