Chapter Text
The Lunatics (excerpt from “Introduction to Server Religions”, 5th edition from Yuton Independent Press, Chapter 5: Silvertongue)
An odd but major cult of Silvertongue worshippers, the Lunatics - known often simply as “Lunies” - are an unorganized group of young adults who have dedicated themselves to traditional Silver teachings of embracing chaos and challenging the status quo and authority.
With most their most early recognized presence cited around 1050 Modern, the religious group is not organized into any hierarchy, and are often more resembling a loose net of individual worshippers than they are an organized religion, but remain a major religious presence due to sheer numbers and the steadfast loyalty between members.
A very politically active group, many Lunies identify themselves as revolutionaries or anarchists, and because of this have gained a reputation of being disturbers of the peace and criminals. In truth, most Lunies live average lives, and while having a general disregard for laws, they tend to focus more on nonviolent crimes such as petty theft, vandalism, public intoxication and drug possession if they commit any crimes at all.
Silvertongue devotees rarely remain solely devoted to the god for their entire lives - many Lunies take part in their religious practices in their youth and then move away from religion as a whole or move towards spirit worship instead as they grow older, but maintain their membership in the religion and at least some worship for the god. As the god of chaos, it’s understood that things change and leaving is not seen as a loss of faith, rather as an acceptance of how the winds have shifted. As long as they periodically support their brethren, they are still accepted as part of the cult - loyalty is highly valued over nearly everything else.
The religious group contributes significantly to modern pop culture - most famously are the children’s show Lunie Toons, using animals and references from old stories of the gods to entertain and teach. However, the group also has a major involvement in nearly every artistic industry, from music to fashion to website design and even weapons manufacturing.
This may stem from the fact that Lunie groups teach their new initiates new skills in the arts to express themselves, such as involving them in performing hymns and encouraging them to create their own to add to their prayer book. One of the first things a Lunie does when joining the religion is to take old beloved clothes and foraged clothes from dumpsters or thrift shops, and to tear them to shreds. Once they have done that, they then must sew the pieces into a garment, which becomes their first prayer clothes. The practice was supposedly inspired by the god’s rebirth in the creation story of Creepers (see page 58), and is a test to see if initiates can handle the thought of change and chaos and turmoil. As such, it’s easy to see how these initiations lend themselves to developing skills in music and fashion.
The unofficial motto of Lunies is that life is uncertain and tomorrow is never guaranteed, so one must live their lives to the absolute fullest until they find themselves at the crossroads of Limbo. As such, worship is sporadic but frequent, often involving singing, dancing, the consumption of drugs and/or alcohol, nudity, and for many adult initiates there are frequently events dedicated to group sex as worship. Younger Lunies are encouraged to get out of their comfort zones and to explore their beliefs, and are taught safe sex ed and how to imbibe responsibly for whenever they decide to explore their options.
It should be noted, however, that Lunies do not tolerate involvement of youth in adult activities. Justice remains inside of the communities with a taboo in involving outsiders, and breaking one of the few existing rules results in swift and brutal punishment, often involving the removal of limbs. Although Lunies do not regard children with the same care as Crow devotees, they nonetheless do not tolerate child abuse - one of their few differences from their patron, who has been noted on many occasions to have stolen children away or played deadly pranks on children. Lunies tend to insist that these are anti-Silver propaganda, if they acknowledge them at all, with only some scholars admitting that while those stories may have merit, they should not prevent Lunies from preventing harm towards children.
Similar to most Silvertongue devotees, they identify their devotion to their patron with a silver triangular pendant, with one point facing downward.