I have been watching the Moonson debate with much interest. It has
gone a long way toward awakening my interest in the Evil Empire to
the north. While I still feel that the Lunars are definitely evil, I
no longer perceive them as the faceless evil as I once did.
Before the debate erupted onto the Digest, I knew nothing about the
Red Emperor. I don't own FS or GRoY, and do not anticipate ever
purchasing them. Too much pain for too little gain for my personal
style of Gloranthan gaming...
So, the debate, as painful as it has been for some, has been very
useful to me in refining my understanding of my Lunar Empire.
Here goes my take on the true nature of the Red Emperor
(Moonson/Chaos Spawn) in my Glorantha.
- There is only one true emperor and he is capable of manifesting
without any human intervention.
- There are two main reasons that the Emperor has differing
personalities and appearances varying from one incarnation to the
next.
- --While he is capable of manifesting without any human intervention,
humans are capable of intervening and attempting to mold the moonson
to suit their personal needs and desires.
- --The emperor's personality and appearance are subtly influenced by
the state of the empire itself. During periods of strife, the new
manifestation of the emperor is likely to manifest in a more militant
manner than during periods of calm. Likewise, when the empire is
sinking into decadence, so too will the emperor be decadent.
- The Moonson is capable of creating a body out of whole cloth when
manifesting, but for mystical reasons sometimes chooses (or is
forced) to use an existing body.
Imagine how much fun a group of Orlanthi players could have during
Hero Quests to influence the manifestation of the Red Emperor.
Violence is always an option, but never forget that there is always
another way.
Just thought that I'd a couple more logs to the fire that is already
burning quite nicely.
Free Winds!
- -Matt Thale