Reaching Moon Megacorp's Life of Moonson

Icilius Overholy

General Guide for the Lunar Spirit

Gloranthan Folk Tales

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Moonie Madness

• Life of Moonson

Carmanian Sources

Malkioni Scriptures

You were born in Doblian City, daughter of a minor noble of the Yanoriao-ilart clan, once the ruling family of the Doblian. Last year the Sultan, Amun-ilart, was executed for tax evasion in a purge (though you have doubts over his guilt). No one has yet replaced him, and there is no obvious clan heir available.

As a baby of the first year of the Sixth Wane, and the first daughter born to your family in a generation, lavish attention was given to your upbringing. Much to the delight of your parents, you showed a great interest in religious matters, and decided to devote your life to spreading the understanding of the Lunar Way to those less fortunate than you.

What better way to increase that understanding than to recruit potential initiates from heathen clans in the Provinces? As a member of the Cult of the Seven Mothers, or Provincial Church, an organisation devoted to spreading the good news about the Empress in the provinces, you have tirelessly striven for that greater understanding.

Since 7/38 (1609) you have been General Guide for the Lunar Spirit, stationed in the Provincial Capital at Mirin's Cross. You are now nearing the end of your second term as General Guide. Normally, you would have been expected to retire at the end of one seven year term, but the incident at the Temple of the Reaching Moon in Sartar (when a dragon ate Tatius the Bright, your successor, and most of the army) thwarted this. You were asked to stay on and you could not refuse.

You have been in your job for too long now. The Lunar defeats in Esrolia, Heortland, Prax and Sartar, along with the civil wars in Tarsh and Aggar, have frustrated and saddened you. All your hard missionary work seems to have been for nothing. Was it your fault? Or the fault of the generals? Or is the Lunar faith corrupt and stagnant at its very core, such that it cannot change to meet these new circumstances?

Once you were happy and caring, but now you find yourself increasingly sullen and disconcerted. You must somehow heal your wounded spirit.

The difficulties with your clan Doblian are an added complication. You have decided that the only option left is to find a replacement for your current job and seek to become sultan yourself.

Background

The Sultanate of Doblian

You were born in one of the Pelandan city-states of the Oronin Valley. This green and fertile land was once the birth-place of agriculture and civilisation, and has been cultivated and civilised since before Time began. Pelandan culture and religion are the envy of the world, which has had unfortunate results for your people in the past. Your disunited city-states have been ruled by Dara Happa, Spol, and Carmania, before the liberation of the Lunar Way.

The Pelandans enjoy a cultured, gentle and wise reputation, and are admired for their advances in every branch of learning: in warfare, architecture and poetry alike. Many of the loftiest ideals now embraced by the Lunar Empire represent the rebirth in modern times of the ancient virtues of your homeland.

Pelanda is divided by the Oronin River between the Lunar Heartland satrapies of Oronin and Doblian, and the Carmanian counties of Jhor and Spol.

Etyries, God of Trade

You are a devotee of Etyries, Goddess of Trade, Roads, and Merchants. She guided the Red Goddess on her Godquest and was made goddess of all exchanges. She is called Silvertongue for her eloquence. Her worshippers are merchants, diplomats, heralds and guides. She also possesses the secret lore of book-keeping.

Her greatest temple is in Glamour, and nearly every marketplace in Peloria has at least a small shrine dedicated to her.

The Red Dancer of Power, a demideity, leads the cult.

Red Moon Illumination

Illumination is a state of inner enlightenment which it is necessary to attain before one can worship the Red Goddess fully. It was first taught by the Nysalor, who spread the teaching by seemingly contradictory riddles which provided spiritual insights. In the Lunar Empire, Riddlers are honoured and encouraged. An Illuminate sees cult strictures and taboos as veils to be drawn aside to reveal the truth. Even Chaos is seen as what it really is, just part of an all embracing cosmos with which the Illuminate is at one.

A select few illuminated Priests of the Red Goddess are called Examiners. They examine likely candidates for illumination, interpret the Goddess's wishes, and examine the faith of others.

Objectives

Personal

1. Keep the Sultanate of Doblian in the hands of the Yanoriao-ilart clan. This means that you must seek to become the sultan.
   
   
2. Investigate the death of the last sultan of Doblian, Amun-ilart. Were the charges against him trumped up? Does it have anything to do with the assassination of the Mask Ignifer? If he was wrongly condemned then gain vengeance on those behind it.
   
   
3. The destruction of the Temple of the Reaching Moon was a crucial time for the Lunars in Dragon Pass (and yourself). What happened? Is it true that it was badly built? You must seek the truth.

Career

1. Your second term is now ending therefore you must seek a replacement General Guide for the Lunar Spirit. You wish to retire and find another role.
   
   
2. Get funds to increase the missionary work in the Provinces from the annual budget. To extend the work to both Holay and Aggar will cost a total of 40 influence (20 each). Quickly put your claim into the Red Dancer of Power before the budget is set.
   
   
3. Identify likely Red Moon illuminates and show them the light of Red Moon illumination
   
   
4. Provide guidance on the Red Goddess's views on all of the current secular and spiritual issues.

Religious

1. Find out what it is that ails you spiritually. Why have you lost your fervour and direction?
   
   
2. The Crimson Bat is an evil that must be destroyed. It blights the lands that it crosses turning the population against the Lunar Way. Any victories it has won are little more than Pyrrhic.
   
