Thanks! That's perfect! All that info makes me itch for a Kralorela source book to read, but I'm guessing that won't be published for sometime still.
--Victor
>
>First a low down on the recent political developments in the
>run up to the hero wars.
>
>"ALL KNOWING AND ALL POWERFUL. NOT AT ALL THERE"
>
>As Dragon Emperor of Kralorela, Godunya is one of the most
>powerful beings in Glorantha. He is responsible for casting
>the evil emperors ShangHsa may-his-name-be-cursed and
>Sheng Seleris from their thrones. But he's kind of old now
>and everybody knows that it's time for him to Move On.
>
>Only he can't.
>
>The problem is that during the war against Sheng Seleris,
>Godunya was forced to commit utuma, ritual suicide. He
>went to the beyond and came back as a huge dragon
>which kicked Sheng Seleris off his personal star and sent
>him crashing to the ground in the far west. But because
>of what he did, if he commits utuma again then he returns
>whether he wants to or not.
>
>Godunya has slowly been losing it over the past two
>centuries and it's come to the stage where he can only
>smile blankly if asked about important questions of state.
>This and other incidents have transformed the Imperial
>Palace into Glorantha's best furnished nursing home.
>
>Fortunately his physicians are confident that the period
>of his night time wanderings are coming to an end.
>Godunya has becoming more golden over the past few
>decades, which is surely a sign of impending spiritual
>transformation. When that will happen, nobody knows
>but they would like it to happen Real Soon Now.
>
>The main problem with Godunya's dotage is not that
>he is incapable of making decisions but that he does
>not perform the dance of Infinite Dragons as well as he
>could. Because of this, there is discord among the
>previously united Sages of Kralorela that has not
>happened before.
>
>there are many very important policy decisions for
>Kralorela that have been left waiting for something like
>fifty years...
>
>"WHEN GOOD MANDARINS GO BAD"
>
>Far away in the north of Kralorela is the dreaded land of
>Bliss in Ignorance. The people here are truly wretched,
>having little understanding of civilized customs. Among
>the Sages, Bliss in Ignorance is especially dreaded
>because if a Sage screws up, his next bureacratic
>posting is Bliss in Ignorance presiding over glorantha's
>equivalent of inbred trailer trash.
>
>When the Great Western Fleet sailed into the Inland Sea,
>the Kralori were divided about what to do. The Exarch of
>Wanzow, Can Shu, was the leader of those that welcomed
>the foreign fleet. However after he declared his position,
>the Palace decided to sink the entire fleet. Can Shu had
>to resign his exarchy and exile himself to Ignorance.
>
>When a Sage goes to Ignorance, he is expected to teach
>the Ignorants draconic wisdom to the best of his ability or
>die trying. Most exiled sages simply give up and instead
>use their knowledge to set themselves up as minor
>aristocracy - they have a comfortable life but at the same
>time, it's nothing like what they could have had. A few
>Sages totally lose it and seek revenge on Kralorela - Can
>Shu chose the last path.
>
>Can Shu's choice is exceptionally disastrous because he
>is the first Exarch to go bad. Normally the majority of exiles
>can neutralize the bad sages, but against Can Shu they are
>simply outclassed. Can Shu has used his power to forge
>Bliss in Ignorance into a potent military state with the avowed
>aim of overthrowing Kralorela.
>
>Normally the Kralori have nothing to worry about. When
>Shang-Hsa may-his-name-be-cursed was Emperor, the
>righteous Mandarins were in control of Ignorance and they
>couldn't overthrow Kralorela. So the Kralori Army should
>be able to contain Can Shu. Right?
>
>Right?
>
>"PEACE IN OUR TIME"
>
>Kralorela has recovered from a world-destroying occupation
>by Sheng Seleris. This has raised the riddle of "why, if we
>were true to the Dragons, are we having our heads kicked in
>time and again?". After consulting many oracles, the answer
>was found with Yao Fune meditating in the desert.
>
>Although the sources describe Yao Fune as being concerned
>by this question, I have the idea that Yao Fune was a Great
>Sage, older than the dragon emperors, who had spent most
>of his time meditating peacefully in the desert, both caring and
>not caring about the whole world. The three years of meditation
>that he is supposed to have spent on the question is actually
>the period that someone popped the question to him and when
>he finally answered.
>
>Yao Fune's answer was that Kralorela's woes arose because
>it struggled with the outside world. If it simply decided to give
>up all war, then all the destruction wrought by Sekever,
>ShangHsa and Sheng Seleris would simply disappear.
>
>The Kralori are giving Yao's ideas a test by declaring a funeral
>for the outside world and undertaking no military action
>whatsoever. That includes Ignorance even though it's massing
>armies on the borders. Which raises the obvious question:
>
>Have the Kralori Sages lost their minds?
>
>"THE GENERALISSIMO AND HIS ENEMIES"
>
>After Godunya, the leading Sage in the Empire is the Archexarch
>of War, Seven Dragon and Wisdom (hereafter the Generalissimo).
>His credentials are excellent - he was Imolo Wen's disciple when
>the latter subjugated the Turtle People of Boshan and forced them
>to return to the wisdom of the Dragons. When Imolo Wen retired
>as War Dragon General to become Abbot of the Faithful Dragon
>School, the Generalissimo was the only obvious replacement.
>
>It is what the Generalissimo did next that arouses such loathing.
>When the Great Western Fleet appeared, Kralorela was divided
>and Godunya was indisposed. The Generalissimo took matters
>into his own hands. He stormed the Imperial Palace and obtained
>Godunya's approval to sink the Western Fleet. The Archexarch
>of War was forced to commit utuma in disgrace and the
>Generalissimo appointed in his stead as the only obvious choice.
>
>The Generalissimo then reorganizes Kralorela in preparation for
>the oncoming calamity that the Sages agree is coming. However
>because of what he has done, he has created enemies among
>the Sages.
>
>In order to take the Generalissimo down a peg or two, the
>Sages have seized on the prophecies of Yao Fune. If Yao
>Fune's prophecies work then the Generalissimo is out of a job.
>
>If, on the other hand, Yao Fune's prophecies don't work (as
>they believe is likely to be the case), they can incite the
>Generalissimo into attacking Ignorance and then order him
>to commit Utuma for having violated Imperial Policy.
>
>So while the Generalissimo has been reorganizing Kralorela,
>his enemies have been spinning a careful administrative
>trap for him. Already they have persuaded Godunya to hold
>a funeral for the outside world and order a freeze on any
>operations against Ignorance.
>
>LIKELY EVENTS OF THE HERO WARS
>
>Can Shu invades as expected.
>
>The Generalissimo sulks in his tent as was not expected.
>
>Can Shu conquers the northern exarchies but encounters
>local resistance, which probably invalidates the promise
>of Yao Fune's prophecies.
>
>Emboldened by Kralori passivity, the Hsunchen, the
>Amazons and the Teshnans (ie. Melib) invade.
>
>Godunya finally passes on. The Sages have no idea
>where to find the next Emperor.
>
>The Generalissimo declares himself Emperor. Civil
>War breaks out.
>
>--Peter Metcalfe
>
>
>
--__--__--
End of Glorantha Digest
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