For ten thousand years, the Lunar Queen has kept the realms of the lunarians safe. She is the supreme authority above all other lunarian rulers, and her temple unites the quarreling city-states against the forces of Chaos. Her sacrifice through ritual marriage keeps the demon-god Droonag Zar quiescent.
The lunarian women who sit as queens on the throne of the Ivory Palace on the island of Zodak are ultimately but mortals. It is through their office that they are elevated to avatars of the eternal Lunar Queen, that cosmic force of Law who is the transcendental source of their power.
The priesthood of the Lunar Queen is primarily staffed by common mortals who perform religious, administrative, and political work. Clerics of the Lunar Queen are rare individuals blessed with a personal conduit to the eternal Lunar Queen, which enables them to channel a fraction of her power. Many of these miracle workers serve in the temples to heal the sick and injured, and ward off the forces of evil. Some, however, act outside the formal hierarchy of the temple, going wherever their fate takes them to spread the word of the Lunar Queen and shine her light against the darkness.
Priests and priestesses of the Lunar Queen wear different vestments depending on their rank and title. Still, they can all be recognized by the foremost holy symbol of the temple: a medallion stamped with the visage of the currently ruling Lunar Queen surrounded by a golden halo.
The currently ruling Lunar Queen, the 25th in the line, Zenobia IV, is a short and delicate lunarian woman who speaks with concise clarity and assurance. She is surrounded by an aura of sorrowful dignity and age-old wisdom, torn between weary indifference and a sense of duty towards the world that she has become the ruler of.
For ten millennia, the Lunar Queens ruled for but a few centuries each before the Living God consummated their marriage by consuming them, whereupon another queen was crowned. By appeasing her monstrous consort with an unending stream of lavish sacrifices and votive gifts, Zenobia has managed to prolong her reign for 999 years so far. This tremendous feat will be celebrated by great festivities in all lunarian city-states and settlements at the end of the year 1000. All the world’s great leaders will travel to the Ivory Palace on the island of Zodak to congratulate their queen in person.
However, Zenobia’s powers have slowly waned over the last three centuries, and she is discreetly seeking a more permanent solution to the problem with her spouse. She knows that the Crystal Chronicle of Mnaar-Uru, an ancient record of the Moon’s history and prophecy on its future, may hold the secret to banishing the Living God from the Moon, but that the copies kept in her palace and the temple in Issum are incomplete. Two previous Lunar Queens have sent expeditions to the dark hemisphere in search of the long-lost ruins of Mnaar-Uru, only to have them disappear without a trace into the unknown. Zenobia is currently making plans to do the same, hoping that this time they will be able to return with the unadulterated original Chrystal Chronicle.
Interactions with the Player Characters: Zenobia can act as a patron for honorable adventurers and can be a teacher for Magic-Users of lawful alignment. Adventures involving the Lunar Queen can be about resisting agents of Chaos, such as the Temple of the Audient Void and the Masked One, or taking part in the expedition to locate the lost city of Mnaar-Uru.
Zenobia, the Lunar Queen, is a dual-classed Magic-User and Cleric. A bronze pyramid with the four primary phases of the moon on its sides serves as her spell book and holy symbol. It fits in the palm of a hand and can display holographic images.
Armour Class 4 [15]
Hit Dice 9 (29 hp)
Attacks 1 × stiletto (1d4) or spell
THAC0 14 [+5]
Movement 90’ (30’)
Saving Throws D6 W7 P9 B11 S9
Morale 10
Alignment Lawful
Magic-User spells. Cast spells as a 10th-level magic-user.
- Level 1: Charm Person, Protection from Evil, Sleep;
- Level 2: Continual Light, Precognition, Phantasmal Force;
- Level 3: Clairvoyance, Dispel Magic, Lightning Bolt;
- Level 4: Dimension Door, Charm Monster, Wall of Ice;
- Level 5: Hold Monster, Teleport.
Cleric spells. Cast spells as a 12th-level cleric.
- Level 1: Cure Light Wounds, Detect Evil, Remove Fear, Resist Cold;
- Level 2: Bless, Hold Person, Resist Fire, Silence 15’ Radius;
- Level 3: Cure Disease, Remove Curse, Striking;
- Level 4: Cure Serious Wounds, Neutralise Poison, Protection from Evil 10’ radius;
- Level 5: Dispel Evil, Raise Dead.
Tiara of the Lunar Queen. This diamond-adorned diadem of moonsilver is an artifact that can be used three times a day to cast Charm Person, Confusion, or Sleep. The bearer may also use ESP an unlimited number of times while wearing the tiara.
Sceptre of the Lunar Queen. This wand has 2d10 charges that can be used to cast any of the following spells (at caster level 6): Continual Light, Dimension Door, Hold Person, Invisibility, Lightning Bolt, Mirror Image, Telekinesis.
Heartseeker. This magical throwing knife seeks the heart of its target. If the attack roll shows a natural 18-20, the target must make a save versus Death.
The Temple of the Lunar Queen. The Lunar Queen is served by an army of white-robed priests and priestesses of Lawful alignment. The priesthood is led by the three High Priestesses, Soar, Voria, and Zorzin, who are 9th-level Clerics. The temple takes care of the dead, heals the sick, and feeds the hungry. Through hymns, burnt offerings, and intricate ceremonies, they praise the God-Queen and secure her blessings. According to the doctrines of the temple, the reign of the Lunar Queen is the only thing preventing the imminent destruction of the moon. Since the temple takes a tithe from the subjects of the lunarian cities, the priesthood is very wealthy and influential.
The Invincible Celestial Guard. This elite corps consists of the fifty strongest, bravest, and most skillful warrior women among the Lunarians and serves as Queen Zenobia’s bodyguards, army, and heralds. They are not subservient to the priesthood but are led by Captain Astari, an incorruptible 10th-level fighter who answers directly to the queen herself. They are unquestioningly loyal to the Lunar Queen and have sworn never to retreat and to take no prisoners. When they advance, the loyal subjects of the queen rejoice, and her enemies quake with fear. The Invincible Celestial Guard wear silver bodysuits with golden helmets. They are armed with polearms and light rayguns and ride hoverboards. Queen Zenobia is at all times accompanied by six Celestial Guards.
Invincible Celestial Guard, level 4 Fighter. AC 3 [16], HD 4, Att 1 x light raygun (1d10) or 1 x polearm (1d10), SV D10 W11 P12 B13 S14, THACO 17 [+2], MV 90′ (30′), ML 9, AL L