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The Young Elementals |
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| When the Seven Mothers helped the Red Goddess to re-enter the world, the most ancient elements of Glorantha appeared to support her. These were the four Young Elementals. In them the untainted material of creation was reborn. They are pure sources of elemental Darkness, Water, Earth and Light, gestated in the Second Void and untouched by the compromises of the past. They are the servants of Rufelza, and provide the raw material she uses to heal wounds and prepare the new Lunar Cosmos. | |
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Etyries |
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| The Lunar goddess of communication, exchange and merchants was once a mortal being. She assisted the Red Goddess on her Godquest, and subsequently attained her own divine status through a similar quest. She is called Silvertongue for her eloquence. Her worshippers are merchants, diplomats, heralds and guides; they possess the secret lore which gives the Empire a previously unknown power (the secret is of double entry bookkeeping). The cult directs the Empire's economic cycles, and controls the seven Imperial Monopolies. | |
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Nysalor |
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| Nysalor is an avatar of Rashorana, who has come to this world many times. When humans strive to regain their unity with the cosmic wholeness sincere efforts are rewarded by the touch of the gods back. Nysalor, the Bright God, was created by mortals at the end of the Dawn Age and prepared the way for the birth of the Red Goddess. | |
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Gbaji |
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Gbaji is the evil twin of Nysalor, self-created at the edges of the earth to counteract Rashorana's good news. This dark counterpart to the Bright God cloaked his inner darkness in purest light to deceive the unwary. He took the form of many deities, trying to destroy Nysalor. Gbaji campaigned for 75 years with war, assassination, poison, and curses. When Rashorana had done all which was possible for the future Rufelza, Gbaji succeeded and Nysalor was destroyed. On her quest for godhead, the Red Goddess encountered Nysalor and Gbaji together. Her perception, knowledge and insight enabled her to distinguish between them, liberating the Good God and binding the Deceiver in adamantine chains. |
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The Crimson Bat |
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| Since before Yelm was slain, the bat has been a bearer of death to the Pelorians. On her quest, Rufelza encountered the god of Ultimate Destruction, and overcame it. When she later encountered Death, she conquered it too. After completing her Godquest she returned from the Otherworld astride the Crimson Bat, which is the symbol of both her wrath and her mercy. This Chaotic monstrosity has wreaked devastation on the armies of her foes, both during the mortal life of the Red Goddess and throughout the subsequent history of the Empire. | |
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Moonson |
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The Red Emperor is the mortal incarnation of the masculine part of the Red Goddess, and the secular head of the Lunar Empire. His duty is to spread the word of his mother across Glorantha, and he is responsible to her alone. Every organ of imperial government reports ultimately to Moonson himself. He has been reborn many times, and is in effect immortal. Even though he can still be slain, no natural death can claim him for long. The Red Emperor's dedication and courage naturally brings him into danger, and so he has often been killed while defending or expanding the Empire. But he has always returned. Each reincarnation of Moonson maintains the policies of his predecessor, and so the Empire prospers by being ruled by a single mind. Moonson wears many masks, but his divine essence remains unchanged. All subjects and citizens of the Lunar Empire obey and worship Moonson, but the higher ranks of his cult are the political leaders of the Empire: its tribunes and officials, satraps and senators. |
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Great Sister |
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| Just as Sheng Seleris was the Red Emperor's Solar Shadow, Great Sister is Moonson's Lunar Shadow, one of the Emperor's Others. Immortal, just like her brother, she embodies those parts of the Red Goddess which remained in the mortal world but did not go to constitute the Red Emperor. She owes her allegiance directly to Rufelza, and not to her brother. She benevolently watches over the citizens of the Empire, striving to bring relief to the poor and dispossessed. | |
This is an extract from The Lunar Pantheon, an article by Greg Stafford, Nick Brooke and Sandy Petersen, published in the Rough Guide to Glamour.
Glorantha, HeroQuest, Hero Wars, and Issaries are trademarks of Issaries, Inc. The contents of this page are copyright by Nick Brooke , 1999; any material derived from Greg Stafford's world of Glorantha is also copyright by Greg Stafford. Glorantha is the creation of Greg Stafford, and is used with his permission.
