The roots of Lilune’s following date back to the earliest history recorded by humanity. Stories circulated among mystics of a dark-haired woman whispering to them at the hazy border between consciousness and slumber. Visions often accompanied these encounters, but those who experienced them were never the same. Fragmented histories speak of men and women claimed by a desperate inspiration, drawing or writing frantically on whatever was at hand. Some of those touched went so far as to open their own veins, anxiously trying to capture their mad fever-dreams. Others tore at their clothes and dashed into the primal wilderness, never to be seen again. They all shared one commonality, however: in their panicked wonder, they scratched, smeared, or screamed of a thereto unknown flower; a black orchid. Human scholars suggest that their peoples’ ancient hieroglyphics can be tenuously traced to one such shaman, although the original, bloody markings have not survived.
With the coming of Dolgrael the Forgemaster, humanity could fully embrace its expansionist spirit. Armed with metal weapons, the wilderness lost some of its danger but none of its wonder. The myth of the black orchid persisted, especially on the frontier. Those who traveled at the far-flung edges of human reach would in turn add a new twist to stories of the mystics of old. The more coherent among them spoke of words coming from the faces of Avendar’s twin moons. The silver face of Lunus filled some with the feverish desire to build, gather tribes, or assemble something greater; the red face of Rhos called for blood, any blood, to sate its relentless lust. As human expansion drew them into contact with the explorers of the elder aelin, a name was finally given to this driving force: Lilune. The name, some felt, could pacify Her furious whims.
The massive destruction of the War of Fire prevent modern historians from fully understanding Lilune’s influence on the conflict. Some have claimed that generals followed Her inspiration in battle against the rampaging srryn, yielding both glorious, unexpected victories and violent, crushing defeats. Others have suggested that it was She who drove the earliest human fire scholars to uncover secrets that no srryn could. There are those, as well, who claim that it was Her mad inspiration which prompted embattled humans to first seek the Titans, and by extension, Jolinn. Although very little evidence supports exists to verify or dispel these notions, Lilune’s witches always believe them with wild-eyed abandon.
With the close of the war, humans resumed their exploration and expansion. Many of Lilune’s following, seeking great mystery, accompanied these missions into the wild. One particularly well-known record claims that a priestess of the moons accompanied Kaagn on the fateful expedition that uncovered the dark underworld of the shuddeni. Less verifiably, popular mythology amongst the Aklaju in Earendam holds that this woman would become the first human Void scholar, and one of the founding members of their dread Conclave. More fanciful accounts name Kaagn himself as one of Lilune’s chosen, and that the Trap of Valandas was architected at Her whim. While the jaws of history remain closed on his motivation, his meteoric ascent and sudden (literal) fall are both consistent with Lilune’s modus operandi.
In the modern era, Lilune’s activities have faded from the limelight. The ancient strongholds of Her faith have vanished with the passing of time, displaced by newer, more broadly accessible religions. Some have poetically named Her waning in the global human consciousness a sign of the fall of the Republic. However, Her most die-hard chosen are unperturbed. The fierce grip of Her charms has led them to name Her the Enchantress, and claim that the moon always returns, as brightly as ever before.