Thanuk of Thunder Delta, General of the Reserve Corps

	Reaching Moon Megacorp's Life of Moonson Thanuk of Thunder Delta General of the Reserve Corps, Commander of the Thunder Delta Slingers	Age: 55 Career: Mercenary General Religion: Yanafal Tarnils Culture: Thrice Blessed Disposition: Loyal, noble savage
Return to Home Page Gloranthan Folk Tales Gloranthan Songbook Moonie Madness Life of Moonson Carmanian Sources Malkioni Scriptures	You were born in a wigwam on the shores of the Big Sea Water, known to outsiders as the Thunder Delta. You learnt to trap and fish and sling stones. You thrilled to the stories of the older men, who had fought in the armies of the Great Red Father: stories of Joranit, of the Great Mother of Waters, the Oslir River, where people live as close as trees in the forest, of the lands of Fire and Dragons. How you longed to see these wonders for yourself. You asked for permission to join the Lunar Army, but your mother said you were too young and she needed you at home. You decided to obey the yearning in your heart. You hid under a pile of furs being taken by raft to Joranit. Here you saw your first stone buildings. You ran to one, presenting the traditional gift of a handful of salt. As luck would have it, this was the Temple of Yanafal Tarnils. The Lunars gave you food and luxuries you had never dreamed of. When you woke up, they said you had taken the oath of loyalty to the Great Red Father. It was the happiest day of your life. After intensive drill, you were sent to an auxiliary scout regiment. You were assigned to frontier duties on the western borders of the Empire. On patrol, you encountered the remains of the Lone Star Scimitars, surprised and slaughtered by the barbarians of Brolia. There was but one survivor, Fatalius Victor, so hideously tortured that death seemed certain. As you approached him, he opened his ravaged lips and croaked "Let me fight..." Hoisting him onto your shoulders, you set off towards the rest of your unit and to civilisation. In this strange way, your friendship began. His health restored, Victor swore to combat the enemies of the empire without mercy and without cease. He forged a bronze-masked helmet to conceal his ravaged features. You accompanied him on his missions, as his scout and tracker. Together you confronted dangers from which no others had returned. You ventured to lands where the Lunar name was hated more than Chaos itself. You saved each other's life many times. Victor would speak to you of the Code of Yanafal Tarnils, until you at last accepted and embraced the cult. When Victor was given a field command of the western reaches, you acted as his intelligence officer. His greatest hope was to lead the Red Army down the Janube valley to conquer the Lands of Arrolia. But you were reassigned to Dragon Pass, when Victor was summoned to Glamour to become Imperial Warlord. He accepted the name of Bellex Maximus, donned the Steel Mask, and his old identity became submerged in the great power of his office. He raised you to rank of General with command of the Thunder Delta Slingers. In this capacity you have fought valiantly and loyally. Your last assignment was against the rebels of the Red Lands under the command of General Zhaduun Ud-kar (who was killed in the fighting). When you returned to Glamour (as the commander of the Reserve Corps), you found that Bellex Maximus has become reserved and preoccupied. He seems obsessed with the Wars of Dragon Pass, a disastrous morass which threatens to engulf the whole of the Armed forces. Your position of spokesman for the Thrice Blessed has been taken from you by the arrival of a fully accredited ambassador, Squire Flint. You do not begrudge this, but the young ambassador will need your advice to avoid being made a fool of!	Background The Thrice Blessed You are one of the Thrice Blessed, simple nomads who roam the land of Eol. Your folk are hunters, trappers, fishermen and occasionally herd goats. You shun cities and refuse to build in stone. Eol is a Taiga rich in fur-yielding game. Although it is snow-bound from Storm Season to Sacred Time, it is nowhere near as inhospitable as it was before the Lunar Kalikos expeditions altered the climate. In those days, folk would cross the frozen Poralistor to escape the freezing storms. The Thunder Delta was named from the crashing icebergs which once choked it. The northern tundra has similarly been transformed into reedy wetlands. The Thrice Blessed do not muster armies, but send the famous Thunder Delta Slingers south as part of your tribute. The 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. Government of Eol The Thrice Blessed travel in small clan groups, but acknowledge the wisdom of a Council of Queens which meets each Season festival. The Queens are the oldest female members of the clans. The Eldest Elder is charged with negotiating with outsiders. She is the contact for hiring the Thunder Delta Slingers. To address her, visitors must always face and speak to a wondrous rock which holds up the roof of her wigwam. This is sited on a particularly potent power line between the Twin Mountains and the Henge of Yng-Isin, and is the principle focus of devotion of her clan. From it outsiders give her the name "Mrs Flint". She has no special authority over the other Queens, all decisions being taken after debate to form a cheerful consensus.
