Commodus the Fair, Governor of the Redlands

	Reaching Moon Megacorp's Life of Moonson Commodus the Fair Governor of the Redlands	Age: 34 Career: Government Religion: Deezola Culture: Silver Shadow Disposition: Decadent and lazy.
Return to Home Page Gloranthan Folk Tales Gloranthan Songbook Moonie Madness Life of Moonson Carmanian Sources Malkioni Scriptures	You are a member of the Assiday family, a proud and ambitious clan of Raibanth who are distantly related to Moonson himself. Previously the clan was led by Uncle Euglyptus (the Fat), who was Governor General of all Dragon Pass until he was assassinated by political rivals after Starbrow's Rebellion in Sartar. Then the clan was led by Uncle Tatius (the Bright) who also became Governor General of Dragon Pass, until he was eaten by a Dragon (along with most of his army) while trying to consecrate the Temple of the Reaching Moon in Sartar. This left you, Commodus (the Fair), as the head of the family upon whose shoulders the hopes and dreams of the clan lie. Foremost among those dreams is for the clan to rule one of Moonson's satrapies. Indeed, even now the Doblian satrapy is vacant (following last year's Imperial purge). You must not let them down. You are certain that you will not! For you have learnt the lessons of your predecessors. You will not accept the jinxed position of Governor General of Dragon Pass! Nor will you ever visit Sartar! Also, you will never have to deal with or avoid Fazzur Wideread, the man who replaced Euglyptus, who was himself replaced by Tatius, and who then profited from Tatius' death. You suspect he plotted it all! Recently he became a usurper against the Empire and is now dead at the hands of Lunar assassins! You intend to never leave Glamour, or at least the Lunar Empire proper. You may have been appointed Governor of the Redlands but you have never had to visit that accursed place! You provide an administrative overview from Glamour, where your sense of detachment makes for much more efficient governance. Glamour is where the action is! Glamour is where the great parties are! And Glamour is where your friend Moonson is. Are you not his current favourite? He admires your noble bearing and your good looks, your prodigious appetite for fine food and wine, and your incredible amorous abilities and conquests! He admires your ability to party! You are also a noted poet and you have collected together a number of your best poems which you have privately had published. You have spare copies with you to give away, or even sell.	Background The Nobles of Silver Shadow You were born into a family of the purest Lunar blood, within the mystical Silver Shadow cast by the Red Moon herself. Silver Shadow Sultanate is at the centre of the Lunar Heartlands, and its ruling families are descended from the Imperial House, through consorts and concubines of bygone Masks of Moonson. The land is the throbbing, pulsating heart of Imperial power, glory and decadence. From your earliest youth, you have been observing the potentates of the Court, avoiding - or profiting from - entanglement in their intrigues, equally at home in the grand avenues of Glamour and the luxurious villas beneath the Crater's lofty crags. There is no Sultan of Silver Shadow: this sultanate is ruled by Moonson himself. Queen Deezola You are a devotee of Deezola, "the binder within" and one of the Seven Mothers. She was a ruler of lands on the Arcos river and a priestess of Arachne Solara. Deezola is the main healing goddess of the Empire, the favourite of nobles and poets, and also a mistress of earth magic. She embodies the principle of creation and growth - diverse, cyclical, mysterious and all embracing. She is the binder Within who holds the empire together through the power of maternal love. However, Deezola does not offer unconditional support. Since all Lunar gods reach down half way to their worshippers, so Deezola expects those she helps to be willing to help themselves. Queen Penelori, the satrap of Oraya leads the cult. The Imperial Bureaucracy You have followed a career in the Imperial Bureaucracy. Young men of good family study to pass the exams which will win them appointment to junior secretarial posts. Success brings promotion, at first to roving assignments, then to the Imperial Senate, and finally to a position in the Imperial Household as one of Moonson's trusted confidants. It is in the corridors of power that the fate of the Empire is determined. The Chamberlain of the Imperial Household is Mikos Thiokonos, a devoted servant of Moonson.
