> Firstly, is it possible that reasonably 'informed sources' can find
> themselves backing the 'wrong' candidate to be Red Emperor, or being
> uncertain as to whom to back, or is this practically impossible or
> unlikely?
IMO, this is certainly possible. You find out *after* the denouement that you were following a "False Proxy", or a "Gbaji-Resurrecting Dupe of Chaos", or a "Menshevik Revisionist", or whoever. At the time, you think you're doing the Right (Lunar) Thing to do.
> Second, is the new Mask necessarily and always born/created _after_
> the death of the previous one?
Mirrors, masks and veils. Imperial high-fliers who are convinced they possess the Mandate of the Moon may realise that the current Mask is *not* the real Mask -- he could be a Proxy, and they themselves are the Real Emperor-in-Hiding.
I don't like using "born" of these Mask/candidates at all. That leads us down a Tibetan Buddhist road (i.e. "Moonson is reborn as an infant when his previous Mask dies"), which doesn't appear at all appropriate given the documented history.
The final stage in the creation of a Mask takes place on the Red Moon, and is when the Council of the Egi sanctify and elevate the various soul-fragments of Moonson into a new integrated manifestation. The mundane succession conflict (if any) which produces the Body of the new Mask is but a part of this process -- but it's the part most visible to mortals and the part which affects them most.
There is much Lunar heroquesting skulduggery going on Up Above, and Down Below, and Way Out There, after the Red Emperor passes on, and I would hate to sideline or ignore this just because we are focussing on the mundane politics. By its nature, this kind of stuff is (1) more ritualised/formulaic/mythically and philosophically resonant, and (2) less understood by the vulgar plebs and indeed the high-up nobs of the Empire in consequence.
> Third, and I suspect most crucially (or at least, about which I 'know'
> the least) what's the state of the RE (or the portions thereof, as the
> case may be) before, and after the ritual of the Egi?
Before: not integrated. Dispersed in many parts throughout the Six Worlds. The part we humans worry about most -- the Body of the New Emperor -- is walking around alive and well, somewhere in Peloria. It's just been hit on the head by a Mandate of the Moon, and is probably somewhat stunned.
There may also be various Proxies walking around who look just like the dead Emperor, think they are him (and that he hasn't died), and may *also* (just to add to the fun) be prime candidates to receive the Mandate and re-integrate the "deceased" Mask of Moonson in their own flesh -- and this only has to happen *once* in the whole of Imperial history for various of the more confusing Lunar memes to receive corroboration. ("There's no point killing the Emperor, as he comes back just the same!").
After: mostly re-integrated. Any surviving Proxies must be hunted down and re-integrated to complete the new Moonson (NB: his personality and powers may change radically as this occurs). Any rival claimants likewise, although in their case "re-integration" is likely more cosmetic and less beneficial to either participant.
> Where does this fit into the usual 'timeline' for the death, rebirth,
> testing, and (re-)enthronement of the RE?
There ain't a "usual" timeline -- it's only been done nine or so times (Masks since Magnificus), and some of those appear to have been remarkably smooth, others fraught with fratricidal civil wars, conspiracies, assassinations and the like.
> How much 'input' is there from mortal sources (to wit, those that can
> be threatened, blackmailed, bribed, or otherwise 'influenced') in this
> part of the process, and how does it effect the 'final product' of the
> new Mask?
There is surely a great deal of input from mortal sources. But they are playing with fire if they "twist" things too much, as there is Real Mythic Power behind the Red Emperor. However, due to the mysteries and uncertainties and evolving experimental nature of the Lunar Empire, ambitious nobles are always testing the limits, trying new things to see what they can get away with. (While pious priestesses are trying to improve the process, cut out the unnecessary bits and enhance the end product: Building a Better Emperor!)
IMO, the new Mask will look like a successful claimant and possess recognisable elements of his personality, skills and interest. He will, however, be Moonson. Think about how Bluff Prince Hal turned into Henry V, and magnify a thousandfold. The Emperor is not as other men. He cannot afford to be. The weight of new Lunar knowledge and experience he gains when he is re-integrated encompasses and can easily overwhelm the mortal core which makes up part of his being.
Perhaps the *real* losers of some succession conflicts are the nobles who thought they had won -- they've put "their" candidate on Moonson's throne, only to discover that he is now *Moonson*, and not their creation at all.
BUT -- and that's a *big* BUT -- I think the leaders of the Empire could still have everything to play for, and believe that they do, by playing politics in the interregnal periods. I did *not* intend, in the paragraph above, to suggest that "there are no succession contests because whether your candidate wins or loses, you lose anyway (and Moonson wins)." I mention it because it could add a nice "twist" to an ongoing campaign, not just to undermine months of players' honest striving with a sneer and a cackle and an ice-pick on the head.
:::: Email: <mailto:Nick_Brooke_at_btinternet.com>
Nick
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End of The Glorantha Digest V7 #581
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