Crimson Bat

The Crimson Bat

For a HW stats description of the Bat and its band, see BatStat.

The Crimson Bat is an awesome chaos demon bound to the service of the Red Goddess. It was once a natural animal, but was horribly mutated by the flood of chaos which infected the world in the Great Darkness, becoming one of the myriad horrors which made up the legions of chaos. It survived the last destructive battles of the Gods War and haunted the Hero Plane thereafter, a nightmare of chaotic might and terror.

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 Crimson 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 of the Lunar faithful.

The Bat is an evil. Not even the most loyal Lunar citizens claim otherwise. However, through its evil, it brings great good to the Lunar Empire and thus justifies its existence.

More Bat colour: First Battle of Chaos

The Cult of the Crimson Bat

The Cult of the Crimson Bat was formed by the Red Goddess to care for and to feed the Bat. In binding the demon, she gained some control over the beast's hunger: now, even in peacetime, it must devour many people and animals every week to sate its appetite. Both civil and military authorities usually co-operate fully with the cult, at least overtly, providing sick or stray animals, unwanted slaves, criminals, rebels or barbarians.

The priests of the Crimson Bat are important officers in the Lunar College of Magic, and they ride the holy steed of the Goddess. They are the masters of the Bat, riding it in battle and controlling its actions in accordance with the wishes of the Lunar Empire.

The identity of the High Priest of the Cult of the Crimson Bat, known as the Chief Feeder of the Bat, is a State Secret: the theory is that if the identity of the person who directs the Empire's ultimate deterrent were known, he or his family could become targets for attempts at extortion, corruption or assassination.

The Chief Feeder of the Crimson Bat obeys the orders of the Director of the Field School of the Lunar College of Magic, Tatius the Bright. He is the only person who knows the identity of the Chief Feeder of the Crimson Bat, and is the only one who can authorise him to unleash its awesome Chaotic power against the enemies of the Empire.

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 is fed to the Bat as part of the resummoning ritual, after which a new high priest is chosen.

<Nick - lifted from Cults of Terror, Life of Moonson etc.>

<Donald> So if the High Priest is also killed the Emperor is going to need a volunteer before he can resummon the Bat. </Donald>

<Nick> Yes, absolutely. Fortunately, Moonson possessess the unique personal rune power, 'Designate Volunteer'. (NB: in the spirit of penguin-keet-samurai MGF, all this priest-sacrificing malarkey could easily be tied to that renegade Crimson Bat priest who's hiding out in Sun County... what if, post-BatBlat, the Lunars suddenly find they need him as the person most qualified to bring back the Bat?) </Nick>

Bat Speed

(As calculated by Denethor Hurin)

(Pulls Dragon Pass rules)

OK, in this game the Bat goes 9 hexs a turn and as a flyer ignores all terrain modifiers. If we set aside the Grazelanders the fastest mounted units go no better than 6 hexs a turn. Conclusion: The Bat is 50% faster than a mounted unit would be over ideal terrain. Let's note that 1 turn = 1 day.

With that in mind...

(Rummages through to RQ III, Book 1, P. 40).

Cavalry movement, described as "Unhindered by wagons/pack animals at a disciplined walk-trot-walk pace" (which is what I assume these horse units would be using) is 50 kilometers a day over ideal terrain.

Therefore, we would be reasonably safe in declaring Bat speed to be at least 75 Kilometers a day over any terrain.. My working assumption here is that DP does provide a reasonable portrayal as to what the Bat's military capabilities are if we don't assume that the Bat was permanently diminished by what Orlanth did to it at Whitewall.