	Objectives Personal Find the Salt Diamond. If you can find it, it will prove that your people were unfairly robbed of their honour and their lands of Southern Eol, now part of the Satrapy of Karasal. You could present it to the authorities in public, perhaps in the Senate, and demand the lost lands be returned. Protect your homeland from the Char-Un and the People of Karasal. Find out why your friend Victor, sorry "Bellex Maximus", has been acting so strangely lately, especially what happened to change his policy on the Southern Front. Cheer him up by reminding him of your adventures on the shores of the Sweet Sea, the Ban of Charg, against the rebels in Brolia, Talastar and in the Chaos forests of Dorastor. Make sure that the Icebreaker "Red Storm Season" is on course to drive back the Glacier. If anything happens to it, your people will be the first to suffer. Career Serve Bellex Maximus loyally and to the best of your ability. You should be there to salute him, and carry out his orders without question. Remember he is always available to hear your advice in private. Command the Reserve Corps. Ensure that at least three regiments are assigned to it, else you cannot control the Empire. Command Thunder Delta Slingers wisely and bravely. Uphold the honour of the regiment. You are still an intelligence officer for Bellex Maximus. You must keep your ear to the ground for rumours of threats to the Empire, military movements and the like. Assess their truth and importance and report back to Bellex Maximus. You need 10 influence from the Military Budget to pay the Thunder Delta Slingers. You must pay this to the CPS Director before the beginning Windsday. Put in your claim to Murad Iznik before the Presidium decides on the Budget. Religious Be allowed to kiss Moonson's feet. Seek the blessing of the Great Sister. Is she a Queen like Mrs Flint? Become a member of the famous Moonsword sub-cult.	Who You Know Personal Acquaintances Squire Flint, son of Mrs. Flint the Eldest Elder of the Thrice Blessed: a plucky young man who paddled his own canoe all the way to Glamour, to discuss the Treaty of Eol and the Seven Year Plan quotas with the Red Emperor. You like him, but he has a lot to learn about the ways of civilisation to avoid making foolish mistakes. Bellex Maximus, the Imperial Warlord: his real name is Fatalius Victor, formerly Captain of the Lone Star Scimitars. A friend and colleague in many adventures, you acted as his scout in his early years as a scimitar of Yanafal. When you returned from an assignment fighting against the heretics of the Red lands last year, you found him strangely altered and far less friendly than he had been. As Priest of Peace, he leads the Armed forces of the Empire. He conceals a heavily scarred face behind his steel mask. Through your Career Murad Iznik, the Red General: Known as the "Red Admiral" from when he commanded the Red Navy. He still has command of the Navy as part of his wider Red Army command, including the Icebreaker expeditions. He is your immediate superior, and a believer in Westward expansion. Roan-ur, commander in Aggar: A crazed monster. Tales of his atrocities in Aggar make you sick. But can they be proved? You must ensure that no Thunder Delta Slinger regiments are assigned to his command! Sitzmag Redmoon, Captain of the Antelope Lancers: Your subordinate in the Reserve Corps. He has recently returned from detached service elsewhere. You must remember to debrief him.
	Other Knowledge Bellex Maximus is the name given to the Imperial Warlord, commander of all of the Empire's military forces. This rank was once preserved for the Red Emperor himself. The first Bellex Maximus was General Parg Ilisi in 2/30. However, his brutal and demented actions against Twice Blessed cause him to be removed from the post when the Emperor learned of his actions. The position did not exist again until the time of the mask Reclusus, when it was held by the Steel Proxy, whose face was hidden by a steel mask. With the ascension of the mask Ignifer the Steel Proxy retired for a time, only returning after Ignifer was wounded during the siege of Boldhome. The Steel Proxy has continued to hold the position of Bellex Maximus up to the present day. The above is what everyone else thinks. Of course, you know that Victor is the second man behind the Steel Mask of Bellex Maximus. This is a secret you share with him. The empty conquest of the Thrice Blessed. The Twice Blessed, as they used to be known, were once ruled by the Kingdom of Karasal. They pledged friendship to the Red Goddess when she liberated them. Many studied in the Empire's Magical Schools, sharing their knowledge of the standing stones which dot Peloria. In the Second Wane, the shameful "Salt-diamond incident" led to the expulsion of the Twice Blessed from south of the Poralistor river. 26 years later, further trouble led to the Empire sending in General Parg Ilisi who raped the land and its inhabitants for ten years. When the Emperor found out, he conceded the Treaty of Eol, by which reparations were made and the folk granted full Imperial protection. In return the Twice Blessed embraced the Lunar Way and changed their name to Thrice Blessed. 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. The Moonsword Cult is a special sub-cult of Yanafal Tarnils for military heroes of the Empire. Candidates must be recommended by Jar-eel. Those who are accepted are given their steel Moonsword by Moonson himself. 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 Imperial Lunar Army. For young men and women of good standing entry to the army is made by gaining a commission in 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. It is possible for a junior officer to buy themself out of a commission if they get their superior officer's permission and pay an amount of influence (at least three).	Secrets The Salt Diamond can recrystalise common salt into diamonds when left with it overnight. Bellex Maximus conceals his true identity behind his Steel Mask. Bellex Maximus has been acting strangely recently. He is forgetful and sometimes confused. Thanuk is worried about Char-un raids into Eol (Thunder Delta). There are foreign prospectors from Karasal near the sacred Twin Mountains of the Eolian people.
	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 Thanuk was Chris Gidlow. Glorantha, HeroQuest, Hero Wars, and Issaries are trademarks of Issaries, Inc. The contents of this page are copyright by Chris Gidlow, 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.