Selûne

Selûne
Basic Information
Other Names	Leira
Crystal Sphere	Realmspace
Type	Moon
Size Class	D
Shape Class	Spherical
Type Class	Earth body
Satellite of	Toril
Day Length	30 days
Year Length	30 days
Population Summary	Mostly elves and humans
Orbit Distance	183,000 miles

This article is about the moon Selûne; if you are looking for the deity of the same name see Selûne (deity).

Selûne, also known as Leira, is a moon that orbits the planet Toril in the crystal sphere known as Realmspace. This size D spherical earth body is in turn accompanied by an asteroid cluster known as the Tears of Selûne.

Overview

Selûne, known as Leira by its inhabitants, is Toril’s only natural satellite. The moon is tidally locked with its primary, meaning that it always shows the same face to the planet below, while the other side, known as the "dark side", always faces wildspace. Selûne revolves around Toril once every 30 days, and experiences daylight for 15 days, followed by 15 days of night, known as the sunscape.

The hemisphere of Selûne which faces Toril is shrouded in a powerful illusion, which was placed by the goddess Leira as a gift to the inhabitants of the moon. The illusion, which cannot be dispelled by a mortal spellcaster, floats about 500 feet (152 meters) above the surface of the moon, and makes it appear as if the surface is cratered and barren, and completely uninhabited. The illusion even masks the presence of the moons atmosphere.

Beneath the illusion lie vast sprawling cities, huge lakes and seas, and three majestic mountain ranges which stretch from north to south for miles. The central range is the highest and most foreboding, and the twelve tallest peaks are molten from the combined effect of the sun's radiance and the atmosphere's reflective properties. During the sunscape, Selûne's fifteen days of night, these peaks glow with such brilliance that texts can be read from miles away. Toward the end of the night, the mountaintops cool and no longer glow. During the daylight period of fifteen days, they heat up again and the cycle repeats.

Selûne, surprisingly, has a relatively cool climate, excluding the molten mountain peaks. The ambient temperature rarely exceeds 60°F (16°C) and never drops below freezing. This stable temperature range is attributed to the moon’s illusionary shroud that blankets the hemisphere facing Toril.

The cities that sprawl across Selûne are all connected by highly decorative streets and walkways, which have been carved with hieroglyphic texts as well as images. Despite centuries of traffic, these carvings are still beautiful and legible. In the centre of the "dark side" is located one of the most beautiful buildings on the moon. Known as the Leira Trading Centre, this 300 foot (91 meter) tall structure is the principal spelljamming port on Selûne, and boasts over 50 separate docking bays. This immense building is surrounded by thousands of multi-coloured buildings – single and multifamily lodgings, businesses and theatres.

There are two large seas on Selûne. The Northern Sea, which is twice the size of the Southern Sea, provides the bulk of the fish which are eaten in great quantities by the inhabitants of Selûne. Fishing is strictly regulated and is only allowed during the dusk and dawn periods between Selûne's day and night.

Inhabitants

The inhabitants of Selûne are predominantly of elven and human stock, and are invariably pale skinned due to the effects of the atmosphere which screens out most of the sun's harmful radiation. The humans of Selûne are, on average, six inches shorter than their Torilian counterparts. They all have blonde or light brown hair, and their eyes are typically bright blue or green, with purple and lavender shades considered fairly unusual. None of the inhabitants of the moon have brown, black or any other dark eye color, and even the elves exhibit lighter shades of skin, eyes and hair. The humans and the elves of Selûne live in harmony with each other, and together have made Selûne a beautiful place to live and work.

The people of Selûne are hedonistic and extremely aesthetic, demanding the best in everything. Their only concern when purchasing an item is its relative comfort and beauty. Some consider them extremely frivolous, foolish, and unworthy of serious consideration. This view is compounded by their fanatical devotion to Leira, the lady of the mists and goddess of illusion and untruths.

The Selûnians are also extremely paranoid, and are convinced that an invasion from Toril is inevitable. Any attempt to reassure them that the nations of Toril have little interest, or knowledge of, the lands of Selûne are dismissed as disinformation and lies. The Selûnians have purchased many deadly magic items and weapons, and cached them deep within hidden shelters that have been prepared against the day that Toril mounts a full-scale invasion. All children are taught the techniques of guerrilla warfare from the time they are old enough and strong enough to pull back on a bow. Many believe that the high magistrate, her Highness Phlandra Alabaster is preparing to launch a preemptive attack on Toril. She would rather that the lands of Toril be ripped asunder by the devastation of war, rather than her own.

Trade

Selûne has several ports which cater to spelljamming vessels, all of which are located on the "dark side" of the moon, effectively hiding them from Toril. There are no port facilities on the side that faces Toril; in fact the government of Selûne prefers that ships never approach that side.

The center of spelljamming trade on Selûne is the immense Leira Trading Centre which is located along the equator of the moon, in the center of the "dark side". The Selûnians are not afraid to pay for luxury items, but they know their true values and quite willing to play two merchants against each other to get the best price they can. The Selûnians import great quantities of silk clothing, the more seductive and revealing the better, especially since they have been unable to establish their own silk-producing industry. Fine foods are also very popular – the more delicious and savory the better. They love brightly coloured and ergonomically designed furniture, and are passionate about magic and magic items.

The Selûnians naturally import great quantities of art, including paintings and sculptures, which are all major purchase items for the average citizen. However, their greatest artistic import are the artiste's themselves. Their love for theatre and music is so great that artisans from several other worlds in Realmspace, and even from other crystal spheres, arrive in droves to entertain, paint, sculpt, and to sing and dance their way into Selûnian hearts, and coin purses.

The people on Selûne want nothing personally to do with spelljamming. They think its grand that cultures across the universe have made their world a stop in their trade routes, but they want nothing to do with the discomfort of actually travelling on a ship, the tight quarters, and the hair raising adventures.

Appendix

External Links

• Selûne (moon) article at the Forgotten Realms Wiki, a wiki for the Forgotten Realms campaign setting.