The Crimson Bat

Mythos and History
The Crimson Bat was once a natural animal, but was horribly mutated by the flood of chaos which infected the world in the Great Darkness. It grew to a tremendous size, and glowed with chaotic forces. To feed these energies, the Bat consumed enormous amounts of food and magical power. It became one of the myriad horrors which made up the legions of chaos. It survived the destruction of the armies of chaos in the last battles of the Gods War and haunted the hero plane, a  nightmare of chaos might.

During the First Age, the Crimson Bat roamed the world without restraint. It descended upon towns and cities without warning, devouring the people. The early hero Arkat met the monster in battle, withstood its chaotic powers, and  managed to banish it from the mundane plane.

In the Third Age, the Red Goddess left her people to visit the elder gods, forging her place among their pantheons, to earn her apotheosis. While she was on this heroquest, powerful enemy lords took the opportunity to strike. Their armies converged on her capital. At the climax of the siege, the Goddess returned, riding the Bat. The battle, a Lunar triumph, was ever after known as the First Battle of Chaos. Since then, the Bat has been the symbol of Lunar chaos, hated by the Empire's foes, and distrusted even by many Lunar faithful.

The cult of the Crimson Bat concerns itself little with any afterlife. Common folk believe that the souls of the Bat's worshipers are forfeit after death. Everyone knows that anyone or anything eaten alive by the Bat is utterly lost, body and soul. Death in the Bat's maw means annihilation, not just death. This is a major reason for the terror inspired by the Bat.

This cult's Runes are those of Moon and Chaos.

Killing the Bat
If the Bat's physical form is destroyed or it is not fed, the Bat is driven back to the hero plane, whence it must be summoned by difficult rituals performed by the Red Emperor himself. The current high priest of the Crimson Bat cult is fed to the Bat as part of the resummoning ritual, after which a new high priest is chosen.

The Surrounding Population
The Crimson Bat roams the frontier, stopping every week or so in a new area. It has not entered the Lunar Heartland for many years. When the Bat enters an area, the people react in one of four ways:


 * They flee immediately with as many of their domestic animals as they can, returning when the Bat has departed; they often return to find their property confiscated or destroyed.
 * They hide, but the cult is expert at tracking down and finding people. If captured, they join the cult as lay members, and betray non-cultists; since the Bat eats lay members when needed, this tactic is of uncertain benefit if the population is small or if everyone joins.
 * Some fight the cult; unfortunately, the cult is very strong compared to its usual foes, and always has with it the awesome trump of the Crimson Bat itself.
 * Most people are convinced that assisting the cult causes the least damage. They round up undesirables, traders from other countries, minor cultists, sick cattle, and the like, hoping that the offering is adequate.

The Glowspot
The Bat exudes a force, the power of the Red Moon. All Lunar magicians within its glow can use all magic as if the Moon were full. This glow extends in a radius around the bat of some 20 kilometers.