> What have the Pelorians ever done for the Lunar Empire? We know the Dara
> Happans, being the old aristocracy, run the show. The Carmanians guard
> the western Empire. What do the Pelorians contribute to the Empire? I
> can't see that they contribute diddly-squat (that should set the cat
> among the pigeons 8-)!
The Pelorians provided a major contribution to the Lunar Empire's mystical and "feminine" religion. The Pelandans of the Oronin Valley can be seen as a gentle and artistic civilisation, and this is the source of "classical" architecture (pillars, colonnades, etc.) -- the modern marble buildings imitate the wooden structures of the First Age. They also contributed a great deal to Carmanian culture, and *are* the western Empire which the Carmanians guard. Hoplite warfare was invented in west Peloria; the Dara Happans of the First Age envied Pelorian myth for its vividness and character. And the Pelorians had more traditions of liberty and equality than the Dara Happans or Carmanians ever evolved (rule by councils, origin of the jury trials, etc.).
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Pam writes:
> I had envisioned DH architecture more like Persian or Assyrian. It could
> have evolved, I guess.
Yep, sounds right to me. Early Lunar architecture could also have been more "middle-eastern", with the modern classical stuff introduced during the Carmanian Reconstruction, when the Empire was refounded by Magnificus and Hon-Eel in the Fifth Wane. Dara Happans look sniffily down their noses at the harmonious classical perfection of (e.g.) the Jillaro Acropolis, saying how much they'd have preferred another chunky ziggurat...
> I kinda think of the LE as if India had reached out and administered
> Persia (Carmania?) and Assyria (DH?).
Or have a look at the Hellenistic sculptures from Bactria: Greek art and Indian deities in an absolutely beautiful combination. Alexander's Empire and the Byzantines are fun models for "orientalising classicism".
> The emperor is divine, but I don't think there's evidence of actual
> worship of him by anything more than a few of those high in the
> government - and I think that's particular to Moonson, as the son of
> the RM.
I think all Lunar subjects are counted as Lay Members in the Cult of the Red Emperor, and all Lunar citizens are Initiates. (Though this is more like "Yelm the Youth" or "Children of the Forest" initiation than the Real Thing). Only career officials, Satraps and Senators and the like can go any higher in the cult, and access real Rune Magics. Chris Gidlow's writeup of the Cult of the Red Emperor should be in the next issue of Tales, the Lunar Special, due out later this year.
> In KoS p135 (and probably many other places), we are told that Boldhome
> was built overnight, fulfilling an ancient prophecy. What was the
> prophecy?
We don't know, but in the Genertela Book I believe it said that Sartar built his city to *defy* an ancient prophecy, as well as fulfilling it. ("He would be a brave man, who dwelt in a city above the apex of the Dragonewt Roads"?). Maybe something like Achilles' choice of futures?
___ _____ _____
Rob, Sandy and Peter talked about Lunar Phase Goddesses.
FWIW, I think everyone's right. The Seven Mothers are each associated with one phase of the Moon when they are worshipped in their own right, and with a second phase on which they helped the Red Goddess complete a stage of her Quest which corresponded to one of the seven preceding Lunar Goddesses.
SEVEN RED
LUNAR MOTHERS' LUNAR GODDESS'S
PHASE TEMPLE GODDESS TEMPLE
Full Half Yanafal T Verithurusa Teelo N
Crescent-Go Irrippi O Cerullia Jakaleel
Dying Moon Danfive X Gerra Deezola
Black Moon Jakaleel Rashorana Danfive X
Crescent-Come Teelo N Orogeria Yanafal T
Empty Half Deezola Natha Irrippi O
Full Moon Red Goddess Zayteneras Seven Mothers
So that, for instance, on the Full Half day in a holy week (Illusion week in every season), ceremonies honouring Yanafal Tarnils are held in the Temple of the Seven Mothers, attended by the High Priest of Yanafal of the Seven Mothers, by Scimitars of Yanafal, and by any other Seven Mothers initiates and lay folk who wish to attend. At the same time, the Seven Mothers Temple's high priestess of Teelo Norri is participating in the Verithurusan Rite at the Temple of the Red Goddess, assisted by (and assisting) the initiates and priestesses of the Red Goddess.
