Count Julan, Captain of the Household Foot

	Reaching Moon Megacorp's Life of Moonson Count Julan Captain of the Household Foot	Age: 46 Career: Military Religion: Yanafal Tarnils Culture: Heartland Disposition: Just, chivalrous, brave, honourable
Return to Home Page Gloranthan Folk Tales Gloranthan Songbook Moonie Madness Life of Moonson Carmanian Sources Malkioni Scriptures	You are Count Julan of the Imperial Bath, commander of the Household Foot, one of the seven Imperial Bodyguard regiments who protect the emperor's person and guard the Citadel of Halfway and the approaches to the Red Moon. You have occupied this position at the heart of the empire for a decade now; before this, you roamed the provinces as leader of the Lunar Coders, a band of special agents formed to carry out sensitive political missions at command of the Provincial Overseer, Appius Luxius. With your reputation for unswerving honesty and loyalty, your leadership of the Coders won you the respect of many chieftains and leaders along the Empire's borders, but few friends in the bureaucracy where you hunted out injustice, maladministration and graft vigorously. Your last mission with the Coders began in 1620, when you were dispatched to distant Pavis to investigate Black Army reports that the governor there, Sor-eel the Short, was involved in corrupt practices. While you did begin to unravel a range of financial and procedural irregularities in Sor-eel's administration, it was the governor himself that prompted a second, perhaps more worrying line of enquiry - the great disparity in the numbers of White Moon dissidents sent from the Heartlands to be settled in the River of Cradles and those that actually arrived. Ironically, this was uncovered by the governor's young nephew Jaxarte, whom Sor-eel had appointed 'Commissioner of the Census' in what you considered a blatant and flagrant act of nepotism. In 1621 you and your fellow Coders participated in the Lunar's failed attempt to stop the fabled Giant Cradle that floated downriver to the sea, and shortly after returned to Mirin's Cross to continue your investigations. It was here that you received the call to lead the Household Foot from Moonson himself, and Princess Anderida, the other senior Coder, was awarded promotion to the Red Moon itself. These were of course great honours, but effectively lead to the disbanding of the Coders and the end of the investigation. Shortly afterward, Sor-eel himself was dismissed from his post, ostensibly for his role in the Cradle debacle, but you've always wondered if there was more to it. Unfortunately, Jaxarte was dismissed along with his uncle and Jaxarte's papers, which might contain evidence about the missing settlers (not to mention incriminating proof of Sor-eel's corruption!) are missing.	Background Foundling Child You were found on the steps of a Foundling Home in Goodshore with a note bearing your name and a large but anonymous benefaction hidden under the blankets. You received a nobleman's education and, perhaps more importantly, a solid grounding in Lunar virtues from the Teelo Norri sisters who reasoned that whoever your parents were, at least one of them was obviously of high rank and privilege, and they might wish to claim their son again one day. Your unusual upbringing has given you many aristocratic virtues, but little of the snobbery or arrogance that sometimes comes with rank. The friendliness you exhibit to decent people of all classes is genuine, though you treat those you consider base or dishonourable with polite, but icy disdain. Nothing was heard from your benefactor again until you reached maturity, when a commission into the Lunar Army was sent to you. The last overt act of your benefactor was to send you an iron scimitar on the day of your induction as Sword of Yanafal Tarnils. That was over 20 years ago. Comrades of Yanafal Tarnils You are a devotee of Yanafal Tarnils, Lunar God of War. Yanafal Tarnils was one of the Seven Mothers, and his cult defines how the perfect Lunar soldier should behave. Most of his worshippers are career officers in the Red Army; the Scimitars of Yanafal are heroes of the Empire. The followers of Yanafal Tarnils are honourable men, known to one another as Comrades of Yanafal; you address each other as 'Comrade General,' 'Comrade Satrap,' etc. You pride yourself on your skill with the scimitar, the sacred weapon of the cult, and are happy to resolve disputes over matters of honour by duelling. The High Priest of the Cult of Yanafal Tarnils is Bellex Maximus, the Imperial Warlord. The Imperial Lunar Army You have followed a career in the Lunar Army. For young men and women of good standing entry to the army is made via the Yanafal Tarnil's Office Corps. After a probationary period officers are assigned junior officer positions in Lunar regiments and to the general staff. They then rise through a hierarchy of positions until they finally gain the Captaincy of a regiment. Patronage plays an important part in an officer's progress. A few lucky Captains may be posted to the Staff College of Polaris, and from there enter the General Staff as Comrade Generals of the Army. The head of the Lunar Army is General Bellex Maximus, the premier warrior and general of the Lunar Way.
