Jubba the Hood, Head of the Emperor's Spoken Word

	Reaching Moon Megacorp's Life of Moonson Jubba the Hood Head of the Emperor's Spoken Word	Age: 64 Career: Government Religion: Red Emperor Culture: Silver Shadow Disposition: Scheming, vengeful
Return to Home Page Gloranthan Folk Tales Gloranthan Songbook Moonie Madness Life of Moonson Carmanian Sources Malkioni Scriptures	You were born the son of a common pig farmer upon the estates of the late Tatius the Bright ("the best General the Empire ever had") in the Silver Shadow Sultanate. Tatius, later Governor General of Dragon Pass, saw your abilities early on in your life and raised you from your father's profession to serve him. You feel deeply indebted to him and to his family, the noble house of Assiday. In the early 1620's as part of Tatius' team, you were made chief spymaster in the occupied Sartar capital of Boldhome at a time of civil unrest, and acquitted yourself so well that you came to the notice of the Emperor himself. You were summoned to Glamour to conduct an investigation just weeks before Tatius was killed, thus avoiding his fate. Rising quickly in the Emperor's service, you are now the head of the Emperor's Spoken Word, a secret organisation dedicated to the security of the Emperor, whether from external or internal threats. You must remain eternally vigilant in his service, seeking out the Finger of Sedition wherever it points. Currently, you are mostly concerned with the spread of the fanatical White Moon cult (see below) and with persistent rumours of assassination plots against Moonson. On a personal note you seek to consolidate your political position in Glamour through the marriage of your daughter into an important noble house. This should ideally be the Assiday clan, and since Commodus is unmarried it would be a perfect match. Unfortunately, you must first of all ensure that she is released from her commission in the Officer Corps. To do this you will need to approach her Army Commander, General Thanuk the of Thunder Delta. One cloud on the horizon concerns the Blue Army's inquiries into the destruction of the Temple of the Reaching Moon in Sartar and the death of Tatius the Bright back in 1625. Your involvement was minor, however you might be criticised for not ensuring that enough stonemasons were sent to build the temple the year before (Tatius himself criticised you at the time during a meeting with his commanders). You sometimes wonder yourself if this might have caused your patron's death. You would dearly like to discover if you were at fault, or whether it can be proven or insinuated that someone else was.	Background Silver Shadow Sultanate You were born 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. The Cult of the Red Emperor You are a devotee of the Red Emperor, Father of the Empire. The cult worships the Red Emperor as the perfect embodiment of the Lunar Citizen. It does so by enforcing his Justice, supervising the actions of all other governing institutions in the Empire, and providing structures for all citizens to aspire to and achieve the highest rank. As such, it determines the basic social structure of the Empire, overlying the Empire's disparate cultures. The Red Emperor leads his cult personally. The Imperial Government You have followed a career in the Imperial Governmental 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 Increase your political rank by gaining additional offices and promotion. Aid the ambitions of the house of Assiday. Gain vengeance on the enemies of the house. Past deeds and debts mean that this objective always overrides your own personal ambitions. Secure the release of your daughter from her commission in the Officer Corps and allow her to marry. Commodus the Fair would be a fine and politic match. Career Protect and serve the Red Emperor. Use Julan as your front man and try and remain the secret head of the Spoken Word Enter into, and prove, as many investigations as possible. Only in this way can the Finger of Sedition be uncovered. Increase the profile of the Spoken Word as compared with the other agencies. Pick up any investigations that other agencies drop or refuse to take and prove the Spoken Word to be the most efficient. Recruit loyal supporters of Moonson into the Word as special agents. Religious Ensure that at the Sacred Time ritual Moonson declares that the following year will be a Full (Red) Moon year. Rise in the cult of the Red Emperor by becoming a Satrap or the Speaker of the Senate. Seek out supporters of the seditious White Moon cult and either neutralise them or turn them into Spoken Word agents.	