Yolanela: Taloned Countess of Spol

	Reaching Moon Megacorp's Life of Moonson Amora Princess of Free Love	Age: 21 Career: Ambassador of Love Religion: Uleria, Goddess of Love Culture: Zoria, the City of Free Love Disposition: Amorous, joyful, exuberant
Return to Home Page Gloranthan Folk Tales Gloranthan Songbook Moonie Madness Life of Moonson Carmanian Sources Malkioni Scriptures	Your mother is the notorious Queen of the Kiss, ruler of the distant Fronelan city of Zoria. You were brought up in amorous luxury, knowing no cares. In the warm, soft and very, very big beds of her palace, you learned the joys of every form of love - communal, reproductive and carnal - and no man can resist your charms when you bring them fully to bear. (You also have a basic medical training). Although you are beautiful and seductive, you are still inexperienced in the ways of the world. Your adolescence was devoted to bathing, dressing, undressing and making exciting underwear, which is why you welcome the task you have now been assigned, travelling to foreign lands to meet new folk from new civilisations. After all, Uleria herself teaches us that "Love makes the world go round!" The Queen of the Kiss told you on your twenty-first birthday that she believes the Lunar Way is also a path of Free Love. In the Lunar Empire, women are allowed complete equality, and therefore the ability to love freely. She believes that only the Lunar Way can unite the world and make it a place of eternal peace and harmony: the Red Goddess aims to create a world without death, one of eternal life and love! Your mother has decided to send you as the Ambassador of Love, to negotiate an alliance with the Lunar Empire. This is an exciting responsibility for you: your first chance to meet strange foreign people from the eastern lands, teaching them the ways of love and learning from them in turn. Western men can be prudish, clumsy at the arts of love and forever guarding their chastity. You have heard that the men of the East are less restrained, and look forward to discovering for yourself the erotic delights of the Grand Orgies of Furthest. Moreover, stories of the amorous prowess of the Red Emperor himself have spread as far as Zoria, and you are greatly envied by all your friends now you'll be able to put them to the test! Gosh, this is all so exciting! You have brought a Love Potion with you: not that you imagine it will be needed, but just in case... Remember always your mother's wise words: "All you need is Love."	Background The City of Zoria Zoria, the City of Free Love, is in the snowy land of Fronela "because it's the best place to keep warm," according to its founder, an incarnation of Uleria, Goddess of Love. In a bleak valley north of the Arrolian Colonies she built a town and a temple. The city and the people nearby still follow her precepts of Free Love. The men of Zoria are well-muscled, handsome and sensitive. The women are radiantly lovely, friendly and inquisitive. Distinctive local customs include the Kiss of Greeting, and the Sauna: you understand the Empire is trying to invent this, but has stalled at the bath-house stage: perhaps they don't have enough birch twigs? All Zorians are keen on health and efficiency; jealousy and the heartbreak of unhappy relationships are unknown. The ruler of Zoria is your mother, the Queen of the Kiss. The Cult of Uleria You are a devoted worshipper of Uleria, Goddess of Love. Uleria is the deity of all forms of love and fertility: communal, reproductive and carnal. Her temples have three doorways, one for each type of worshipper. Uleria is a universal deity, one of the goddesses of the Celestial Court. She is powerful in every land, but most powerful in her magical cities, each of which is called Zoria. You have heard rumours that there are other cities of Zoria elsewhere in Glorantha: you would love to learn where these might be, and what the strange amorous and erotic practices of foreign lands are. If you meet any foreigners (or people recently returned from abroad), ask them to tell you (and show you!) what they have learned. Don't be shy: it's all in the name of religion. Zorian Diplomacy You have come to the Lunar Empire to practice the art of diplomacy, as it is known in Zoria. You will preach the benefits of Peace and Free Love to all who will listen, as well as personifying them in all of your actions at court. Where your other objectives are not compromised you should seek to bring harmony where there is strife, peace where there is conflict, companionship where there is loneliness, and love where there is hate. You must take as many lovers as is possible. The Grand Orgy should be an ideal opportunity for indulging yourself, and for spreading the Zorian message of "Love, Love, Love."
	Yolanela Taloned Countess of Spol	Age: 70s Career: Spolite Witch Religion: Dark Sorcery Culture: Carmanian Disposition: Grasping, domineering...
