North of Dragon Pass lies the land of Peloria, home of the ancient Dara Happan civilization founded by Yelm the Sun God in the Golden Age. After the fall of the Empire of the Wyrms Friends, the cruel Carmanian Empire conquered Peloria. The Carmanians threatened to extinguish the last lights of Peloria until seven desperate heroquesters conspired to revive a dead goddess—the Red Moon.
The Red Moon was a victim of the Great Darkness. She was robbed of immortality and death at the same time, making her unique among the gods in existing equally in both worlds. The terrible shock had torn her asunder, scattering her throughout the worlds. After questing deep into the Underworld along lost or forbidden paths, she was reformed as the Red Goddess. In her were balanced Constancy and Change, Life and Death, Love and Indifference, and all the dichotomies of the Universe, including Chaos. Her arrival in Time changed the face of the land. The Heartlands of Peloria submitted to the Red Goddess and overthrew the Carmanian Empire’s rule.
After living in Glorantha a short time, the Red Goddess ascended to the heavens, where she remains in her cyclical beauty, viewing the land she left to her family below. The ever-reincarnating Red Emperor of the Lunar Empire is her son and her pride.
The Lunar Empire expanded from its founding. When defeated, it rebounded stronger than ever. The Lunars went north to the icy wastes, east to the bounds of the horse barbarian lands, and west until they were halted by the magical Syndics Ban. But in the south, the empire continued to grow and grow.
When the Lunars reached Dragon Pass, they found it populated again. Moreover, it was dominated by the Kingdom of Sartar, ruled by a wise dynasty cautiously maintaining the great and magical laws that gave it its strength. Despite initial defeats, the Red Emperor eventually marched almost unhindered into the Sartar capital of Boldhome in 1602. He
defiled the Temple of Sartar and ravaged the city. So far, it was a typical Lunar conquest.
But the remnants of the Household of Sartar incited the natives to rebel against the empire. Starbrow's Rebellion in 1613 temporarily overthrew the Lunar Occupation. After the latest rebellion was ruthlessly put down by General Fazzur Wideread, a puppet Prince was installed in Boldhome.
To extend the Glowline and put an end to the uprisings, the Lunar College of Magic began to construct a Temple of the Reaching Moon in the foothills of the Storm Mountains. The location of this temple will enable the Lunars to vanquish the rebellious Storm God, winning the Middle Air as the uncontested domain of the Red Goddess.