I said:
>I believe that Godunya's exceedingly long reign is dissimilar
>to previous emperors, and that typical imperial reigns in the First
>and Second Age were no more than a century or two at the most.
Nils wonders:
>Why would these emperors have been so shortlived then? not compared
>to normal humans, but considering their vast magical support
I guess they could get their projects done sooner, and Pass
On. Or maybe they were poisoned by jealous subordinates.
>Has Kralorela changed that much or is it one of the few human lands
>in Glorantha which keep the ages-old golden age practices?
I think it's convinced it keeps the ancient ways. And
probably does. But remember that the Kralori Way of necessity assumes
a continual evolution and improvement. Each Emperor must create a
significant enhancement of the land during his time. Other reasons
Godunya might be so long-lived are:
- He's not a real emperor, just a dragon that the Exarchs
are using to focus power on to maintain the empire.
- He's not a real emperor, and there's NOTHING where he is
supposed to be. The Exarchs are in complete control.
- He was turned into a dragon, and so can't die. Hence all
of us living now in Kralorela are stuck with an inferior-quality
afterlife until he learns how to Pass On. No easy trick for a dragon.
- The harm wrought by the New Dragon Ring was so
far-reaching that it is taking Godunya much longer to repair the
spiritual malaise of his population, which is his real work. The
bridges are only a show to distract the Emperor's foes from his real
labors.
- The incorporation of the KoI into our sacred kingdom has
slowed the Emperor's spiritual progression as, of course, his soul's
metabolism is based on _all_ the inhabitants of our divine empire.
Alas. We should cut loose the KoI and rid ourselves of this burden at
once. But it may already be too late.
- Godunya is living a long time as a sign to us that this is
the greatest Emperor ever since the Dawn. We are truly blessed.
I believe that all these rumors are believed in Kralorela (but by
different people).
End of Glorantha Digest V1 #150