> [!infobox|right wikipedia]- > # Iusem (Moon) > ![[Iusem.jpg|cover hsmall]] > ###### General Information > | | | > | ---- | ---- | > | **Also known as** | The Shattered Moon | > | **Satellite Of** | [[Mobius]] | > | **Orbital Period** | 32 days | > | **Primary Inhabitants** | <ul><li>[[Szekeres]]<li>[[Pyber]]</ul> | > # Azhorra-Tha (Deity) > ![[Iusem_Deity.jpg|cover hsmall]] > ###### General Information > | | | > | ---- | ---- | > | **Also known as** | Iusem | > | **Pronouns** | they/them | > | **Type** | Lunar deity | > | **Venerated By** | [[Szekeres]] | > | **Symbols** | <ul><li>Squid<li>Toad</ul> | > | **Domains** | <ul><li>Arcana<li>Knowledge<li>Apocalypse</ul> | Iusem (ee-YOU-sum) is the third largest moon of [[Mobius]] and the namesake of its third month, Iusemal. Iusem is also the name of the original lunar deity represented by the moon, who was replaced by Azhorra-Tha (at-ZORE-uh-thuh) > [!Table of Contents]+ > 1. [[#Moon]] > 2. [[#Deity]] > 3. [[#Worldbuilding References]] # Moon Iusem was formerly a lush and verdant moon with a climate, flora, and fauna that was quite similar to the surface of [[Mobius]]. For that reason, it became a favored destination for many Mobians to emigrate to during The Undoing. Then, 350 years ago, a [[Szekeres]] ship traveling through hyperspace miscalculated its course and inadvertently slammed into Iusem. This cataclysmic event, known as "The Shattering," devastated Isuem, killing tens of thousands of people and breaking off massive chunks of the moon and violently altering its climate. Some of the fragments rained down onto [[Mobius]], causing devastating impacts and wildfires. The remaining fragments eventually settled back into orbit around Iusem, forming a cloud of debris that will eventually, over the next several thousand years, smooth out into rings. Scientists also believe that the crash damaged hyperspace, preventing faster-than-light travel in the vicinity of the [[Mobius System]]. The Shattering drastically altered living conditions on the surface of Iusem, forcing most of the Mobians who survived the initial impact to evacuate. Iusem now has only a thin (but still breathable) atmosphere, but is otherwise largely rocky and desolate. Surprisingly, a number of [[Szekeres]] survived the impact, and took up residence on the broken moon. For centuries the [[Szekeres]] on Iusem were outcasts, shunned and hated by Mobians for causing The Shattering. Then, 50 years ago, a ship carrying a group of [[Pyber]] scientists arrived to investigate the damage to hyperspace in the vicinity of the [[Mobius System]]. The ship had taken 300 years to arrive from the [[Pyber]] home world, with the scientists entering hibernation for the journey. They were resolved to remain until they had solved the problem--which as of present day they still have not done. But now a growing population of [[Pyber]] live on Iusem with the [[Szekeres]] and a small smattering of other peoples who are remnants from before The Shattering. The [[Pyber]] have successfully brokered a tentative peace between the Mobians and the [[Szekeres]], which allowed some [[Szekeres]] to leave Iusem and freely migrate to other parts of the system for the first time. # Deity Prior to The Shattering, Iusem was worshipped within a number of Mobian cultures as a Lunar deity of life and nature. After The Shattering, the original religion of Iusem went almost entirely extinct, and was replaced by the [[Szekeres]] deity, Azhorra-Tha. Some say that Azhorra-Tha *is* the original Iusem, twisted and corrupted by the The Shattering. Others say that Azhorra-Tha is an invading [[Szekeres]] deity, and The Shattering was an intentional ploy to destroy the original Iusem and replace them. The official position of the followers of Azhorra-Tha is that The Shattering was an accident, and along with its other unfortunate consequences it killed the original deity, Iusem but brought about the arrival of Azhorra-Tha. Azhorra-Tha's true appearance is impossible to comprehend by the mortal mind. This being said, it has been described as a bizarre hybrid with insect-, toad- and squid-like features whose physical manifestation is in a constant state of flux. Their followers teach that Azhorra-Tha was one of many Great Ones who ruled over the [[Szekeres]] home world, who were displaced when an uprising of invading deities known as the Ori (OAR-eye) took over and chased them out. Azhorra-Tha is said to have been fleeing the Ori when the ship that caused The Shattering crashed into Iusem. Azhorra-Tha is said to have sacrificed its original form to protect the few [[Szekeres]] that survived the crash, merging with the now-shattered moon in a twisted and incomprehensible form. # Worldbuilding References **Iusem (moon):** [Shattered Moon (Star Wars)](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Shattered_Moon) **Iusem (deity):** [Azhorra-Tha (eldritch deity)](https://monster.fandom.com/wiki/Azhorra-Tha)