Lunar Bodies

The two natural satellites of The Golden World are Mond and Lune. Mond has 1/3 the diameter of the world, while Lune is 1/8th the world's diameter. Mond is the brightest object in the sky after the Sun, followed by Lune and then the Lysende.

Mond's surface appears to be mostly composed of fluorite, a colorful mineral that generally gives it a purple sheen. Lune's surface is iron-rich, giving it the same reflective properties as coal.

During the Scientific Overcast, famous philosophers Isaffsten, Eaminu, and Naiton discovered volcanic activity on Lune's Nai face. Because it is not in synchronous orbit with the world, as Mond is, the effects of said activity are not well understood. However, Rentror and his followers have long associated periods when Lune's darker Nai face appears with great disaster, such as The Peril of Drune, and periods favored with Lune's lighter Ina face with hope and prosperity. Mond's surface, while considered by many to be far more beautiful, is less portentous.

Names and Etymology
The names Mond and Lune are said to come from the now-extinct Amburami language of Almba, a specialized dialect believed to be used only by Sharkir, meant to signify the avatar of the fertility god Mondai. Recent research suggests that the Sharkir believed the frequent fluorescent light emissions from Mond's surface were coded messages from the deity that, if correctly interpreted, could provide the key to combating the ambivalence of the storm god Lunde, whose periods of malice and benevolence could be charted in Lune's rotation.

The earliest appearance of Mond as a word for the greater satellite is in a manuscript of Dandalus' sayings, as translated by Holt Vanderson: "Look deeply at great Mond and see a thousand thoughts reflected." Lune appears later in the same manuscript: "As Lune is foil to the greater light, so let your passions be ruled by reason."