Over the millenia, creatures have had their share of beliefs that closely follow the process of life to death. When contacted to create a moon retreat for a religion that completes the circle from death back to life World Builders Intergalactic (WBI) jumped that the chance to be involved in yet another headline worthy project.

I am Randal, and welcome back to another episode of Terraforming. This time we look at a moon retreat that represents the complete circle of life to death and death to undeath and undeath to life.

In time past, the circle of life was worshipped in many ways. Death cults of various types believed that there was perfection in unending, eternal silence and darkness. Followers of nature, such as druids, respected the natural circle of life as it is found without civilization. In death, all things provided nourishment to nature, and thus life continued to thrive. Until recently, life and death were the only two accepted steps in the cycle of life. Undeath was almost universally considered an abomination, an unholy creation to be sought out and destroyed en masse. With the inclusion of undead in the politics of worlds, openly or begrudgingly, undeath has become an option that most civilized worlds and creatures had never considered before.

An elven druid by the name of Xisten Alluftar (pictured above) has been slowly rising in popularity throughout the known worlds. Ancient, even by elven standards, it has been rumored that they were alive on Golarion before the gap and that a combination of primal nature worship and modern medical science has kept them alive well beyond that of any other known mortal creature. Other rumors and murmurs claim that reincarnation, resurrection, and wish magics have been employed over the millennia creating more rumors and claims about where they obtained the wealth and power needed perform such feats. Fortunately for those that don’t deal in spreading false information, Xisten’s memoirs have been released into the data streams and lay out exactly how they have survived for so long. Feeling that the time was right, that the worlds were ready, they wanted to teach their truth about the cycle of life, death, and undeath. As it was time to enter death as a transition to undeath, a pilgrimage was planned, and like-minded individuals of all species from all worlds are encouraged to join and learn first hand.

An enterprising Eoxian known only as The Mithral Circlet, named for his signature cybernetic headpiece, caught wind of this pilgrimage as it first started to gain traction. A fanatical believer that Eox should take what it wants, he was always the right hand of a Bone Sage and never quite able to wrest the control or influence that he so desired. In this new belief and following of Xisten, he found his calling. If he were able to help encourage more creatures to willingly take on the mantle of undeath, he would be able to build himself an army under the noses of the very people he wished to attack with it. He began a relationship with Xisten under the simple name of Emcee, appearing as a believer and benefactor, offering to help with the logistics of teaching and converting so many followers. It is he that reached out to WBI to create a home for the newly found religion, one that he declared would encompass religious learning, holy retreat, and ritualized transition. The plan was ostentatious in appearance while humble in discourse, it truly was meant to capture the hearts of all that were in need of something to believe and somewhere to go.

Emcee began working with Xisten to formalize the religion has an organization. They began by calling themselves The Order of Life, Unlife, and the Death Between. Believers in the Cycle of Reanimation and Reincarnation. As they codified and popularized the various tenets that Xisten followed, Emcee found himself enjoying the work that he had originally considered to be a part of the scam. As the years passed by, the moon neared completion, and Emcee found himself believing in the message that he and Xisten had built together. He renewed his vigor and pushed the development to greater heights. Where he had simply wanted to utilize the aesthetics that would draw in living creatures, he began adding his own insight into what would bring in the already undead that had slowly begun being interested in a chance at life again.

The moon itself has become one of the greatest achievements in WBI’s history. As a nod to the infinite loop of the circle of life, the moon is actually two teardrop shaped pieces of earth that are connected to create a three dimensional infinity symbol, and has been dubbed the Moon of Infinity. The use of specialized gravity generators allows this low-density connection point to act as the center, allowing the moon to rotate as if the bulbous ends were poles on a planet, thus making it function somewhat like a normal world does. In addition to the wobble that most habitable planets seem to have, the “poles” will slowly switch locations on a timeline of roughly 100 years. This peculiar orbit is designed to keep the various parts of the world under specific lighting conditions on a long-term cycle, related to the prescribed timelines for life, death, and unlife transitions that the various species will maintain.

One of the most beautiful aspects of this planetary design, is that the oceans at the poles slowly drip water toward the gravitational center, creating a crystalline mist of water that refracts light in the negative space. This light is a mix of sunlight, light reflected off Trellidon or other moons, and as such creates a veritable rainbow of color in completely random and shifting shapes. Believers claim that these are the souls of those that are currently waiting in death for their transition to life or unlife.

That is all we have time for this week. How does the process work!? Has The Mithral Circlet truly changed his ways? Where did he get the money to fund such a project? Will his previous masters come calling? I guess we will have to wait and see!

 

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The Order of Life, Unlife, and the Death Between
Believers in the Cycle of Reanimation and Reincarnation
Leaders: Holiness Xisten Alluftar, First Disciple Emcee
Headquarters: Moon of Infinity, Trellidon

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Moon of Infinity
Holy Retreat of Reanimation and Reincarnation
Diameter: x0.20
Mass: x0.1
Gravity: x1 (artificial)
Location: Trellidon
Atmosphere: Normal where inhabited
Day: 1 day (artificial, moon); Year: (moon)