EricW

That's a very interesting point, Lunar attitudes to chaos are not fixed, they changed over time. So was it a gradual deterioration which led to the monster empire? Or did the ascension of Ralzakark suddenly open the floodgates?

Mercury compounds would have been more likely for wound treatment, right up to the late 20th century, though antibiotics were a thing after they were developed around 1930. Mercury chloride, used since before the 1800s, was sold as an antiseptic, with limited emergency wound treatment use or treatment of Syphilis. Merbromin, a compound of mercury and bromine, was developed in 1918 and was still in use in the 1980s, a very effective wound antiseptic. My mum always made me apply it to grazes and cuts, she was really upset when it was pulled from the shelves. Everyone hear's "mercury" and thinks - deadly poison. But this was not the attitude even a few decades ago. The mercury compounds were used because they were really effective at stopping infection. I mean, mercury is a nasty cumulative poison, but compounds like Merbromin were not high risk for a single application - you'd have to bathe in the stuff to absorb a dangerous level of mercury. if it was a choice of losing my leg to a nasty infection, or taking my chances soaking a wound with a big bottle of merbromin, I'd try the mercury compounds. Mercury was readily available, it can be extracted from the ore by heating the mineral cinnabar. It was used for cleaning guns, making dental fillings (amalgamated with gold or silver), as a preservative, and is also a vital component of mercury fulminate, which was used as a primer in ammunition. Hydrochloric acid, the other component required to make mercury chloride, has been around since the 8th century, and is prepared by mixing common table salt with green vitriol, a chemical salt which accumulates when water soaks through old mines.

The Empire of Light was exceptionally tolerant. Is the Lunar Empire so similar to the Empire of Light, or are their differences?

Lunars have access to Chaos Gift. That felt good - extra strength to swing a sword, greater dexterity, extra endurance to survive damage, greater intelligence or power. What happens if the Lunar wants to go further? So for example, if they want a "permanent" chaos gift? Will they still be accepted by their community? What are the social or legal consequences?

Given the goddess provides spells which cause insanity, and exploring the mysteries involves contact with mind blasting concepts, they would have to kill a lot of people if they decided to execute subjects just for being insane.

Perhaps they are proceeding carefully because the cultists are associated with some very strange magic, even if they can’t yet use it. The white moon is out there and it’s getting stronger. Just killing them might not stop the apocalypse.

Can anyone bring magic back from the White Moon? If so what? The White Moon cultists seem awfully persistent, despite vigorous Lunar discouragement, maybe their magic contradicts or undermines the power of the Red Moon somehow?

Indeed, but by magically removing many of the normal consequences of such abuse, illumination makes abuse of power a lot easier.

What I found fascinating was how she really came to identify with being a Scorpion Queen, trying to initiate the tribe into Humakt, working out why some of here children weren't intelligent and what to do about it. Who knows. Maybe down the track if she gets bored with being a Scorpion Queen, she might realise that if she joins Thanatar she can regain human form, by being killed then being bound into the body of a human. Or if some humans really bother her tribe, maybe she'll join Malia, and really sort out their village.

YGMV, but illumination is a threat because abuse is such an easy path to power. You get to do anything. The only limit is you have to hide your theft of magic, otherwise you attract attention from people determined to stamp out such abuse. I don't think there is any need to tame it, if a PC starts abusing the power, there are real consequences. I mean, illuminates can have chaos features, yet still freely access anti-chaos cults they have joined - unless someone notices the tentacles.

Fascinating the Ralzakark and Arkat both came back in multiple bodies. Maybe that is what happens when powerful illuminates are resurrected - the contradictions can no longer be contained in one body. The resolution, recombining all those powers back into one body, maybe what you end up with is the Monster emperor. What did happen to all those Arkat incarnations? They kind of appeared then nothing?

Maybe illuminates can detect as chaotic if they want? Or is the Red Goddess’ chaos nature inferred from the company she keeps? in which case where does that leave Humakt? Humakt accepts chaos, like Ralzakark’s sword Broos

I think the Monster Empire and the final days of the Empire of Light are the answer to what is wrong with illumination. Illumination is like being asked to mind a million dollars. Days, weeks, years pass. Then, one day, the day before pay day, your run out of money. Family emergency. Your kids need to see the doctor. So, you will get paid tomorrow, surely there is no harm borrowing the money from the cash pile, you will replace it tomorrow. After succumbing to temptation, it becomes easier to do it next time. Until one day there is a big hole in that cash pile, and your intentions of paying it back have been indefinitely deferred. You can think of a whole pile of scenarios like that. A Lhankor Mhy sage, who desperately needs to decipher and learn a scroll, to save their people. For an illuminate there is an easier way. Beleaguered defenders, taking a chaos taint to strengthen them against their foes, to protect their loved ones. The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

But surely when the compromise breaks and time stops, the real world enters a period indistinguishable from other parts of the godtime, other than that big spider crawling towards the sun?

This is where it gets weird. Time travel is impossible - but time doesn’t exist when the compromise breaks down. Heroes from the future can visit the Sunstop and other breakdowns in the compromise. So what happens when a hero from the future spills information about future events, to other participants in such a cataclysm? Are they just too busy to pay attention?

Lords of Terror this was part of a report written by a very frightened illuminated Lunar spy who wanted out before it was too late.

From Lords of Terror; Makes the White Moon cult look tame...

Quote (Cults of Prax) I think you can send pretty much whatever you want after your NPC. Maybe a lune? Of course, there must be a reason why the NPC is so important to warrant special treatment 😉

If you wanted to be really cruel you could go with Krasht. A Krasht worshipper wouldn’t necessarily attack non chaotic PCs, they might even offer services, become a useful procurer of difficult items or information, seek to corrupt their judgement by being a false friend. Keep your enemies close and all that.

Most such artefacts would be an abuse of the draconic path. Blood of Orlanth (not sure if its canon anymore) has an example of a perversion of right action which dragonewts hate but human EWF subjects find unspeakably tempting. The God Learners left behind dangerous artefacts, why not the EWF? Perhaps the right action is to destroy the artefact rather than yield to temptation. The destruction of the artefact could lead to dragonewts appearing, and beckoning the players to join them on the hero plane for a meeting with a dragon, who will guide them on a step towards true enlightenment.

Trickster might be able to hide Thed from Ragnaglar, I don't think a direct confrontation would work out for most heroes. Of course, Ragnaglar would probably just find someone else to abuse, with potentially horrendous consequences - imagine if your attempted intervention created a new chaos threat for elves, if in your legend Aldrya became the mother of the Devil? Or say a darkness deity? I think the victims of your quest might want to have a long chat with you when you returned to the mundane world.

Are Thanatari severed heads undead? While in the possession of their owner, and afterwards as insane ghosts?

Publicly accusing someone of being an illuminated Lunar spy would draw attention. Any illuminates in the audience would know you were lying (unless you weren't), but it would be unwise for an actual illuminate to let on how they knew for sure you were wrong. Letting Orlanth vindicate the honour of the accused through a duel would be a quick solution.

Given the "Night of Horrors" involved many worlds, couldn't the Sorcerers of Orathorn simply be one of the other world horrors which washed up in Gloranthan reality, and somehow never left? This would explain the puzzling lack of connection between the sorcerers and anything else, and why the Emperor's chaos magic suddenly went so wrong - the sorcerers, perhaps fleeing the collapse of another reality, might have seen a weakness and pounced. A flood of other beings could have entered through the breach they created, but most were expelled when the breach was closed.

Nothing a "repair" spell can't handle 🙂