	Everything written on the previous page is a lie. You are the notorious witch-queen of Spol, Yolanela the Taloned Countess. You have come to Glamour disguised as an emissary from the far West because enemies - including a former lover! - have prevented you from meeting Moonson in person. Your amorous powers are witchcraft. All of the background information on the previous page is your own invention, cobbled together from travellers' tales and your intimate understanding of male sexual fantasies. While there is reportedly a city of Zoria in the distant West, you have never met anyone who claims to have been there, so you feel safe in your disguise. Your only knowledge of the cult of Uleria is based on the Pelandan (West Pelorian) form of her worship. You have never been a devotee or worshipper of the Love Goddess. You have a single, overriding objective: your desire for the Dark Side of Spolite Witchery to once more control the Empire. It has been eight centuries since the last of the Dark Emperors ruled all Carmania with an iron grasp. You see three ways to achieve this. The simplest would be for you to give birth to the son of Moonson Argenteus. In your guise as Amora, you should be able to enter his presence and seduce him. Through the black arts of witchery, you can guarantee a son will be born in the New Year, who will possess all the qualities needed to become the Emperor in his turn. As second-best, you could kidnap an infant who embodies Lunar magic: the child of one of the Powers of the Lunar Way. Through your expert skill in rearing children, he would become a pliant tool, suitable for your purposes. (Few know that your Orphanages are meant to detect any such children who are born within the Empire, and allow you to take a role in their upbringing). Finally, if Moonson himself should perish, you could confer the Mandate of the Moon on any of your sons. Nobody need know that this is the Mandate of the Dark Moon until your child begins his reign. Alehandro of the Brass Arm and Brostangian Archmoor are both present in Glamour for the New Year Celebrations. The risk would be that none of your sons embodies the Lunar powers: they might be weak Emperors, or fail the Tests of Rule. You have been able to attend this celebration in secret as a result of one of your spies in Glamour coming into possession of a set of Moonboat landing codes. You were therefore able to enter the city at night on an unscheduled Moonboat and avoid most of the security procedures in force at this time.	Background The Great Houses of Carmania You are descended from one of the ancient noble houses of Carmania, rulers of the Empire that was overthrown at the rise of the Red Moon. The Carmanians have proud and austere traditions, holding themselves aloof from those of lesser birth and following the rituals of noble life from their ancestral strongholds in the West Reaches. Every Carmanian is born into a Great House, a secretive and insular bloodline preserving antiquated traditions of rule. Though they may appear paranoid to outsiders, you know that the rivalries between the houses can be intense and deadly, erupting at times into ruthless campaigns of assassination and terrorism aimed at the utter destruction of opposing families. The Imperial Governor of the West Reaches is Palamtales, who strives to mediate between the Great Houses from his court at Kitor. Carmanian Dualism The Dualist Church of Carmania oversees all other religions and cults within the West Reaches, including those of the Lunar Way. Its Magi decide whether religious beliefs are acceptable or heretical. Carmanian Dualism is rooted in the opposition of great cosmic principles: Good and Evil, Light and Darkness. The Magi adore Idovanus, the Wise Lord, and thwart the schemes of Ganesatarus the Evil One. Their first touch-stone is Truth: Ganesatarus is the Deceiver, and his agents can appear as fair and wholesome as any of the helpers of Idovanus: nevertheless, their fair exteriors can conceal a multitude of foulness. The second is Necessity: leaders are often called on to inflict harm, a principle of Darkness which can be used in the service of the Light. Your son Brostangian is the Hierophant of Carmania, head of the Carmanian Dualist church. The Witch-Cult of Spol The Witch-Cult of Spol preserves ancient secrets of Dark Sorcery which have been lost by the Dualist Church. The roots of your secretive faith are prehistoric, and it derives its power from acknowledging the universal powers of oppression, pain, and suffering. Beyond the mere labels of "Good" and "Evil" is the underlying truth: the world was born from primeval darkness, source of all magics, and those who know this can manipulate the most potent forces of Glorantha.
