In response to Sandy's query the true history of the Bat has been quested after and discovered.
The Not-Black Bat is the terror of the Darkness, representing Death to the peoples of Rinliddi. When the world was destroyed the Not-Black Bat ate Rinliddi. Shargash then defeated and skinned the Not-Black Bat as part of the process of restoring the world. After this the Not-Black Bat was known as the Scarlet Bat, for it had no skin.
The Scarlet Bat was dead, so it could not wander free about Glorantha. However, whenever Death was awakened in Rinliddi (such as at one of the many Dara Happan invasions) the magical energies summoned the Bat to help drive out Rinliddi's enemies. It would then wander out of Rinliddi to be destroyed away from its source of power and existance.
The God-Project of the Second Council changed this. Priests from Rinliddi under the instruction of Nysalor used new techniques to summon the Scarlet Bat. They formed a group to control and power, not to mention resummon when lost, the Scarlet Bat. With this new group the Bat was able to exist outside of Rinliddi and it assisted Nysalor in his pacification efforts. Arkat killed all the priests and returned the Scarlet Bat to Hell.
The Red Goddess found the skinless bat and took pity on it. Using her powers of transformation she turned the outside of the bat into a new layer of skin, with extra eyes to represent inner knowledge and to reflect the stars. This was now the Crimson Bat. It accompanied the Red Goddess back into the world and helped prove her rightful place in the cosmos, as well as its. The Goddess recreated the the cult from her knowledge of Nysalor and it has aided the Lunar cause ever since.
Eric
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