Trading the affection of the king of Caohme for the prince of the Moony...

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# The Moony

### *The Wandering Children of Gwyn ap Nudd*

> *"If you hear laughter in the trees, answer politely. If you hear purring beside your campfire, leave them a bowl of cream. If you wake to discover your boots missing... congratulations. A Moony liked you enough to play."*

>

> —Old Caohmean proverb

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## Origins

Among the faithful of Caohme, it is said that when the Horned God still walked the forests, he often hunted beside **Gwyn ap Nudd**, the ancient fae king of the Wild Hunt and keeper of wandering souls.

Where the Horned God represented civilization living in harmony with the wilderness, Gwyn belonged entirely to the untamed world—the moonlit woods, forgotten roads, ruined shrines, and the places maps refused to remember.

Legends claim Gwyn's children were never meant to rule kingdoms.

They were meant to keep the world from becoming too orderly.

Thus came the **Moony**.

Whether they truly descend from Gwyn ap Nudd or merely adopted him as their first king has never been proven.

The Moony themselves simply smile.

"Does it matter?" they ask.

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# Appearance

At first glance, a Moony resembles an unusually tall elf.

At second glance...

Absolutely not.

Moony are lithe, long-limbed humanoids standing anywhere from six to nearly eight feet tall, with deceptively lean builds hiding astonishing strength.

Their bodies are covered in soft fur across their forearms, lower legs, shoulders, and backs, while their faces remain mostly bare save for faint patches along their cheeks.

Their features include:

* Slitted cat-like eyes that glow softly in darkness.

* Long tails used for balance and expression.

* Elven ears that swivel, flatten, twitch and rotate like a feline's.

* Sharp retractable claws.

* Prominent canine fangs.

* Thick expressive eyebrows and whisker-like sensory hairs around the cheeks.

Hair colors range from silver, black, russet, cream, brown, and unusual moonlit blues or moss greens.

Their eyes may be gold, emerald, blue, silver, amber, or pale lavender.

Unlike ordinary cats, every Moony's pupils become perfectly round beneath moonlight.

Many consider this a blessing from Gwyn.

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# Clothing

Moony dislike restrictive clothing.

They prefer:

* oversized cloaks

* scarves

* loose trousers

* open jackets

* belts filled with pouches

* practical boots (when they remember to wear them)

Jewelry is uncommon unless gifted.

Even their royalty dress surprisingly simply.

A king may appear in patched trousers beside an emperor covered in diamonds.

No Moony sees anything unusual about this.

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# Lifespan

Average lifespan:

**250–400 years**

Old age is celebrated rather than feared.

Elders are called **Moonkeepers**, believed to remember fragments of Gwyn's original language.

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# Personality

Most Moony share several traits.

Curious.

Playful.

Deeply independent.

Impossible to control.

They possess an almost supernatural hatred of being ordered around.

The quickest way to convince a Moony not to do something is to command them.

Ironically...

If politely asked, they frequently help without hesitation.

They value sincerity above manners.

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# Society

Moony have no permanent cities.

No castles.

No villages.

Their people wander constantly.

Entire families may disappear across continents before returning generations later as though they had merely taken a weekend stroll.

Temporary camps spring up overnight beneath forests, cliffs, abandoned ruins, or flower fields.

By sunrise...

Many have already moved on.

Despite this wandering nature, Moony somehow know where one another are.

Nobody understands how.

Even they struggle to explain it.

"We simply... feel where home is today."

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# The Silent Court

The Moony possess kings and queens.

No one knows how succession works.

Not even historians.

Court is astonishingly rare.

Sometimes centuries pass without one.

Then...

Every Moony simply knows.

Regardless of where they are in the world.

The call cannot be heard by humans.

It cannot be detected by magic.

Yet Moony from every continent begin quietly walking toward the same hidden location.

No invitations.

No messengers.

No explanation.

When court concludes...

Everyone leaves.

No records are kept.

Even those who attended refuse to discuss what happened.

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# Language

Moony speak one of the oldest known languages.

Known as **Hen Iaith y Lleuad**—*"The Old Tongue of the Moon."*

It predates most modern civilizations.

Their spoken language is melodic and filled with rolling consonants and birdlike whistles.

Alongside words, Moony naturally communicate through sounds including:

* chirps

* trills

* purrs

* chuffs

* hisses

* growls

* yowls

* clicking teeth

* ear movements

* tail movements

To outsiders this appears adorable.

It is not.

Entire political debates have been held through ear flicks and tail positions.

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# Relationship with Authority

Moony recognize only three authorities.

The Moon.

The Wild.

