>Also, has anyone not noticed the similarities between Pharoanic
>Reincarnation and that of the Red Emperor. The Lunars made a preemptive
>strike to protect trade secrets!!
I don't think so. Firstly the Mangod inhabits the body of whoever won the Master of Luck and Death tournament (performed whenever he wants a new body). The soul of the winner is 'liberated with consiousness and full powers to an angelic existance'. The Pharoah has full control over the body until it 'wears out' (although no published information is available as to what this wearing out entails - does he take to his deathbed?).
The Lunar method is a little more complex. The first Red Emperor was a chap called TakenEgi. He was killed a number of times and one time came back even after the original body was burned. However the many battles over the years (Castle Blue, Jannisor and Sheng Seleris) took their toll and so when TakenEgi was killed by the Mad Sultan, he did not return.
The next Red Emperor was a chap called Magnificus. He claimed to be TakenEgi returned but many said that he was really a Carmanian Dynast with ideas above his station. Magnificus proved them 'wrong' by taking the traditional tests to prove that he was the Legitimate Emperor. He then said that when he returned from the Moon after an earthly demise, the tests should be performed again. So since that time, the Empire has been ruled by many different people (ten 'masks' are recounted in the *official* histories alone) who claim to be TakenEgi returned. Sometimes an Emperor has died in battle (like at Boldhome) and an imposter has taken his place without undergoing the tests.
So it's highly unlikely IMO that the Lunars killed him to prevent trademark secrets being revealed. They could have OTOH killed him to find out how he did it (if a 'Mask' was unduely ambitious).
Joseph Troxell:
>I just had a bizarre thought. Do Broo "young" gain attributes from their
>"mother"?
Yes.
>It would seem they do since they have horns like a goat, etc.
>Therefore, what would happen if a Broo inseminated another Broo?
It will take the attributes of its "mother". If the "mother" had horns, then it will have "horns". True Broo breedings usually result in the fourth or fifth generation becoming pure gorp.
Erich Schmidt:
>Well, as they say, the best motivation to write up material is when the
>players go there. My group mentioned that the Clanking City was just too
>cool to pass up. So, if anyone has really nifty ideas that you think I
>should know about, send them too me.
The Clanking City is huge and full of ruined buildings much like Pavis (except that it doesn't have a Giant Wall). The perimeter and suburbs has been thoroughly wrecked by the Elder Races and are infested by numerous demons and traps and is pretty poor in terms of loot. Approaching the city by this method is almost sheer suicide and attempted only by the bravest and foolish. Most enter the city by the airport.
Many hold the Clanking City proper to begin in those inner protions where the curses of the Elder Races are not to be found. Here one can hear the infernal clanking and whines of distant machines. The outer parts of the City are safe for many humans to travel around in and several walled enclaves can be found. The chief danger here is the morlocks and the lesser Zistori.
The morlocks are the descendants of those God Learners who managed to disengage from Zistor before he was killed. But in the magical catalysms that followed, they were mutated into shrunken deformed relics of humanity. They hate and curse most humans (the people of God Forgot seem exempt) as bestial servants of the Elder Races. The morlocks are organized into many tribes and dwell in massive fortresses within the Inner City. Some of these tribes have been observed to war with one another.
The morlocks do not fight but rely on the lesser Zistori. These are automatons who mindlessly fight for the morlocks and come in many shapes and sizes. Most are humanoid but some have no legs but wheels. Others have no hands but tools and claws. The largest Zistori observed (other than the God itself) are hulking monstrosities with three legs. These have been observed to carry morlocks on occasions.
The morlocks occasionally muster raids against the human enclaves (although the Airport has never been a target). These aim to capture prisoners for the morlocks. Persistant rumour alleges that the prisoners are carted to vast slave factories where they are mentally controlled by infernal caps. By day, they toil at mindless drudgery and at night, their very dreams are warped by the caps to create for the morlocks.
