-----Original Message-----
From: Nick Brooke
Sent: 27 February 2002 07:19
To: Sarah Evans
Cc: Simon Bray; Mark Galeotti
Subject: RE: The First Battle of Chaos
Hi, Sarah --
Thanks for getting in touch. First things first -- I *loved* the illos in "UZ", so I'm delighted to hear that you're working on another book for Simon & Mark.
> I'm currently painting 'the return of the godess' on an A0 canvas, but
> only having played pendragon pass for 6 months, and as a heortling my
> knowledge of the first battle of chaos is well..vague. The bat's red!
> :-)
>
> So I was hoping I could ask you for a few simple descriptions and the
> like.
OK. Mood music first -- in some ways, the First Battle of Chaos is when the universe changes. The Lunars effectively *nuked* an opposing imperial army which was about to wipe their heretical micro-state off the map, by unleashing unholy, blasphemous, demonic powers which nobody suspected they possessed. From then on, their terrorist empire grows and grows -- by annihilating the elite army of the Carmanian Empire, their rise was effectively unopposed for most of a generation.
The reappearance of the Goddess riding the Crimson Bat was a terrible shock to the system. Many who saw it went insane -- on *both* sides. There was an army of traumatised, chaos-warped lunatics roaming Peloria for decades afterwards. If you can see that shock on the ground, well and good. This isn't "fight the bat" time -- this is "run for your life" time. Nothing like this has *ever* happened before. If you can see any faces, they're probably screaming in terror.
Next -- the facts:
Here's the relevant bits out of the "History of the Lunar Empire" http://www.glorantha.com/library/history/hle-0wane.html#battle-chaos
Apologies if you've read this before -- seemed to make sense to have it all in one place.
In 0/8, after the Holy Time at the end of the year, the Goddess left the mortal realms upon adventures which carried her beyond the lands of her followers. Two years after her departure, the Carmanian sorcerer Mahedres Redbeard, who had served four generations of Carmanian kings, declared that the Goddess was gone, trapped in the Seven Teeth and Two Jaws, and that her lands were ready for reconquest. Yanafal Ta'arn'ils, the Superhero, had gone to try to rescue her, and the other remaining Mothers were unable to properly defend the lands of First Blessed. Probing attacks were followed by invasions and culminated in 0/12 (1232) when the Carmanian army marched to the walls of Torang, besieging seven forts or cities along the way, and laying assault ladders upon the walls of the sacred city five times before the arrival of the relief army under the command of the returned Duke Yanafal.
The Battle of Chaos was a three day affair...
On the third day the Lunar forces stood desperately on the defensive while the Inner Circle magicians finished their long search for the Goddess. The army formed into a large square atop a hill, where the exhausted magicians and Char-Un took refuge. The Carmanian commander threw his infantry against the fortified position and managed to breach it with his own leadership and magic. The Char-Un reserves fought poorly on foot, and the Carmanian knights had reached the sacred Lunar band and even slain two of the Mothers before the search was completed and the Goddess appeared.
She came riding atop the demon known as the Crimson Bat. This was a creature from Chaos itself, with unearthly powers and abilities even when constrained to the Physical Plane. Never before had a mortal exhibited such control over a Chaos creature, but the Carmanians were not heir to such knowledge. The Goddess rode among them, spreading appalling death wherever she went, and driving many mad who were unable to defend themselves against the mind-warping properties of this Chaos influence. The sad survivors of this fight wandered madly off in a group, and roamed the countryside for generations as a dangerous band of crazed and semi-chaotic marauders known as the Mad Sultanate.
The Carmanians who managed to escape went home with tales of Lunar evil, and in their way of thought saw that as Truth. Proof was easy to present, and the Carmanian Empire began girding itself and seeking allies against this force in the world which flaunted its power over abomination and evil. Nations and peoples who had previously stayed neutral in the war quickly joined the Carmanians in their fight against the Lunar Queendom. This fanatical and unthinking hatred and psychic fear of the Lunar potential would plague the Empire for all of its centuries of existence.
The friends of the Goddess who viewed the victory and the subsequent control of the Goddess over the demon were only further convinced of the truth and strength of the magic present before them, and their internal and integral Power increased with their connections to the Goddess thereby.
Afterwards this battle was called the Battle of Chaos, though this was later amended to be the First Battle of Chaos. The overwhelming Lunar victory assured them of a period of peace to rebuild their losses, and glory in the power of the Red Goddess.
After the establishment of First Blessed as the center of the Red Goddess' power, the Lunar country began a period of solid growth and expansion. Under the tutelage of the Goddess the troops and magicians were able to learn many new spells and tactics for the battle, and other more creative skills went to work in constructing the legendary realm of peace and prosperity which the Goddess promised.
