In a shadow known as earth it has been claimed that all men are created equal. That is certainly not the case in the shadow of Ghenesh. There it is a basic reality of life that 10% of the population are born children of the moon, or moonchildren, while 90% are born earthchildren.

Moonchildren are larger with violet or green eyes, silvery hair, and very pale skin. They are physically stronger, tougher, and faster than earthchildren. They mature faster, but have a shorter life expectancy. Earth children are generally smaller, have dark hair, brown eyes, and while fair skinned, are still darker than moonchildren. Moonchildren are also said to be more intelligent than earthchildren, but it may be that they are only better educated.

Moonchildren are sterile among themselves, and can only have children by mating with an earthchild. The resultant offspring are usually moonchildren. The mating of two earthchildren is an earthchild. Stories of a moonchild being born to two earthchildren are told, but are generally greeted with the same skepticism as a virgin birth.

Ghenesh is spread over a series of shadows similar in climate and terrain to Russia or Canada of shadow earth. In many places glaciers are located not distant from Gheneshi cities. Ghenesh is marked by long cold winters and short growing seasons. Most of the land is sparsely settled and is home to considerable wildlife including bison, mammoth, and dire wolves. In addition to the natural wildlife, the restless dead roam the wastes. Not just superstition, both human life and animal life that has been frozen by nature return to life when thawed. No more possessed with the force of life, they are still animate and will kill any that cross their path with a dispassionate hunger.

The society of Ghenesh does not bear a perfect match to any society from shadow earth, although there are elements of feudalism and caste system in the Ghenesh society. In some respects Ghenesh society more closely resembles that of such dimorphic species as lions or buffalo where there are a few large males and numerous smaller females.

Moonchildren are the warriors and in some respects the rulers. Moonchildren are respected and paid deference to by all earthchildren. The overall attitude much resembles that of parents to children. However, the earthchildren are not passive. It is the earthchildren who are the builders, merchants, and farmers. In these matters they make their own decisions about where to build their cities, when and what to plant, and where to trade. They have their own leaders that determine policy and settle disputes. Disputes among earth children rarely become violent, for when they do the Moonchildren usually intervene settling the foolishness.

Moonchildren gather about them a harem composed of earthchildren of the opposite sex. The members of this harem will usually change fairly often with a few members who stay throughout their life. Being part of a harem is considered an honor and approximately half of all earthchildren will belong to a harem at one time or another. Among themselves earthchildren practice marriage within an extended family structure.

The Ghenesh people are grouped into a variety of different nation states that are continually warring among themselves. In actually it is the Moonchildren who fight. Earthchildren don’t fight, and moonchildren put giving harm to an earthchild into the same category that we reserve for child molesters.

The strongest of these nation-states is also named Ghenesh and its dominance is based on its control of the mystic pattern of the Shadow of the Moon. While the Ghenesh of other nation states are allowed to walk the Shadow of the Moon, they must pay homage and tribute to Ghenesh for this privilege, and the numbers of adepts outside Ghenesh is sharply limited.

Ghenesh was for a long time a land of many different warring nation states. This changed when the nation of Ghenesh discovered the power of the Shadow of the Moon. Then followed the golden age of Ghenesh. Using the power of the Shadow of the Moon, the Ghenesh nation expanded conquering the other nations near it and forging an empire. At the same time it began to trade with people from other shadows bring unparalleled prosperity to the people of Ghenesh. This era of prosperity continued as the other nations were subsumed into Ghenesh, giving the people the name that they bear today.

Ghenesh didn’t know how to stop expanding, and it then began to expand into shadows where the people did not bear Ghenesh blood. At first the expansion was nonviolent, but as they continued to expand they met with resistance. Eventually this led to armed conflict. Not being of the Ghenesh culture, the other shadows did not contain their warfare only to the moonchildren. They struck back against the earthchildren as well. A few incidents were smoothed over, but eventually there was a massacre, and then the Ghenesh decided that who dwelled in shadow were barbarians and fit for nothing more than slavery.

Ghenesh then began it’s war to conquer all of shadow. For decades Ghenesh expanded unopposed, until it came into conflict with the Golden Circle of Amber. The war between Ghenesh and Amber was long and bloody. It was finally settled when the Ghenesh in desperation gathered all their remaining forces and attempted to take the city of Amber itself. It may have been successful for the Ghenesh army was vast and well trained, but Benedict almost single handedly held the passes against one third of the army, while the Amber army dealt with the other two thirds. Afterward Amber went to Ghenesh and burned every major Gheneshi city to the ground.

Today Ghenesh is a sad shell of what it once was. The cities have been rebuilt, and nations have been restored, but Ghenesh is no longer the empire it once was. The Gheneshi people dream of the glory of days gone bye, but they live with the reality of today.

