In the God Time, Glorantha had a moon or moons, sometimes described as blue, red, or even purple. Most give a celestial origin for this Lunar Goddess, calling her the daughter of Aether or Yelm; others give her an Underworld origin, calling her the daughter of Primal Darkness and the Primal Waters. Still others make her an impossible pairing of Celestial and Underworld powers.
During the Gods War, the Lunar Goddess was cast down from heaven and shattered. Some say it was by Orlanth, others blame Mostal, and still other’s blame Yelm’s vengeful kin. The moon fell to earth in many pieces, the largest being the Blue Moon Plateau in Peloria.
In the Third Age of Time, seven individuals came together to bring about the rebirth of the Lunar Goddess. They were occult conspirators whom desperation and ambition had brought together. They sought out parts of a deity which they believed would be able to help them, gathering pieces of the long-forgotten Lunar Goddess, who had been dismembered and scattered during the Gods War. The result was the birth of the Red Goddess.
The prehistoric Lunar Goddess plays little role in the modern Lunar Religion, although echoes of Her can be found in such cults as Annilla, Dendara, Gerra, Gorgorma, and Natha. Although the prehistoric cults are of some interest to antiquarians and scholars, spiritual liberation is obtained through the Red Goddess, not her antecedents.
So if you want to play a Seven Mothers cultist who plans to become a Red Goddess initiate but don’t know who Verithurusa or Orogeria is – DON’T WORRY.
Note that the Red Goddess is far more and far greater than her broken parts.
If you are a Lunar heroquester – go into the Otherworld. Confront the Old Gods, make allies in the realms, and defeat the foes of the Red Goddess. You are no prisoner of Time – make your new myths! If you want to follow an old path, do it to defeat a threat – follow Kalikos to defeat Valind, or follow the Young God to defeat the Celestial River (so that the Oslira can be tamed).
One of the things I disliked the most about the HW-RPG era is that it made heroquests so backwards looking. Look forward and make something new!
Wouldn’t restoring the powers of the Old Moons be visionary and forward looking? They have been restored – with the rebirth of the Red Goddess! Their remnant cults are just that – reminders of the broken old Lunar Goddess.