The inner parts of the Clanking City is very magical and dangerous. When Zistor was defeated, the remaining God Learners activated their final defenses. First the Doomsday Bomb was activated with the intention of destroying all Glorantha save for those safely within the Citadel. Then a UnDoomsday Bomb was activated which would recreate Glorantha in the God Learners Image. (The whole plan was to have been revealed to the Elder Races to stop the war and to the King of Seshnela to force him to abdicate). However Zistor was killed before the ambassadors were sent). But a gremlin switched the timing devices and the bombs detonated out of the intended sequence. The area within the Inner City became magically huge and full of new buildings and wonders before the Doomsday Bomb blasted the immediate surroundings of the Citadel to nothingless and entrapped it permanently within the void. No human has crossed the Inner City to borders of the void and returned.
Some locations in the Clanking City:
The Airport: This is the largest enclave and is ruled by the Talars of God Forgot. A regular autogyro service operates between Casino Town and the Clanking City. Passage into the City is very cheap and is free in cases of people who can't pay their debts at Casino Town. Some people have been known to be shanghaied into the Clanking City by the Talars if they feel the population of the Airport is too low. The Price of a Passage out is prohibitively high and the best method is to search the city for an artifact to surrender to the Talars.
Zistor's remains: This well-known location lies sprawled over many miles. It is considered by many to be the remains of the God Zistor who was slain by Orlanth. Many gibbering morlocks inhabit it trying to bring their god back to life. From afar has been observed a large lightning tower placed aparently over Zistor's Heart. It has been speculated that when Zistor reawakens, he will then reach into the Void and bring the Citadel back to Glorantha.
The Village: This human enclave is very insular and aloof from everyone else. Rather than search the city for ways out, they have listened to the words of the Prophet (who is known as Number One) and believe that only by knowing the Forbidden Secret can they leave the Clanking City. All Newcomers are thought to be God Learners and are forbidden to leave unless they tell Number Two the Forbidden Secret. Since nobody knows the Forbidden Secret, there is a substantial minority engaging in nefarious plots trying to leave the Village. The humans of this enclave seem to control a special sort of Zistori which resembles large balls.
The Hall of Wonders: This is a large park full of many of the inventions of the Zistorites. It is inhabited by humans as the morlocks are not interested in this area. As a result of their uninterest, many of the inventions are quiet now for the morlocks have not troubled to repair them. Most of the humans who live here are struggling to understand and repair the machines. Of particular interest is the location of the Time Machine or rather where it was. The Traveler set out before the fall of Zistor into the Future and did not return. A cult has sprung up around the location of the exhibit believing that the appearance of the Traveler is imminent and that he will lead them into a Golden Age. Some skeptics doubt that the Traveler will ever return for the Bombs would have pushed his Time Machine out of the Clanking City into the Mirrorsea.
The Ibiros Crystal Factory: This was the first factory of the Zistorites and still remains functional to this day. It is famous for it can create crystals to order. An Ibiros sword crystal could be attached to the hilt of the sword and confer it a permanent Bladesharp 3. The morlocks run this factory and use most of the crystals manufactured to power the lesser Zistori. Daring bands of humans have entered the factory and wrested control of the building long enough to make special crystals of their own. The most common human usage is to create keystones which allow them entrance into otherwise barred buildings. The factory was severely damaged when the Bombs exploded. Although repaired by the morlocks, the crystals are only operational within the afterglow of the UnDoomsday Bomb that permeates the City. Outside the City (or more properly where the Elder Races are) they become worthless pieces of glass and in some cases crumble into sand. For this reason, the Talars at the airport do not accept crystals in the payment.
The Citadel: This building was ground zero for the Bombs (there was a special null-field which prevented the destruction of the Citadel). Since the detonation of the bombs, the City has been is virtually unreachable. Several tribes of Morlocks have been observed to be in contact with the God Learners of the Citadel but details are hard to come by. No human knows what the Citadel looks like for the details were top secret.
James Frusetta:
>the Laws of the Moonson are probably
>even more detailed, and there's likely a section dedicated to "Dangerous
>Nonhumans." Within, the (probably circumcised) rights Jamuz the Troll has
>are explictly stated.
If they circumcise every troll that comes into a Lunar city, I would say it is almost certain that the trolls have circum*scribed* rights *and* that they would find visiting Sartarite cities would be a lot nicer!
'In boldhome the hoomans tried to kill uz saying we wuz baby-eaters. But that's betta than Furthest where they wanted to cut...'
End of Glorantha Digest V4 #513
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