Who You Know Personal Acquaintances Artaphaestos, Ambassador to Arrolia: you are fascinated with the idea of a great Lunar Empire in the West. Therefore you have helped this young adventurer in his attempts to get Imperial backing. Mikos does not approve of him. Commodus the Fair: Governor of the Redlands (not that he's ever been there) and scion of the Assiday family. The family has great hopes for this handsome and charming young man. They wish to see him a satrap, as his uncles Tatius the Bright and Eugylptus the Fat should have been. Mikos Thiokonos, Imperial Chamberlain: he is your day-to-day boss while Moonson is involved in more important tasks and duties. He is perhaps too overprotective of Moonson - at least where you are concerned. Your attempts to dig up dirt about him have so far failed, except that he has an obvious and notable affection for Count Julan (of which Julan seems unaware). However, your agents do report having mysteriously lost him on a few occasions when he visited the tenements of Glamour. Through your Career Count Julan, Captain of the Household Foot: a dashing and brave officer. He is your right-hand Spoken Word instigator. Honourable and truthful, he is thus capable of being manipulated by you, but not by those he investigates. Fyodr Volkovos, General of the Blue Army: in fact he is head of Military Intelligence, a rival agency in the gathering of information on internal and external enemies. Grand Master Orsorkhon, General of the Black Army: he leads the Danfive Xaron cult from the bleak Xaronea prison in Glamour. This cult is an arch-rival in seeking out internal sedition and dissent. So far they have been more successful, or better self-publicists. Ivex Devouring Dog, Imperial Tax Collector: the head of the Imperial Revenue. A close friend of Mikos. Lergius Cassius, General of the Provincial Army: a capable and dutiful officer, who you have known for many years. He served with you in Boldhome when Tatius was in charge. He would be a good recruit to the Spoken Word. The Red Dancer of Power, Chief Missionary of the Lunar Way: This ambitious demideity heads the cult of Etyries, goddess of trade. She also controls the Provincial Church of the Seven Mothers and oversees the Seven Year Plan, Imperial Monopolies and Economic Cycles. 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.
	Other Knowledge 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). 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 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 East Isles Bubble is the name given to a failed commercial and trading venture which was to be launched from the frontier port of Corflu. The East Isles company was set up to manage the venture and collected investments from Lunar citizens, promising them large returns. Unfortunately, the venture collapsed and Lunar trading vessels never left Corflu for the East Isles. None of the investors money has ever been recovered or the perpetrator's behind the scam arrested. The Red Dancer of Power was a major supporter of the venture, though her losses were minor. The Icebreakers are enchanted vessels which carry the Kalikos Icebreaker missions across the White Sea to face the ice demons of Valind's Glacier and keep the Lunar Heartlands fertile and free of bad weather. 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 · Raffha Khan, Satrap of Kostaddi · Var-Eel, Satrap of Oronin · Prince Pardidas, Satrap of Sylila · Queen Penelori, Satrap of Oraya The Satrap of Doblian will have a place on the council, when one is appointed. 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. The Cult of Danfive Xaron runs Penitentiaries (prisons and labour-camps) offering criminals sanctuary and the hope of rehabilitation. The cult's strict and inflexible code of conduct also attracts many who seek greater meaning from life. The cult is also the Empire's secret internal police force, and the Black Army, maintaining a network of informers among its former Penitents to watch out for potentially disruptive activities. Elite agents stand ready to take action to ensure that the everyday life of the Empire proceeds in an orderly and cyclical pattern. Grand Master Orsorkhon is the unquestioned leader of the cult of Danfive Xaron.	Secrets There is a different man behind the Steel Mask of Bellex Maximus, the Imperial Warlord. The Errio-unit clan is an arch-rival of the Assiday family. Jubba is fanatically devoted to Assiday clan and eager to further their ambitions in Sylila. Jubba was in Sartar at the time of the destruction of the Temple of the Reaching Moon and oversaw part of its construction Spoken Word Agents The following characters are your secret agents. Their identities must be kept secret at all times: Acutus, Prefect of the Mother's Guard: he is not a willing agent since you have evidence of his corruption to use as leverage. He is useful in seeking out dirt on others through his own shady dealings. He is also the popular masked gladiator, Hunter. Appius Luxius, Provincial Overseer: he is motivated by his love of Moonson and the Empire. He is also a Danfive Xaron Penitent and you must therefore be careful not to involve him in any inter-agency rivalry. Commodus the Fair, Governor of the Redlands: you recruited him early on in his career, though he has yet to provide any useful information. Count Julan: your main instigator and investigator. Meritus, Examiner of the Moon: since the Spoken Word cannot officially investigate the Lunar religion or religious community, this loyal agent is particularly valuable. You rely on Meritus to sniff out White Moonies and deep-cover Danfive Xaron penitents (not that the latter are dangerous per se).