	Objectives Personal Who is your mysterious benefactor? And who were your parents? Find the Jaxarte Papers in order to get evidence of Sor-eel's corruption and pursue the investigation of the missing White Moonies - that last failure has always rankled with you. A 12-year engagement is long enough! You would like to finally marry your fiancee Ul-Rika and start a family. You would like to discuss this with her, and set a wedding date sometime this Sacred Time - perhaps officiated by Moonson himself! Always seek to support the Teelo Norri cult and its orphanages. Career Protect the person of the Red Emperor and all of his Imperial family. Serve the Emperor's Spoken Word loyally. You are the secretive Jubba the Hood's "front man". After twelve years as Captain of the Imperial Bodyguard, it might be time to move on to something better: your fiancee Ul-Rika has certainly been needling you of late, and Mikos Thiokonos recently hinted that Moonson himself has spoken of you being destined for bigger things... However, a successful officer must have a patron, and you must find one in the General Staff. Uphold the honour of the Household Foot by ensuring that they win the Regimental Games. You need 10 Influence from the Military Budget to pay the Household Foot. You must get this to the CPS Director before at the beginning of Windsday. Put in your claim to Aelwrin before the Presidium decides on the Budget. Religious Gain the blessing of Great Sister. A short while ago the famous Badge of Arir abruptly stopped functioning (see Secrets below). Find out a way of recharging/restoring its powers -the great sage Fod-Ariam might have some clues. Find out whether the Staff that Sor-eel gave you has any other magical properties.	Who You Know Personal Acquaintances Alehandro, Count of Spol and Captain of the Queen's Regiment: Friends since the days you served together in Pavis, Alehandro is a son of Yolanela the Taloned Countess. An honourable and brave man, he leaves the day-to-day running of his lands to his redoubtable mother while serving the Empire in the troubled southern provinces. Alehandro was on the trail of evidence linking Sor-eel's headquarters and the White Moonie disappearances when both he and you were reassigned. Appius Luxius, the Provincial Overseer: You reported to Appius in the Coder Days, and still look upon him as a sort of father figure. A great person to go to when in need of advice, you've noticed recently that he seems to be troubled about something. Princess Anderida of Raibanth (former Lunar Coder & NPC) : She was the moral voice of the Lunar Coders, and until her promotion to the Red Moon a decade ago, your closest friend. You helped her daughter Johana become the Still Voice of Molanni, and take on her new name Ul-Rika. Jubba the Hood, Head of the Spoken Word: this secretive man loyally protects the Emperor from hitherto unknown threats. His agents are everywhere seeking out sedition. You are a loyal agent yourself and you are his "front man" where it comes to starting official investigations. Nose Ring (former Lunar Coder & NPC): A Xaroni penitent, Nose Ring served you faithfully until the Coders disbanded and is still a government agent. Last you heard he was on a secret mission somewhere 'up north'. Maculus (former Lunar Coder & NPC): Maculus retired to a small villa in Tarsh after the Coders were disbanded, there to carry out his own private sorcerous researches. You have not seen nor heard from him in over a decade. Eslas the Tracker (former Lunar Coder & NPC): Eslas took your promotion badly, and ran off to join her fellow Red-Haired Folk and their caravans in Pent. Ul-Rika, the Still Voice of Molanni: The last thing Anderida did before her glorious accession to the moon was to give her consent for you to marry her only daughter, Johana. At her urging, you helped her secure the position of Still Voice of Molanni. While you have been happy to help Ul-Rika (as she now calls herself) in her career, you've been thinking for quite a while that it's about time you finally married her and started a family (any sex before marriage would be quite scandalous). Unfortunately, Ul-Rika has ducked the question whenever you've brought it up... It really is rather frustrating! Through your Career Sor-eel the Short: You conducted a detailed investigation into Sor-eel's administration of Prax twelve years ago, and