Dave comments:
>I get the impression that the one infallible way to figure out who the
>real red emperor is when the old one gets offed is just to look at which
>of the claimants has no life history. If moonson "coalesces" again after
>he is killed then he'll be the new boy on the scene. All the rival
>proxies and claimants (if they are powerful enough) will have a well known
>history and supporters. I don't really see much potential for mistaking
>the real moonson there.
Then adds:
>Of course this does raise the possibility that the various factions could
>be grooming various unknowns in secrecy (cue the PCs!) for this occasion.
This is a perfectly valid method. Hell they don't even need to be unkowns, they could be locally famous and still pull it off. Consider the Darjiini view as quoted by Peter, they believe that there are distinct people as a Mask and there were more masks than stated in FS. So if you were a Darjiini Satrap or high noble who went for Emperor, you'd have 600,000 Darjiini backing you up. As for the rest of the Empire, you simply say - just like the Emperor during Shengs time, I've been hanging out in the form of the Satrap of Darjiin who gave his life and his place to his true Emperor so that I may remain covert during this time of troubles so that I may find my enemies as they reveal themselves...
>I just don't think this is as much fun as a mad rush and struggle to
>determine which of the claimants (new and established) has the "Mandate of
>the Moon" (to use a Life of Moonsonism that appears to be in disrepute),
>or that many of them could have it and only one emerge victorious but with
>none of them preordained.
I disagree. I think there are myriad possibilities here. Another point to consider is this:
The Red Emperor is singular, yes, one being. However his _rule_ is a gestalt of soul parts and powers from many differing aspects of rule. Each of those parts allows him to claim rule of part of the Empire. To those _parts_ of the Empire it is that part of him that is "theirs", not the other parts. Do you really think the Carmanians give a toss whether he has Vrimaks soul part? But the Rinliddi do. For the Emperor to prove himself over those people he has to have those parts. For a rival to claim those parts of the Empire, all he has to do is gain that part of the Emperors souls via quest to have a _legitimate_ claim to rule that part of the Empire.
The Empire is parochial and divisive. Only the unifying power of the Lunars holds it together. If that power is shattered or distant for a time, centrifugal forces will begin to operate in increasing strength. As powers struggle for dominance, this grows worse. Eventually the Empire shatters under its own weight.
>Me too! I want the possibility that the mantle of the next emperor could
>fall on anyone (even a humble belt-buckle salesman from Rinliddi - Ooops,
>that's been done before hasn't it... :).
The next Emperor yes, the next Red Emperor no. Unless he lived as a salesman for a while. Peter has pointed out the chronological oddities in some of the Emperors history. This may be deliberate on Gregs part as he encourages this, or it may be a simple mistake. I don't know as yet, perhaps we don't need to know and by maintaining ambiguity we help some peoples Gloratha..
Martin Laurie
End of The Glorantha Digest V7 #572
Powered by hypermail