>The ritual [to kill the Pharaoh] is thought to be in Esrolia. Earth
>Season, Earth Sixth.
Having had this argument before, I should point out that above is Joerg's conjecture, based on the (IMO dubious) assumption that JarEel was seeking to obtain some of the earth powers of a prior Inspiration of Moonson.
However all that's known (with quasi-certainty) is that the Pharaoh was on the Other Side when he failed to pay the right type of coin to the Men in Red in order to cross a River. Given the motif of crossing the River of the Dead, it could just as easily be in Dark Season. With a bit of stretching, correspondences for other elements, seasons and sixths could be made.
As a result, is his theory wrong? No. But it is far from generally accepted. Hence I do feel that Joerg could be more clear about whether something is his personal opinion or not.
My own suspicion is that given the correspondences of Hepherones (Masters of Luck and Death p66) and recent revelations about the Lunar Otherworld and the identity of the unspecified sixth element (Pharaonic) goes something like this.
The Pharaonic Wonder that is Holy Country Other Side is not one of the three standard otherworlds or the Heroplanes, but like the Surface of the Moon, an otherworld in its own right (looking something like the Spiral Map on Arcane Lore p43).
Now if we look at the correspondences of Hepherones. we see the Red is the colour of the North Direction of which the element is unspecified. Hence the Pharaoh was doing a ritual involving the Sixth Element and by extension, the land of God Forgot.
Now it's certainly the case that the God Forgot looks nothing like the Lunar Empire or even the known correspondences of Hepherones' Sixth element. If anything, it should be the Limbo that appears in the Spiral Map (that is, if the Pope hasn't abolished it). My guess is that through much of his reign, the Pharaoh thought it was Limbo and treated it as such. It was only when the Lunar Empire drew near that the Pharaoh became aware that it might not be and started to investigate it more thoroughly. In doing so, he created connections that the Lunars found and used to assassinate him.
So in my theory, the Pharaoh is either on the Other Side corresponding to God Forgot or in the City of Wonders. The time is probably Sacred Time because that's all that are left in the Calender once the five seasons have been removed.
So where would the Lunar Conspirators have done the ritual? Anywhere there was a Lunar Temple is the answer although for practical reasons, they might have chosen a Lunar Temple closest to the Holy Country.
The New Lunar Temple is ruled out because Tatius the Bright doesn't play a part in the assassination and more importantly doesn't begin its construction until some five years later. Hence the nearest temple would probably be the Temple of the Seven Mothers in Boldhome unless there was a decent temple in Wilmskirk at the time.
--Peter Metcalfe
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