	Objectives Personal Bring back the Dark Emperor. First try to seduce Moonson, and ensure that he fathers a child upon you. You know that your children by the Red Emperor can inherit rule over all of Glorantha. Protect your children and defend their interests. Wreak a horrible revenge on your enemies. While in disguise as Amora sleep with as many men as possible to discover secrets which you might use later on. Career Tenaciously defend the interests of Spol and the good name of your family. Extend your family's influence in Carmania by ensuring that one of your sons is made the new Count of Jhor. Have Palamtales removed as Governor of the Western Reaches and someone more malleable to your wiles put in his place. Religious Do nothing to prevent Char-Un raiding: under oppression and suffering, your people fuel your sorceries. However, an invasion by the Char-Un (or anyone else) is to be avoided at all costs. Support orphanages throughout the Empire: raise funds for your own, and give generously to those run by others (in exchange for visiting rights as a generous benefactor). Seek to have the New Year declared a Black Moon Year: this will give power to the Witches of Spol.	Who You Know Your Children Brostangian Archmoor: your son by a seduced Magus of Carmania, he is now the Hierophant of Carmania, chief of all the Magi. Thirty years ago when he was a child of 14, he accidentally killed your husband, the Count of Spol. The Count had caught you with one of your many lovers, and threatened to cast you and your children out into the cold. Brostangian overheard, and rushed at the Count, pushing him over the battlements of the castle of God's Rock. You have never revealed Brostangian's deed or his bastardy: he has since risen to become the head of the Carmanian Church. Alehandro of the Brass Arm: your son by the Count of Spol, he is nominally the Count of Spol himself, though in practice you rule the realm as of right. He was ten years old when his father died ("in a tragic accident on the battlements"), and you ruled as regent for many years until he came of age. He has avoided you since he came of age by serving in the army, and always making some excuse or other not to return. From what you could tell before he left you suspect this is because he harbours incestuous desires towards you - which he obviously feels guilty about. A shocking thought, of course. However, what Dark magics might you conjure if you were to entertain his unnatural desires? Through your Career Mikos Thiokonos: the Grand Chamberlain of the Imperial Household. You had a brief fling with this man when he brought you the good news that you had been chosen to be the bride of the Count of Spol, but you had to surrender the child - your firstborn - to an orphanage. You could hardly have married the Count with a baby already... people would talk! But you regret ever sleeping with Mikos, the more so as your spies inform you it was he who proposed the Emperor's Ban on bringing you to court. This man has done you wrong, and you wish to bring him down. Count Julan: this captain of the Imperial Guard was the courier who delivered the Emperor's edict which bans you from Glamour. It is traditional in your culture to take out one's disappointment on the bearer of ill tidings, just as one rewards any bearer of good news. Therefore you offered him a poisoned meal before he left to return to Glamour. Imagine your surprise when you heard that he was back in Glamour and completely healthy! Palamtales, Governor of the Western Reaches: this is a very strange man, often given to talking to himself. However, he is far too good at his job and far too fair-handed in his treatment of the various nobles of Carmania. He needs to be removed. Through your Religion Meritus, Witch of Jakaleel: the powers of primeval Insanity are known to this man, and may have much in common with your own Witch-Cult. See if you can learn from him. Through your Culture Artaphaestos: the young heir to Haraxalur the Bald, the late Count of Jhor who recently choked to death on a catamite. He is (obviously) an enemy of Spol, and his disgrace would strengthen your position greatly - and allow one of your sons to take the county in his place. (Killing him has its advantages, but since you just had his father assassinated it would cause unwanted attention.)
	Other Knowledge The Malachite Phalanx is a Heartland Corps regiment of a thousand Lunar hoplites, stationed at Kitor under the command of the Governor of the Western Reaches, Palamtales. Facing the Music: Your family prides itself on having remained in Carmania to face the horse nomad invasions of two centuries ago, when others, turning their backs on their Lunar heritage, fled to the West with the Arrolian Migrations. 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 thought of a White Moon fills you with horror! 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. If only you could control this steed - just think what you might accomplish!	Secrets Yolanela, the Taloned Countess of Spol, was banned from approaching the Emperor because she sought to seduce him using Spolite witchery. Amora, the Princess of Free Love from Zoria, is really Yolanela, the Taloned Countess of Spol in disguise. Yolanela, the Taloned Countess of Spol, knows dark sorcerous rituals which ensure that all of her children will surpass their fathers. Yolanela's husband was killed by her son, Brostangian Archmoor, who is now the Hierophant of Carmania. Count Haraxalur of Jhor choked to death on a catamite, but his death was arranged by Yolanela, the Taloned Countess of Spol. Special Items Love Potion: this potion must be ingested and you must also cast a spell to link another character to the potion. Then whoever drinks it will be lovestruck for the person you have linked it to. Vial of Poison: a deadly poison that must be ingested for it to work.
	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 Yolanela was Nick Brooke. Glorantha, HeroQuest, Hero Wars, and Issaries are trademarks of Issaries, Inc. The contents of this page are copyright by Nick Brooke , 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.