On the Full Moon Day, all the priests of the Seven Mothers perform rituals both at their own temple(s) and at the Temple of the Red Goddess. There are processions, sacrifices, and much rejoicing.
In the Heartlands, where temples to the Seven Mothers (collectively) are less common, the pattern would be the same as above, only with ceremonies at temples to individual Mothers rather than at the single joint Temple. I've been working on this for a possible scenario set during holy week at Moonbroth Oasis, so my interest in the religious ceremonies is perhaps more than is entirely sane or necessary...
It's also neat, because we now also have some obvious correspondences of phase and symbol. Crescents for Jakaleel (Sickle Moon?) and Yanafal (Scimitar Moon?), and a half'n'half for the dualistic Carmanian magus Irrippi Ontor. But what the CoP 7M writeup said is still true.
NB: this has nothing to do with which day of the week any phase happens on. For ease of reference, the 'traditional' and 'rotational' phases are:
TRADITIONAL, ROTATIONAL, RITUALS
LUNAR PHASE IN DRAGON PASS IN TORANG 7M - RG
Black Moon Clayday Freezeday JW - DX
Crescent Coming Windsday Waterday TN - YT
Empty Half Fireday Clayday QD - IO
Full Moon Wildday Windsday RG - 7M
Full Half Godsday Fireday YT - TN
Crescent Going Freezeday Wildday IO - JW
Dying Moon Waterday Godsday DX - QD
> The Brithini believe that the Creator exists but do not themselves
> worship _anyone_. (In fact, looking at the Sog City writeup, it could be
> that the Brithini do not even recognise the Invisible God, but I am not
> convinced.)
One of my intentions in writing the Malkioni stuff contained in the Sog City book and on my homepage was to reinforce the division between Creator and Invisible God already explicit in the GoG Prosopaedia and What the Wizard Says pieces. The Brithini recognise the Creator (an abstract first principle, not a worshipable entity), but do *not* recognise the Invisible God (an intervening, worshipable, compassionate entity). They think the Creator made the world and left it ticking over just fine: it would be presumptious and wrong to ask it for anything more. (Compare with their attitude to Malkion adding to his Laws, in an article on my homepage). The Invisible God was a God-Learnerism.
It's been mentioned recently, so I'll bring this up: the Convulsion 3D Programme Book (including Gloranthan fiction by Greg Stafford, Sandy Petersen, Ken Rolston, Michael O'Brien, Eric Rowe, Chris Gidlow, Mike Hagen and Yours Truly) is still available from David Hall. In fact, he says he has lots of copies left, so don't worry yet about missing out if you want to place an order.
> Seven Mothers Cult Writeup: from Cults of Prax (although an updated one
> will probably be seen in the next Tales).
Probably not, alas. It looks like we'll print the cults of the Red Emperor and Danfive Xaron, with Yanafal Tarnils held over to a future issue. But this is all up to David Hall's editorial wit and wisdom. I can't question his decision to cut my YT writeup, as the other two cults have much more that's new and intriguing: we've all seen war gods before. I am still keen to rework the CoP Seven Mothers at some date.
> The extra (I think very harsh) taxes levied by the Lunar conquerors must
> reduce the king's ability to maintain high quality guards full-time. I
> certainly don't think that many more fully trained warriors could be
> supported out of the king's pocket.
Fortunate, eh? Luckily there's also a shortage of fully trained Sartarite warriors (since Boldhome, 1602), so those who survive are assured of job security under benign Imperial rule. And the "harsh" taxes are spent on educational projects, public works, and other things the old tribal kings could never be bothered with...
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