The city of Ghenesh is built upon a mountainside, beneath which are immense caverns carved by rivers of ice and water. Deep within the bowels of the earth is an island in a river of ice, and upon this island is carved the Shadow of the Moon. The island looks and feels to be a solid block of ice, but is harder and more unyielding than the toughest steel, the isle can neither be chipped nor melted. This iceberg is transparent and the movement of the river can be seen beneath it, yet it is immobile. If one looks inside it’s icy interior one can see a fine tracery of silver glowing like the moon. The design is as beautiful and as deadly as a finely wrought sword. Yet it is not perfect, there is a darkness upon the design, a shadow that blots out the tracery, the shadow of the moon that waxes and wanes with the phase of the moon.

The flaw on the Shadow of the Moon waxes and wanes with the phase of the moon, but it is not a perfect shadow, but an irregular blot. There is a tradeoff between risk and power gained. The larger the flaw, the easier it is to walk the Shadow, but the initiate captures less of the moon’s glow. Walking the Shadow of the Moon when the moon is near full is much riskier. Then, the flaw is smaller and weaker, and one may inadvertently step upon the moon’s glow. However, there is more power to be gained. Additionally, the section of the design gained during the waxing moon is different from the section gained during the waning moon.

It has become tradition for initiates to walk the design three times. The first time is near the dark of the moon when the flaw is large, but there is still some of the moon’s glow. Most apprentices survive this walk, and are then called initiates, or "touched by the moon". After more years of study, initiates may try to walk the shadow again. This time they walk it twice, once during the waxing moon, and once during the waning moon. The exact day of the initiate’s attempts determine the initiates risk and prestige. It is considered to be brave to walk the design near when it is more than half full, but an act of suicide to walk the Shadow of the moon within a day or two of being full. Those who survive both crossings are called adept or "blessed by the moon".

In game terms all adepts have the same powers, but those who have more advanced stats and powers likely attempted the Shadow of the Moon when the moon was more full.

Initiate 10 points

Those who survive the first passage and are touched by the moon become sensitive to the presence of mystical energies, and of the natural pathways between one world and the next. Those who survive the moon’s touch are also blessed with longer life. In game terms Initiate grants Magic Intuition and Shadow Walk. Initiates study Ritual Magic and Sorcery in addition to the use of their powers. Mantic Manipulation is known but rarely studied.

Adept 35 points

Those who survive the second and third passage have a more complete tracery of the moon’s glow impressed upon them. They can now breach the barriers that separate worlds and walk among them. They can also bring the moon’s glow to mind filling themselves with it. By itself the moon’s glow can be used as a defense against mystical attack. By looking through the moon’s glow, mystic sight is conferred. Spells can be placed within the shadow, and held for later use. Finally the moon’s glow can be extended outward. Extending the moon’s glow forms a link between the user and the target. While this connection can be used to communicate or extend the moon’s glow to defend, it is most commonly used to initiate psychic combat. In game terms an Adept has Shadow Seek, Power Defense, Power Lens, Spell Rack and Psychic Attack.

Advanced ??? points

A rare few go beyond that, to learn how to make the moon’s glow physically manifest, as a shield against physical attack, or as a weapon to crush opponents.

Initiates have a badly flawed imprint. So flawed in fact that it isn’t safe to summon the design to mind. All it provides is a stronger attunement to mystical forces. Adepts have enough of the moon’s glow to actual use their power, but it is subject to the moon’s shadow, which waxes and wanes with the moon. The moon’s glow is safest to use when the moon of Ghenesh is full. As the moon wanes, the shadow becomes more likely to appear, and the moon’s glow even when present weakens in strength. When the moon of Ghenesh is new, no powers can be used at all, and any spells racked are lost. The shadow of the moon doesn’t manifest suddenly. Instead it slowly creeps up, reducing the power of the glow, and increasing the risk to the wielder. Should the wielder continue and not release the glow, pain, unconsciousness, temporary or permanent loss of power, and death can result. The power of the moon’s glow is always dependent upon the moon of Ghenesh. When travelling away from Ghenesh the power fades in strength, especially in shadows that have no moon, or multiple moons.

Unlike the other broken patterns, it is not normally possible to achieve the center, except during the new moon when there is no power to be tapped. However, it has been observed that when there is a total eclipse of the sun, a shadow moves across the design. When on rare occasions a total eclipse is visible from Ghenesh, this shadow actually reaches the center of the design. At this time an opportunity exists to gain a near perfect impression of the moon’s glow. Due to the short duration of a solar eclipse, careful timing must be used. The adept must be walking the design and nearing the center at the time of the eclipse, then quickly achieve the center. According to legend this ritual was first completed by Chandar the first. Although this may be viewed with some skepticism. Chandar is also credited with discovering the Shadow of the Moon learning how to tap its power, establishing the empire and founding the first dynasty. According to astronomers Chandar could only have preformed this ritual 300 years before he allegedly founded the empire. During recorded history this ritual was attempted twice. Once ending in failure, and once completed successfully by the moonchild Sif. Sif was killed by Benedict during the invasion of Amber by Ghenesh. According to legend successful completion of this ritual grants greatly expanded magical powers and eternal life.

As an interesting note, the time is soon approaching when this ritual may again be preformed. The emperor of Ghenesh has declared that the most adept will be given the opportunity to try, and Ghenesh adepts are now engaged in a mystical olympics designed to select the one candidate.