	Objectives Personal Become a satrap and bring honour to the whole Assiday clan. Your family have been muttering recently about a marriage of some kind. This is all right as long as it does not impede your social life! Uphold the honour of the Assiday clan against its enemies. Party on! Ensure that you are the life and soul of the party! Carouse! Gossip! Have fun! Be flirtatious! Show off your poetry skills and give away copies of your book! Ensure that you remain Moonson's favourite. Career Remain as Governor of the Redlands, or gain even more politcally important offices. Keep any problems in the Redlands out of the public domain. Your rule is officially peaceful and benevolent - at all times. Make sure that you never have to leave Glamour! Religious Moonson has delegated to you the decision on what sort of year next year will be. You must hear all the arguments and then decide before the final Sacred Time ceremony. Get Great Sister's blessing. Everyone else seems to be seeking this so you think you should too. Your mother always told you to support the Teelo Norri poor houses. You must give at least 5 influence to them, and have this publicly proclaimed (in order to show your civic responsibility and generosity).	Who You Know Personal Acquaintances Beatpot Aelwrin, Commander of the Imperial Bodyguard and cook: this ex-barbarian was once a slave who led a famous revolt. He was converted to the Lunar Way by Jar-eel the Razoress and now worships her like a puppy-dog. He's a fearsome and coarse fellow otherwise - as you found out when you criticised your Mammoth steak in his Moonrock Café a few weeks ago. Barbarians! Didius Copernicus, Director of the Field School of Magic: an ex-favourite of Moonson and fellow party-goer. His magic tricks were once fun and entertaining but now they tire you. He is your main rival for Moonson's favour. Jubba the Hood, Head of the Spoken Word: a loyal servant of the Assiday clan who now works for Moonson. He is happy to help further your ambitions and can be trusted with your life. He has made you an informer for the Spoken Word and you must report to him any sedition you discover. Makkrit-oor, Sultan of Darjiin: a young and rather impressionable fellow. You got him invited to one of Moonson's parties - for which he seemed very grateful. You should ask Jubba about how you might use his friendship for political gain. He now wants to meet Beatpot, and you boasted that you could introduce him. Moonson, the Red Emperor: the current mask Argenteus is known for his love of music, poetry, and a good party. You get on very well with him, though you have yet to try and use this to advance your political career. Orgrol the Fat, King of the Char-un: another of Moonson's regular party-goers. Though all Orgrol ever seems to do is to drink Gin like a fish until he is carried off unconscious by his (rather neglected) concubines. He tells good stories when conscious. Through your Career Ivex Devouring Dog, Tax Collector: this boring old man has been trying to see you recently about "Provincial Tax Assessments" or something. You don't have the faintest idea what he is going on about so you've ignored him. Prince Pardidas, Satrap of Sylila: leader of the hated Errio-unit clan who stole Sylila from the Assiday clan and who have murdered many innocent clan members in various Dart Wars. You must oppose his every move and warn Moonson about him - for the honour of the clan! General Zhaduun Ud-kar, ex-General of the Redlands: recently this officer went and got himself killed. Good riddance, since you had heard that his military reputation was based solely on his brilliant subordinates. This position is now vacant. Through your Religion Queen Penelori, Satrap of Oraya: she is the head of your religion and is somewhat disapproving of your dissolute ways. You need to charm her with your fine poetry.
	Other Knowledge The Seven Year Plan is the mechanism by which the major food and raw material requirements of the Empire are centrally planned and provided for. At the beginning of each seven year period every sultanate and province agrees to quotas of important foodstuffs and other raw materials and goods which they must achieve over a seven year period. A seven year plan has just ended and each of the sultanates and provinces will be audited this a sacred time on their results. Success is usually the route to promotion and Imperial favour, while failure is a sure road to political humiliation. The Court of the Silver Gate is a council of Satraps of the Empire. It meets infrequently, and can have great influence in determining the course of the Empire's destiny. The members of the Court of the Silver Gate are: Gul-Taran, Satrap of First Blessed Haroun al-Rastari, Satrap of Karasal Moonson, Satrap of Silver Shadow Makkrit-Oor, Satrap of Darjiin Rhaffa Khan, Satrap of Kostaddi Var-Eel, Satrap of Oronin Prince Pardidas, Satrap of Sylila Queen Penelori, Satrap of Oraya The Satrap of Doblian will also have a place, when one is appointed. The Moonboats are magical aerial craft, propelled by the moonlight. Within the Empire, they are used for rapid transport of troops and supplies. Their use beyond the Glowline is more limited, as the cyclical phases of the Moon and the untamed forces of Storm can leave them grounded or even damaged. The Silver Quill is a prestigious literary award, worth 10 influence to the winner. No categories are prescribed: past prizes have gone to poetry, fiction, historical and scientific works. It is administered by Fod-Ariam, the Red Sage of Glamour. You have entered the Purple Poetry Book into this competition. Beatpot's Moonrock Café is a chain of fashionable eating houses based upon the culinary genius of Beatpot Aelwrin, the notorious rebel slave turned loyal soldier of the Empire. These establishments are noted for their garish decor (usually celebrating Jar-eel the Razoress) and ostentatious exteriors (complete with a glowing and revolving Red Moon). They have spread from the original restaurant in Dragon Pass (now closed) into the Empire. The flagship restaurant is in Glamour, and often boasts the presence of Beatpot Aelwrin himself in its kitchens. Unfortunately, the restaurants have recently come under attack from some elements of the religious establishment who regard the restaurant's concept and execution as blasphemous and disrespectful to Rufelza. In addition, close supporters of Great Sister have also questioned the culinary and nourishment value of many of the dishes served. The Emperor's Spoken Word functions as an internal security organisation, essentially operating within the political and military spheres of the Lunar Empire. The basic aim of the Spoken Word is to enhance the security of the Emperor. However, within the current organisation, the definition of what must be done to protect the Emperor allows a wide scope which includes internal and external espionage and investigation. The Spoken Word is forbidden to investigate the State Church. Also, there is great rivalry, and some degree of overlap, with the Blue Army (military intelligence) and the Danfive Xaron cult (the religious and social watchdog of the Empire).	Secrets You have never ever visited the Redlands. You never want to go to Sartar. You are a great friend of Moonson. The Assiday clan is very ambitious and wants to rule a satrapy. Special Items Five copies of your Purple Poetry Book. All hand-copied by Danfive Xaron penitents, with wonderful colour illustrations! Goats. These are part of your quota and it would seem that the Redlands is full of them! Slave children. You have one hundred red-haired children and another one hundred black-haired. Now what was your quota again?
	Reaching Moon Megacorp's Life of Moonson was written by Nick Brooke, Chris Gidlow,David Hall and Kevin Jacklin, with Rick Meints and MOB. The lead authors for Commodus were David Hall and Kevin Jacklin. Glorantha, HeroQuest, Hero Wars, and Issaries are trademarks of Issaries, Inc. The contents of this page are copyright by David Hall and Kevin Jacklin, 2001; 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.