Lunar Essence

It has long been known that the demons and fallen deities of the false religions that preceded the Church are ever-jealous of the exalted position that they once held, and seek ever to bring the Church low that they might reestablish their evil fiefdoms upon our world. However, there is one of their number that seems to be different. It appears only on nights of the full moon, in open fields, and its whispers are said to drive many to madness.

The Lunar Essence, as it is known, appears as a many-limbed shadow with no source on the ground, cast by the bright moonlight. Those who have witnessed the form describe it as vaguely canine, with a halo of writhing arms and no visible head, all sources acknowledge the difficulty of any comprehensive cataloguing of a being that is at once so insubstantial and yet so present.

The Church has catalogued many folk names for the Lunar Essence, including the Penitent Demon, the Hideous Angel, and the Virtuous Watcher. This is due to it seeming to act against its fellow abominations and eldritch horrors, whispering hints of their locations and weaknesses to those who would hunt down and slay them. Church doctrine is silent on why this is so, but many laypeople theorize that the Lunar Essence is indicating some form of remorse for its past transgressions. That said, it will not hesitate to defend itself, and those who have attempted to harm it through use of insubstantiation or voidcasting have been torn to ribbons.

High Inquisitor’s Note:
My opinion on the Lunar Essence differs from some of my more optimistic colleagues. I think that it is using us to hunt its enemies and to grow more powerful, possibly with an eye toward supplanting one of the great evils of our world when it is sufficiently weakened.

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