	The Spoken Word Files Artaphaestos, Ambassador to the Arrolian Colonies: very ambitious Carmanian nobleman whom Moonson is fond of. He wants the Empire to expand westward. His father, the Count of Jhor, recently died mysteriously. "The Batman": a mysterious masked avenger who single-handedly seems to be erasing (without trace) the criminal element in Glamour. He (or even she) has evaded your very best agents' attempts at identification. General "Beat-Pot" Aelwrin, commander of the Imperial Bodyguard: a barbarian who led a rebellion against the Lunars but was converted by Jar-Eel. He is a dangerous man to have leading the Imperial Bodyguard and too much of a security risk. You need to recommend his dismissal. Bellex Maximus, the Imperial Warlord: his face is always hidden by a Steel Mask. Your agents have discovered that the previous incumbent, Fatalius Victor, has been replaced by a brilliant general, Zhaduun Ud-kar, from the Redlands front. This knowledge is top secret. Deneskerva, the Great Sister: totally loyal to Moonson. All of her energies are devoted to the poor and dispossessed of the Empire. Didius Copernicus, Director of the Field School of Magic: most of your agents have taken an instant dislike to this fellow, regarding him as a flashy show-off with little depth of character. Geilbonus the Sycophant, Speaker of the Senate: manages the senate on behalf of Moonson. Had a secret affair with the wife of Hasperat, an Examiner of the Moon, some three years ago. Her child may be his. Haroun al-Rastari, Satrap of Karasal: a popular, well-read, and active satrap. More information is required on his political ambitions. Jar-Eel, Inspiration of Moonson and Hero-Saint of the Empire: totally loyal to Moonson, though romantically promiscuous. Colonel Miriros Conradin: right-hand man to Grand Master Orsorkhon. He should be watched carefully. Murad Iznik, "The Red Admiral": this man commands the Red Army, his moniker being earned through his earlier service in the Red Navy. He was a favourite of the, now deceased, traitor Fazzur Wideread and the disgraced General Sor-Eel. He should be watched for seditious activity. Orgrol the Fat, King of the Char-un: once a notable warrior, he has since gone to seed. Agents report some unrest among his hardy followers. Palamtales, Governor of the Western Reaches: there are rumours of overweening ambition and ruthless scheming, but nothing concrete. By all accounts he is doing a good job in Carmania. Senator Paulis Longvale: scholar, writer, and leading senator. He comes from barbarian stock, but was brought up as a Lunar. Your agents report him to be above reproach, but you are still suspicious. Squire Flint, Thunder Delta Ambassador: no entries. General Sor-Eel the Short: left active service in disgrace after the Cradle incident in Prax. Your agents report there was more to his dismissal that just this incident, but that it was hushed up. File open. Ul-Rika, the Still Voice of Molanni: she is overseeing the Kalikos Icebreaker ritual. She is a long-time consort of Count Julan. However, recently your agents have reported her having secret assignations with the popular gladiator, Hunter (aka Acutus). This is a potential security risk and needs careful handling. You have not told Julan or Acutus anything. Yolanela, the Taloned Countess of Spol: she tried to use Spolite sorcery to seduce Moonson the last time they met. As a result of this she is forbidden to come to Glamour. However, her sons (all half-brothers), Alehandro the Count of Spol (and an army officer) and Brostangian Archmoor (Hierophant of Carmania) will be in attendance.
	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 Jubba 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.