   
3. Help to nominate a new Examiner of the Moon.

Who You Know

Personal Acquaintances

Ignifer, Mask of Moonson (now dead): only a very few people know that Ignifer was a member of the Yanoriao-ilart clan before he was acclaimed a mask of Moonson. You therefore knew him well and visited him when he was recuperating at the Mephos estates after the Siege of Boldhome. You have often wondered if there was something about his assassination that Amun-ilart knew about.

Jubba the Hood, Chief Scribe in the Bureaucracy: you met him when he was a part of Tatius the Bright's entourage. Why was he not killed with his master at the Temple of the Reaching Moon? Was he behind it?

Quinscion the Patient, General of Procurements and Disbursements: you have always closely supervised his work as he sometimes oversteps his authority and annoys the locals. Make sure that he knows you are watching him even in Glamour!

Through your Career

Appius Luxius, Provincial Overseer: as your local boss, you ensure that you keep on Appius' good side. He does not interfere with your work if you do not interfere with his.

Ivex Devouring Dog, Imperial Tax Collector: The justly feared head of the Imperial Revenue Service (and Quinscion's boss).

Lergius Cassius, General of the Provincial Army: you have never formally met the General of Lunar forces in the Provinces. You would like to get the measure of the man.

Phirgia, Queen of Holay: she is very co-operative in your missionary work and needs support in trying to introduce the ways of the Red Goddess into the countryside of Holay (which is still largely pagan). For this sort of campaign you will need to ask the Red Dancer of Power for influence from the annual Presidium budget.

Rascius, King of Aggar: A rude and unco-operative man. His lack of co-operation in your efforts to convert his people is worrying. However, his complaints about Roan-ur seem justified, and if this is the only side of the Lunars his people see then they can't be blamed for being recalcitrant.

General Roan-ur, commander in Aggar: Reports of his brutal and uncontrolled use of Chaos against the Orlanthi rebels in Aggar is worrying. Isn't this the sort of thing that lost us Sartar?

Through your Religion

Meritus, Examiner of the Moon & Jakaleel Witch: he is a very devout fellow examiner who was once completely insane, but lost his gift for some reason.

The Red Dancer of Power, Directress of the Lunar Economy: your ultimate boss in economic and religious affairs. Even though she changes into a different woman each year (and gives birth) she is the same person. But, even so, it is very disconcerting.

Other Knowledge

The Lunar Provinces. There are four major kingdoms making up the Lunar Provinces: Tarsh, Holay, Vanch and Aggar. Each provides valuable resources to the Empire, in terms of taxes, trade and manpower. Additionally, they serve as a buffer against the primitive barbarian cultures further afield. Each province has its own political structure, but always leaning towards the Empire. The Provincial Government's home is at Mirin's Cross.

The Provincial Government. Members of the Provincial Government enjoy the reputation of independent people of action. In times of crisis. there is often no time to wait for the decision of the high command in the Heartland. It must be taken on the spot, and in the heat of the moment. The most successful in the Provincial Lunar Government have learned to temper the demands of the local kingdoms with the wisdom of the Empire to forge a strong alliance of the two.

The Examiners of the Red Moon only number seven individuals. In theory they are not affiliated to any particular religion except that of the Red Goddess and all of her pantheon.

The primary duty of the Examiners is to interpret the thoughts and wishes of the Red Goddess and provide guidance to her worshippers on her attitude and stance on spiritual and secular issues. They are the conduit through which her commandments are made.

Examiners also have an innate ability to sense the core essence of a being: that is to know if they have the potential to be illuminated by the teachings of the Red Goddess - this is a state of illumination higher than that offered by Nysalor. Those who have a high potential are destined for great things in their chosen career path.

Use your Examination card in Challenges to test for high potential illuminates.

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 White Moon is a teaching which has grown up from nowhere in recent years. It holds that it was never the intention of the Red Goddess to create an enduring Empire. The Empire was a means to an end, to confront those states which violently opposed the Lunar Way to allow the liberation of their peoples. Since the days of the First Wane, the Empire has become a self-serving structure, its expansion never matching the speed at which the Lunar Way first spread. The White Moon Cult holds that the Red Moon is not yet perfect. The Empire must wither away. Then, and only then, will the Lunar Way be able to spread throughout Glorantha and the Moon shine White in the Air. From a fringe, harmless teaching, the cult has spread. Its devotees refuse to pay taxes or serve in the militia. They have now taken to attacks on Imperial Monopolies, tax collectors and so forth.

The Crimson Bat is a monstrous Chaotic demon, the Empire's ultimate deterrent. Once unleashed, it devours all who oppose it, a terrifying weapon of atrocity which has greatly aided the peace-making efforts of the Red Army. The Chief Feeder of the Crimson Bat controls this demon, taking orders from the Director of the Field School of the Lunar College of Magic.

You disagree with the above views. The Crimson Bat is an atrocity, no more and no less. Its use only seems to create less peace rather than more. It should be destroyed!

Secrets

• Ignifer, the previous mask of Moonson, was a member of the Yanoriao-ilart clan before he was acclaimed.
  
  
• Icilius is having problems with her religious fervour.
  
  
• Icilius is at the end of her second term as General Guide for the Lunar Spirit.
  
  
• Jubba the Hood & Lergius Cassius were in Sartar when the Temple of the Reaching Moon was destroyed.
  
  

Special Items

• Tambourine of Blissful Salvation: a magical tambourine which creates peace where there is anger, and harmony where there is discord.

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 author for Icilius was Kevin Jacklin.

Glorantha, HeroQuest, Hero Wars, and Issaries are trademarks of Issaries, Inc. The contents of this page are copyright by 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.