>I'm planning a one shot game in Kralorela and I'm looking for any
>major events that happen there during the Hero Wars. I can make
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
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End of Glorantha Digest
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