Gods of Light
There are three main gods of Light who are said to embody hope, truth, and love. They are worshipped collectively as the Church of Light, the largest religion in the world by number of followers. In some places, they are worshipped separately or in different combinations. The human nation of Aquilan once followed the Church of Light, but a puritanical sect of the god of truth led a coup and banned worship of other gods. The elvish nation of Tarthnyssor has a dualistic religion based around Verath, the light god of truth, and Vael, the dark goddess of lies.
Followers of the Church of Light call Verath "the Father". Morrow is "the Son" and, although she is not his only daughter, Saphyra is called "the Daughter". Verath and Dunaia are the parents of Saphyra and Morrow (and Morrow's twin sister Ayar, the dark goddess of rage).
Morrow
Keywords: Hope, Valor, Dawn, Glory, Generosity, Progress, New Beginnings, Rebirth & Resurrection, Sun, White Clouds, Rainbows (and arches and bows), Yellow & Gold
Morrow is the god of Hope. He is the Radiant Dawn who brings the promise of a new day and a better future. Hope is the belief that things can be better than they are. No matter how bad things get, you can always start over. He is a god of bravery and valor, because the strong should see the weak being threatened and think "It doesn't have to be like this. I can make it better." He is a god of generosity and service, because the wealthy should see the poor going hungry and say "It doesn't have to be like this. I can make it better." He is a god of education, because the wise should see the ignorant and think "It doesn't have to be like this. I can make it better." Orders of knights dedicated to him are heroic paladins and his clerics are inspirational shepherds of their flock.
Morrow himself is Neutral Good and most of his clerics are some sort of Good. Unfortunately, the gods are not omniscient and, as personifications of emotions, tend to make a lot of decisions based on vibes. Morrow would withdraw his favor from an evil priest who actively caused suffering to others, but he might overlook a neutral perfectionist priest whose hope is focused on self-improvement: despair draws his attention, but hope that is selfishly narrow is still hope. Priests such as this can slip through the cracks and remain in the clergy, but they don't advance far because their narrow hopes don't attract greater favor.
Morrow is associated with Melyn, the bright golden sun. His priests pray for their spells at dawn and wear yellow scarves or stoles as a badge of office. Divine spellcasters in the Moon Shadows setting manifest halos as a physical object that hovers above or behind them. Each god's halo is different which makes priests visually distinct and makes their patron obvious at a glance. The halos of Morrowan priests take the form of a semicircular arc that passes over the priest's head from shoulder to shoulder. Morrow's holy symbol is a symmetrical hand with a sun on the palm or a hand holding a sun.
Morrow is usually depicted in art as a barefoot man in a simple jacket and loose trousers or a plain robe. He is always depicted with a thick cowl around his shoulders that gives him a neckless appearance. Sometimes he is depicted as a knight in golden armor with massive shoulder pauldrons that also gives him the appearance of a turtle poking its head just out of its shell. He has a serene smile on his face and his long hair is pulled up into a top knot or bun. Rays of light extend outward from the arc of light that goes over his head from shoulder to shoulder. In his right hand, he wields Daybreak, the mace that shatters darkness. In his left hand, he holds Melyn, the golden sun.
Morrow is the elder brother of Saphyra, goddess of love, and the twin brother of Ayar, the dark goddess of rage and destruction. One common depiction of the twins shows Morrow using Daybreak as a goad to divert a rampaging Ayar away from an innocent town, structure, or person in her path. He is often depicted using the same method to control Fel, the dark god of fear, in his boar form like a swineherd uses a stick to direct a pig.
In the Church of Light, priests of Morrow typically take leadership roles and act as a buffer between the clergies of Verath and Saphyra. In older texts, Morrowan priests are addressed by the title of Solario and priestesses have the title of Solaria. Some traditionalists still use those titles, but most modern clergy use the gender neutral title of Solar. Morrowans preside over baptismal baby-naming ceremonies, groundbreaking ceremonies for new construction projects, housewarming blessings for new homes, grand opening blessings for new businesses, and launch blessings for new ships.
Verath
Keywords: Truth, Law, Fire, Stone, Walls, Armor, Stoic, Merciless, Judgement, Red & Silver
Verath is the god of truth. He is the Lawgiver that eliminates chaos and uncertainty. He is the Light of Truth that pierces the veil of deception. He is the fire of civilization that keeps the wilderness at bay and burns away the shadow of lies. He mercilessly enforces oaths and punishes lies because "Every lie murders a part of the world." Orders of knights dedicated to him are the classic joyless buzzkill paladins with timber-reinforced colons. His clerics are stern authority figures and "fire & brimstone" preachers who keep their congregation on the strait and narrow.
In small communities, his clergy often work as smiths, masons, or carpenters to serve their community's defense by building walls, fences, and other fortifications. In larger towns and cities, they serve as bureaucrats and judges. In most places, priests of Verath act like detectives and inquisitors who hunt down evil magic users who use magic for deception and mind control. In the nation of Aquilan where the Temple of Verath staged a coup d'état and banned the worship of other gods, the Verathic inquisitors are a tyrannical not-so-secret police force.