Their own monarch.

Everyone else receives basic courtesy...

At best.

Human kings frequently discover that titles mean absolutely nothing to them.

Many famous stories tell of Moony:

* stealing lunches from tyrants

* sleeping atop royal thrones

* interrupting executions

* freeing prisoners

* ignoring border checkpoints entirely

Selfish nobles despise them.

Common folk adore them.

Park keepers dread them.

Royal guards have collectively accepted that chasing a laughing Moony through palace gardens is a pointless waste of energy.

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# Combat

Moony avoid violence whenever possible.

They would rather laugh than fight.

Steal than kill.

Embarrass than injure.

But...

If forced into battle...

They become terrifying.

Their movements resemble hunting cats rather than swordsmen.

They climb walls.

Leap impossible distances.

Strike from trees.

Disappear into darkness.

Against another Moony, fights rarely become lethal.

Against outsiders...

Survival is considered fortunate.

Entire companies of soldiers have retreated after realizing they were fighting something that refused to stay on the ground.

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# Courtship

Romance among the Moony is wonderfully strange.

They do not flirt through poetry.

Or jewels.

Or grand declarations.

Instead they slowly begin behaving as though the other person already belongs in their life.

Signs include:

* stealing food only to return better food later

* quietly appearing beside someone during naps

* grooming tangled hair or fur

* leaving feathers, flowers, shiny stones or unusual mushrooms as gifts

* slow blinking

* resting tails together

* purring while sitting nearby

* sharing scarves or cloaks in cold weather

Among Moony...

Being trusted enough to touch someone's ears is considered deeply intimate.

Allowing another to scratch behind them is practically a marriage proposal.

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# Mating Bond

Moony possess an instinct called the **Moonbond**.

Unlike magical soulmates, the bond cannot be forced.

Instead it develops through years of companionship.

When complete:

* their scents become comforting

* they instinctively know if the other is distressed

* sleeping becomes easier beside one another

* they unconsciously synchronize footsteps while walking

Some never experience it.

Others experience it more than once after losing a partner.

Moony believe love should never become a prison.

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# Family

Children belong to the entire traveling caravan.

Every adult becomes an aunt, uncle, or elder.

Parents are respected...

But ownership over children is considered bizarre.

Young Moony often wander frighteningly far from camp.

Nobody panics.

"They'll come back."

They always do.

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# Beliefs

Moony do not worship temples.

Nor priests.

They believe every living forest is already a cathedral.

The moon is Gwyn's lantern.

The stars are campfires lit by ancestors.

Every traveler deserves warmth.

Every tyrant deserves inconvenience.

Every lonely person deserves company.

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# Relationships with Caohme

The Kingdom of Caohme has an unusual friendship with the Moony.

Farmers happily welcome them for meals.

Children eagerly await their stories.

The clergy of the Horned God consider them distant cousins beneath the deity's protection.

The nobility...

Less so.

The Moony have an unfortunate habit of exposing corruption.

Missing tax ledgers.

Freed prisoners.

Embarrassing secrets loudly announced in crowded markets.

No one ever proves a Moony was responsible.

But everyone suspects.

Even King Prospero, despite finding them utterly exhausting, has quietly forbidden anyone from persecuting them without cause.

As he once dryly remarked to his council:

*"If a Moony has singled you out, perhaps first ask yourself what you've done to deserve it."*

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# Common Moony Sayings

> "Roads are only suggestions."

> "The moon remembers every face."

> "You cannot own the wind, so why try owning people?"

> "A king who cannot laugh is already dying."

> "Home is wherever someone saves you a place beside the fire."

> "Leave the world a little stranger than you found it."

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## Trivia

* Moony instinctively curl up in sunny windows regardless of where they are.

* They are incapable of resisting cardboard boxes, baskets, or warm piles of blankets.

* They collect names the way others collect coins. A single Moony may answer to a dozen affectionate nicknames.

* They often "adopt" lonely travelers without asking permission, appearing beside them night after night until the traveler realizes they have gained an entire wandering family.

* They have an uncanny ability to find hidden paths, forgotten ruins, enchanted groves, and places where the veil between worlds grows thin.

* While they dislike wealth, they love beautiful craftsmanship. A simple hand-carved wooden flute may be treasured far more than a chest of gold.

* It is considered extremely rude to wake a sleeping Moony unless someone is in genuine danger. Doing so often earns an offended hiss, an indignant yowl, or several hours of dramatic sulking.

* Despite their playful reputation, every Moony pauses in silence when they encounter an abandoned grave or forgotten shrine, be

lieving no soul should ever be left without remembrance.

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