The losses of the Carmanian feudal nobility in the Battle of Chaos weakened them seriously for years, forcing a reliance upon allied and mercenary troops for the fighting while the younger children and newly knighted families trained to skill and grew in numbers...
What do we get out of this? The rebel army is up on a hill, formed up in a hollow square (like the formations at Waterloo), which has been broken at least in part. They aren't the neat-o Roman Legionary types you might be expecting -- this is before there's even a Lunar Empire, and besides, technology moves on: the pix in "Sartar Rising" or "Tarsh War" are ultra-modern compared with this event, centuries earlier. While I don't think you'll be *detailing* any of the troops, under the circs, vagueness and a sense of irregular scimitar-waving fanaticism would be a strength here. They are rebel fanatics, not the forces of an organised state. Some of them may be wearing red, white and/or black cloaks or headbands or whatever, but they don't have a uniform as such.
So: the square of rebel fanatics is defending a bunch of priests and magicians at the centre. Maybe they have a glowing altar, or some such gubbins: I suspect that whatever they're doing will be greatly overshadowed by the SFX around the Goddess and the Bat, so again not to worry about the detail, but remember that their rituals are by this point desperate -- we're talking voluntary human sacrifice, serious self-mutilation, frenzied attempts to get through to the Other Side, which have only just succeeded. From the History, you know that the enemy army has cut through to the rebel magicians at least once, and they have taken *serious* casualties.
Other notes: some of the rebels could be waving standards with wings, feathers, winged eyes (Rinliddi); banners with horse skulls, horse-tails, general barbaric trimmings (Char-Un allies). NO "LUNAR" IMAGERY (crescent moons, full moons, etc.) -- this battle takes place 35 years before the rise of the Red Moon.
Their attackers, the Carmanian army, are led by a spearhead of heavily-armoured footmen. Not *mediaeval* armour -- this is an ancient-world setting. If what you can see looks like bronze scale-mail coats, we're on the same wavelength. Some of them will be wearing bullor lion-themed helmets or headdresses (or carrying ditto standards), but that's a level of detail you might not need. They're beardie types. Simon did a *lovely* pic of a Carmanian Knight several years back -- dunno if he can show it to you. Also, I could zap you some JPG scans of ancient Assyrian/Persian types which might help -- do let me know.
As well as the knights, though, the Carmanians press their subject nations into fighting their battles, so there's a great horde of not-so-well equipped infantry. The best ones will fight as hoplites (Ancient Greeks); the worst are probably wearing loincloths and throwing rocks. Everyone does their bit, when the Bull Shah gives the order...
Here's a generic description of the Carmanian Army, from http://www.glorantha.com/new/imperial_military.html:
"The Carmanian army was a professional, permanent standing force that carried forth a pre-Carmanian tradition of military experience. The high command, using a manual they called The Twelve Commands, was flexible and efficient. Discipline and drill were held highly, unit (regimental) traditions encouraged, and adherence to magical strictures was absolute. Sentiment was scorned, whether it was chivalric, compassionate, or based on national pride. Any trick or ruse was allowed against enemies. Magic, provided by the frightening viziers and magi, was welcomed. Hazars were the professional elite of the army, manned by a hereditary class of warriors riding upon heavy mailed war horses. The other professional soldiers, nearly all of whom prayed to Saint Humakt before battle, were known as 'Humakti.' They were supported by unreliable irregulars: levies, mercenaries or foreigners."
But that's all backdrop, right? Since the Bat has reappeared, these guys are now a screaming mob, fleeing for their lives or catatonic or frothing insane and turning on each other. Discipline has gone -- *nobody* is standing around to be crunched and zapped and warped with weird, inexplicable Chaos Magic. Also, no horses today.
A last bit of setting -- the hill they're all on is near the beautiful middle-eastern city of Torang, which looks a bit like Agrabah from the Disney version of Aladdin: minarets, domes, and so forth. The hill must be pretty high and rough and rocky (nobody is *riding* into this battle) -- it's the most defensive spot around for the more-or-less beaten rebels to hole up atop -- and this is a hard country on the fringes of the great steppes, so if it looks arid and rugged, that's all to the good. People are running downhill, now, which is in breach of Health and Safety laws, and I'm sure some of them are fleeing over cliffs or plunging into ravines -- cleaning up after this battle is going to be a nightmare.
Speaking of nightmares, what about the central figures?