Verath is Lawful Neutral and his clerics are all dedicated to Light and Law. Most Verathic priests are Lawful Neutral, placing Law above other concerns, but they run the full gamut of good and evil. The evil priests are held in check by the rest of the Church, except in Aquilan where they are a powerful faction of the Temple of Verath state religion. Priests of Verath wear gauntlets to represent their vow of chastity and refrain from touching other people unnecessarily. Higher ranking priests wear masks depicting a mouthless face to represent their vow to speak no lies and a vow of humility to seek no personal glory or fame that would embellish their own name.
Verath is associated with Ruz, the small red sun. His priests pray for their spells at midday with arms upraised and faces turned toward Ruz to represent facing the burning eye of Verath. The halos of Verathic priests take the form of a diamond shaped ring of stone that hovers behind the head. As the priest grows in favor and gains access to more powerful spells, the stone halo cracks and glows. Eventually, the halo of the most powerful priests becomes a roiling diamond of lava. Verath's holy symbol is a burning eye inside a diamond, sometimes with a crown over the eye.
Artists show Verath as a giant spear-wielding armored cyclops towering over a mass of mortals or battling Cnaw in his Devourer Worm form, representing chaos, or battling Fel, representing the dangerous beasts of the wilderness. He wears a crown of fire and his huge red eye dominates an otherwise featureless face. Depictions of Verath opposing Vael, the dark goddess of illusion and lies, are conspicuously missing from his many battle scenes.
In the Church of Light, priests of Verath are addressed by the title of Monitor. They preside over coming-of-age ceremonies and administer oaths of office. They also act as official witnesses to notarize documents, mediate contract negotiations, and maintain accurate church records.
Saphyra
Keywords: Love, Healing, Sleep, Mending, Union, Grief, Tears, Water, Blue & Copper
Saphyra is considered by many to be the goddess of love and healing, but she is really more of a deity of union. She is the patron of the sexual love that is a union of the flesh, the romantic love that makes two hearts beat as one, and the familial love that binds clans and communities together. She is the lady of grief, which is the love that reaches for something that is gone. She is a healer because she is the mender of broken things.
Saphyra is Lawful Good, as are most of her clergy. Unlike Verath who allows cruelty to advance order and Morrow who allows vain, selfish hope, it is unheard of for a Saphyran to not be good, because it's difficult to care about others in a selfish way.
Saphyra is associated with Las, the small blue sun. Her priests pray for their spells and a restorative rest as Las sets. Her clergy are known collectively as the Sisterhood and her priestesses are called Sisters or Mothers, depending on rank. Although a minority, there are male priests among them who are called Brothers or Uncles. The clergy wear blue scapulars and a hood or veil in the same color. Many of Saphyra's clergy also paint or tattoo vertical stripes on their cheeks under each eye in honor of Saphyra's tears. The halos of Saphyran priests take the form of a triquetra, her holy symbol, that hovers behind the priest's head.
Saphyra is depicted in art as a beautiful woman with a serene smile and a stream of tears flowing from each eye. She wears a blue hooded cloak or a blue dress and veil. She is often depicted with multiple arms. She usually has four hands but, in areas with a significant silking population, she is shown with 6. In her hands she holds a needle and thread, a rope or chain, a cloth bandage, and a hammer.
In the Church of Light, priests of Saphyra preside over weddings, initiations for new converts, adoptions, and funerals. The last is the primary cause for one of her epithets being the Lady of Grief. Among the Sisterhood, there are many clerical orders organized around a particular task. The Sisters Hospitaler operate clinics. The Sisters Academic run schools and libraries. The Sisters Custodial operate orphanages and soup kitchens and maintain church properties. The Sisters Militant are battle chaplains, who attach themselves to military units. The Sisters Granger (or Green Sisters) serve rural villages by providing veterinarian care for livestock, blessing crops, and (without admitting it) acting as ersatz druids to keep the peasants from relapsing into agrarian paganism.
There are knightly orders, often with unusually gratuitous names, that provide security for the Sisterhood's various orders. For example, the Sisters Hospitaler are protected by the Knights of the Order of the Bloody Binding, nicknamed the Bandagers for the red strips of cloth they wear around their upper arms and thighs. Most of these knightly orders are just warriors who provide security, but a few bear special mention.
The Knights of the Post work independently of any particular order of sisters and they operate a postal service as a holy Saphyran mission to maintain ties between people separated by distance. For a relatively minor fee, they will deliver a message, letter, or package almost anywhere.
The Esoteric Order of Engineers, nicknamed the Tinker Knights, ostensibly work under the auspices of the Sisters Custodial to repair broken equipment and church buildings. With the advances in clockwork and other mechanical technology, especially the magically animated constructs called brutes, they are just as likely to be found helping a Sister Militant add armor to a warbrute or repairing an old labor brute for a Sister Granger to use as a farm tractor. Many tinker knights are arcane magic users and their order is making great strides in research and development to contribute to the growing enlightenment movement.