although the evidence to indict him was falling into place, the governor deflected attention away from him by raising the issue of the missing White Moon settlers. He also gifted you with an old Dara Happan Staff of Justice - and while this certainly helped you in your White Moon enquiries, deep down you know that Sor-Eel effectively bribed you and this is a chink in your honour that just won't go away... Mikos Thiokonos, the Imperial Chamberlain: he has always shown an avuncular interest in your career, even in the early days when you were a young tribune at court without friends or family. You have often thought that perhaps the old eunuch knows something about your ancestry, but in all the years he has known you he has never broached the subject. Yolanela, Countess of Spol: a few months ago Mikos Thiokonos sent you to Spol to deliver a message to the Taloned Countess, forbidding by Moonson's order her presence at these Sacred Time celebrations. While Yolanela received you cordially, on the way back you caught some sort of stomach bug and became sick (your servant actually died with severe stomach cramps). You were only saved by a timely meeting with the priestess Queen Phirgia, who was touring the Empire before travelling to Glamour for Sacred Time. Through your Religion Queen Phirgia:This kindly queen saved your life last season, when you were stricken with terrible stomach pains. It is her first visit to the capital, and you would like to repay the kindness she showed you. Icilius Overholy, General Guide for the Lunar Spirit: The head of the provincial church, Icilius has nearly completed serving out an unprecedented second seven-year term after her named successor was killed in the Temple of the Reaching Moon disaster in Sartar (a dragon unearthed itself and killed the Lunar priests and army). You find Icilius's piety admirable, but Ul-Rika derides her as a 'dowdy old frump'. Lately, she has been pestering you about the disappearance of Icilius's successor, but you have told her this information is 'classified'. Through your Culture Makkrit-oor, Satrap of Darjiin. A wastrel and devoted sensualist, you have known him for many years and are saddened by his sad decline. However, you feel he is not too far gone for redemption with your guidance.
	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 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. Following the fall of Prax seven years ago, the Empire had to find an alternative location to exile followers of the burgeoning White Moon movement, and for some years now they have been sent to work camps in the Redlands. About a year ago you sent a message to Eslas to verify if this was indeed the case; several weeks ago, a dusty red-haired tracker from Pent arrived with a reply, alleging that many of the so-called 'resettlement areas' were in fact vacant pastureland. The message also said that Eslas had always loved you, but that now she must cast those feelings aside as she would the Lunar Way. Eslas can no longer be found, the messenger said she was last seen riding into the trackless wastes. 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 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.	Secrets Julan has an unusual blemish on his left buttock: a purple birthmark shaped liked a sickle. Although not a vain man, he is quite self-conscious about it. Julan wears the famous Badge of Arir, a magical buckle that was bestowed upon him by Moonson himself. It is reputed to provide invulnerability to weapons and magical attacks. Julan's Badge of Arir recently stopped functioning. The Temple of Truth is a strategic location within Glamour. Julan is engaged to be married to Ul-Rika. Julan was gifted with a Staff of Justice by Sor-eel when in Pavis, which he feels guilty about. Special Items Old Dara Happan Staff of Justice. This magical staff allows you to divine the truth. It was a gift (or perhaps a bribe) from Sor-eel. Badge of Arir. A magical buckle that was bestowed upon you by Moonson himself many years ago. It is reputed to give invulnerability to all physical and magical attacks. It needs recharging.
	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 Julan was MOB. Glorantha, HeroQuest, Hero Wars, and Issaries are trademarks of Issaries, Inc. The contents of this page are copyright by MOB, 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.