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The Size of the Red Moon

Posted on July 2, 2021

Lunar celestialogists claim that the top of the Sky Dome is approximately 6000 km above Magasta’s Pool and that the Red Moon is therefore about 3000 km above the Crater (“halfway between Earth and Sky”). The Crater is about 40 km in diameter and thus the Red Moon must be about 40 km in diameter according to these Irrippi Ontor cultists.Interestingly, our own terrestrial moon is about 3500 km in diameter (a little less than 100 times wider than the Red Moon) but is about 384,000 km away from Earth (or more than 100 times further away than the Red Moon), and thus the Red Moon usually looks about the same apparent size as our moon (however, it looks smaller from Pamaltela).

BUT – within the Glowline, the Red Moon appears larger and closer to the Earth. And the closer you get to the Crater, the larger and nearer the Red Moon appears. It is said that from atop the Crater rim, the Red Moon appears near enough to leap to – and indeed, Sheng Seleris and his picked companions did just that.

Once on the Red Moon, the Moon becomes the person’s point of reference – the surface of the Moon is down and away from the Moon becomes up. It doesn’t matter where you go on the Moon the effect is the same – even on the Below Pole! Lunars who have traveled to the Moon suggest that one can travel from the Above Pole to the Below Pole in two or three days (assuming you have permission to do so), suggesting that the circumference of the Red Moon is somewhere around 125 km.

By all accounts, the Red Moon is a strange, surreal place, with forests, seas, mountains, and plains, all in varying shades of red. It has cities and palaces, the homes of Lunar gods, spirits, and heroes, as well as blessed visitors from the Lunar Empire.

Moon map by Eric Vanel from the Guide to Glorantha

These weird effects of space and dimension as one gets closer to the Red Moon have caused many pilgrims to go mad through spontaneous Illumination.

The mind-blasting “turning” of the Red Moon’s proximity as one approaches the Crater is the subject of much Lunar poetry and song.

I imagine the reality-defying impossibilities of the Red Moon as one approaches the Crater Rim makes R’lyeh look very tame. To reference the other game: 1D10/D100 SAN loss!

The impact of the proximity of the Red Moon to the nerve center of the Lunar Empire cannot be underestimated. Some people sometimes get inspiration for the Lunars by watching the Life of Bryan; me – I think a better source of inspiration might be Lorenzo St. Dubois from the Producers.

In fact, there are a LOT of Lunar insights in “Love Power.” Just let the insight wash over you and send your spirit to the Red Moon:Love power. I’m talking about love power.

The power of a sweet flower is gonna rule the earth. And there’ll be a great rebirth.

She danced atop the earth and rose into the sky and a vast sphere of earth rose with her. As described in this piece by Jakob Rebulka:

Red Goddess dancing into the Sky by Jakob Rebulka, from the Glorantha Sourcebook

I imagine on the Red Moon things fall “down” just like they do on the Surface World. Except “down” is always in the direction of the center of the Moon! How crazy is that!

Jeff Richard

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Eric Vanel (artist), Glorantha Sourcebook, Guide to Glorantha, Jakob Rebulka, Map, Red Goddess, Sheng Seleris

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