Here's a terrible scan of quite a good piccie of the event: http://www.glorantha.com/library/history/plate7.html In this version, the Goddess is wielding a scythe, which is kinda neat. Likely to be for effect rather than an actual weapon, if you see what I mean -- ain't no way her enemies are getting anywhere near her! The pic is ritual/official propaganda, not an accurate depiction, so only lift what you need.
The Red Goddess is quite straightforward. At this point in history, I don't think she's a baldie (yet), but if you like drawing bald women, go ahead: she can always grow it back. I'd show her as a redhead. No elaborate hairstyle or ornamentation -- I'd let it all hang out in the wind, although that badly scanned pic shows some kind of beehive hairdo (urgh!).
She'll wear a fairly simple but very beautiful outfit, maybe a hint of classical robes, likely to be vibrant scarlet and flowing. She is *not* in armour. If you can see her face, she is serene, in a Buddha's-smile kinda way: not angry, not shocked, just doing her thing. She is the only person here today who understands what is happening -- even her best friends and most loyal supporters didn't know she was going to reappear with that THING.
Speaking of which: the Bat. It's monstrous. It's *huge*. It isn't just a Big Bat, although that's a good start. This is a vile demonic monstrosity. It glows red, in a hideous tentacular universe-despoiling way. It's *bright red* today, lighting up the battlefield. It has lots of eyes, irregularly dotted around (five of them on its head, others elsewhere on its body). Its mouth is *huge* -- this thing swallows armies! And that's what it's doing today.
The Bat has three tongues, according to a pedantic description someone wrote once. It spits 'em out like tentacles, grabs soldiers, and drags them into its mouth for a hideous afterlife of torment. It can unhinge its jaw to swallow unimaginably large things. When it breathes its acid breath on you, you suffer and die. When it beats its wings, the wind knocks people down, then it scoops them into its mouth and *crunch*. And, yes, it's red (!).
There is nobody else on the Bat with the Goddess. It's *much* bigger than her -- if you know the old "Heavy Metal" movie poster (cf. http://www.thecinemalaser.com/dvd_reviews/heavy-metal-dvd.htm), that particular winged thing is *way* too small. I've just done a web search for "dragon rider" using http://images.google.com and none of the pics that come up have a big enough steed. When the Lunar Empire eventually gets its act together, the Bat can carry a dozen or more people on its back -- don't think saddles, think Howdahs. (But not today -- the Goddess rides bareback). Don't worry too much about the scale of the thing, though, as nobody's gonna be measuring it. Besides, the Goddess could very well be appearing "larger than life" at the moment -- that sort of thing tends to happen at Great Mythic Gloranthan Events, which is always helpful for struggling artists.
So: the Bat. It's destroying people. There's no organised resistance, lots of fleeing and dying, a fair amount of insanity. A few minutes ago, the Carmanian Army was about to crush the rebels once and for all -- now, they've been blasted and destroyed by an unholy Thing from Beyond. And the rebels? They're not exactly happy about it, yet. Some of them are going mad, some of them are fleeing, the rest have just fought a gruelling three-day battle (on the losing side, against the greatest war machine of the age) and they aren't exactly breaking out the champagne to celebrate, just yet. They're bone-tired and in shock.
The battlefield is all lit up red. This is a day that will live in infamy. The Lunar religion is kinda embarrassed about it afterwards -- like the Americans after Hiroshima, I guess. There will have been piles of corpses around *anyway* -- this was a hard-fought day before the Goddess's Bat out of Hell arrived and put an end to all the fighting -- but now it's like a slaughterhouse. Not a great day for anyone.
Here's a description I wrote a few years back -- I wanted to use this as a nightmarish religious vision for a scenario I was writing:
THE YANAFAL VISION Vision: "You look down from the hillside, across the sea of yesterday's carnage, shattered squares and broken lances. On the plain below, the host of the enemy is marshalling for one more push. And you know your men will break - this is an onslaught they cannot resist. In the serried ranks of the cataphracts, gleaming with brass scales and steel sabres, you see the mirror of your death. And then, it happens. Like a red flower blooming, like a second sun rising, like a bat out of hell, Death Itself swoops over the enemy ranks. And they fall, bodies, minds and souls blasted by the enormity. And now you see them not just as your enemy - they are your kin, your cousins, your comrades-in-arms. The flower of Carmanian chivalry lies broken on the field of battle. And you weep."
Afterimage: "Something terrible is coming. It serves the Lunar Way. We wish there was a better way to do this, but there is none."
Commentary: The vision is of Yanafal at the First Battle of Chaos, when the Crimson Bat was unleashed against the army of Carmania. Catechism explains it thus: "Atrocity appals us: that is its function. But without atrocity, we would not have survived to be appalled."
(Sorry if that reads like a load of pretentious wank).
Cheers, Nick
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