Recently I have started a new campaign with my players after a first and very long “high level”
campaign that is just paused, and after a try of a campaign “from the beginning” based on the new
stuff published but without any success with my “old” players for whom playing at the clan level is no
more interesting, even for a short time.

So, after several adventures in dragon pass and Pavis, they had an original idea : know more about
lunar magic, in order to try to better fight it
And they have decided to start with the 7 masks of the goddess. So I am looking for all pieces of
information I have on this topic and realize the lack of stuff we have about the lunar “mythology”
(not right because based on old gods/goddesses but we have more or less nothing on those old gods
too…), and quite nothing very deep about the lunar magic : how it works, how it was build, etc… Only
some rules, mainly based on the 7 mothers

Exception is the description of the 7 mothers cults, which is a good start

As I have heard nothing about lunars in the next publications, I propose to share some of my ideas
with you and hope we can have a discussion to imagine some original and fun stuff to be included in
our campaigns ! Clearly here = YGMV

1) About Sedenya :
I admit I have never clearly understood the explanations I have read about “what is the goddess”.
There is the official explanation given by the lunars but I prefer to think that there is something
behind. So one of my idea is to say that sedenya is a construct, a merge of several old goddesses
known in the region, for obvious reasons if you want to convince as much people as possible to
follow you.

And to succeed to build her, the 7 mothers have used a part of Tylenea (conscientiously
or not), so most of the lunar magic is powered by illusion. It is why they can create temporary reality
that mimic existing magic. May be Tylenea was deceiving the 7 mothers ? fun but why ?
Based on that, I have some difficulties to explain exactly how they did it and all ideas are welcomed !

And some links between old goddesses are not obvious to me
2) Gerra and natha
Gerra is presented (in the guide for example) as the goddess of the pyramids and as a cult of
suffering (at least in Spol). But why building pyramids to a goddess of suffering ? Sometimes I
associate her with Asrelia as a goddess of secrets and as a kind of archetype of the “old woman”, but
a weird and scaring one. Have sense ?

Is Gerra was an important goddess during the spolite empire and before ?

Natha is presented as an old goddess of sacrifices.
The 2 seems linked (refer to the natha’s well in the guide). But how and why ? What are their
common story ?
Natha seems to come from Pelanda where she was near/following Jernothius. What kind of influence
she could have bring with her in the northern part of the region (naveria, darsen, spol ) ?
On this particular topic I have the idea to introduce Androgeus as the son of Natha and Jernothius,
which could explain his passion for balance and the fact that he has came out of the second hell, the
one of natha

But I didn’t find the fate of jernothius after he was established at the top of his mountain ? Some
ideas ?

3) Blue moons
Of course….
I like the idea from Sandy Petersen that the blue moon of the troll is not the blue moon of the lunar
even if we can find some common point like the link between Lesilla, the blue moon and with birth
powers (not sure of this one but refer to the guide “history of the lunar allies”)
We could find some interesting common point with Darsenite goddess of fertility. Again Darsen, a
fascinating place with naveria ! So, can we imagine some links with natha and gerra ?

I like the sandy’s idea of a kind of undead blue moon, even if I don’t know what to do with that for
now

But what about Orogeria the goddess of hunters in Arir ? I found quite nothing about the possible
links with the other goddesses chosen (?) by the 7 mothers. But her story is so dramatic…

4) Black moon
Again, I like the sandy’s idea of the black moon. For me, the black moon could be the incarnation of
the chaos powers of the goddess or her chaotic part
And for me, she uses it to power her magic or maybe it is used to maintain the construct she is. And
to use chaos without being a chaotic entity by yourself, you should be illuminated, so the link
between black moon and Rashonara

Sorry for this long and confuse post but my imagination needs more fuel and you are welcomed to propose what you want !

thanks

The etymology of Sartar is pretty clear: it's named after its founder, Sartar. But what about Tarsh? Ancestral name? Clan name extended to a kingdom? Pre-existing toponym extended over a greater area from a royal core? Or something else entirely?

Skiggebøy!

Stumbled on a mention about Third Hand Illumination Town (Guide 1, p. 292). The only fact about this place of chaos is its location: Lunar empire. Is there a more specific description of this place somewhere? BoDR, Tradetalk?

Griffin Mountain (Classics) p.206
Sa Mita is a local giantess who claims descent from the mountains Fork, Borg, Mok, and Ilfagor (from a different group). She firmly believes that the mountains are her sleeping ancestors. She has heard rumors that the local trolls are cruelly digging through them. This worries her, but she does not normally speak of it.

This nice passage in Griffin Mountain illustrates a dilemma  Gloranthan miners may face when digging into mountains with actively worshipped deities, elder giants or even dragons associated. Are they digging through merre mineral cover of those entities, or are they cutting their way into the vitals of said entities?

We have hardly any information on the anatomy of Elder Giants, or dragons, and even less on that of mountain or volcano gods. The closest thing to information we have are the Big Rubble quarries into the remains of the Faceless Statue, with special minerals like the organstones showing that Mostali construction of Jolanti of any size does recreate the overall building plan of the Man Rune in those constructs.

It also tells us that the fossilized body of an Elder Giant like Paragua or Thog would likely have special regions of minerals with similar magical functions.

On the other hand, I think that True Dragons like Krisa Yar (the Red Dragon who presumably caused Ormsgone Valley in one of his awakenings) take on an possibly also shed any available local matter to manifest their bodies. Elder Giants like the four ancestors listed for Sa Mita possibly do the same, whereas a just past juveile Elder Giant like Gonn Orta might forget about his current body if resting for long, and forming whatever body he needs when rising again. His appearance at the Battle of Gargantuans may very well be a lot taller than the sitting Pass Giant described in Griffin Mountain.

What would a miner find inside the living body of a mountain entity, and what could he take out? And will those entities even registier that small ebies are digging into their body?

Can such miners encounter a brass bone of some volcano god and harvest it for the local smithy? And will they dind the wound they caused on that bone healed over when they return after some absence delivering the metal bounty they took?

This description is used for the Dawn Age Balurgans.  I have my own ideas as to quite what this means, but would be grateful for other opinions.

What the title says - what are the best sources to read if one's interested in this part of Glorantha?

Do we know if there's anything new (publication-wise) being planned around there?

Shifted from the RQ-rules section.

LUNAR SORCERY:

In the Glorantha bestiary we get mechanics for addiction with the description for Hazia. 

Does anyone have any ideas on what the mythic basis for addiction might be ?

I’ve got a Uroxi PC who wants to do the Minotauros HQ. It’s mentioned in passingbin Storm Tribe, but there’s no detail whatsoever about it (other then that the quest prize is getting a pair of horns). Are there any other mentions of the quest anywhere or details about the myth? 

This might not be the right forum, but it didn't seem to fit in the RuneQuest Forum. Leticia, the player of Mello Yello in our recently-completed RQ Glorantha Campaign, has asked for a summary of the deeds of Mello Yello, as some people asked her for it. So, here is my version, as the GM, of the Tale of Ambassador King Emperor Mello. Hope you enjoy it. Apologies for the length, but I had to cut a lot out as it wasn't relevant to his Yelmic Rise.

Mello Yello always knew he belonged to the Yelmites. Even when standing outside the Sun Dome Temple in Sun County, in the hot sun, smiling and laughing at the Templars as they came and went, running their errands, doing their chores, being the butt of their jokes, sometimes letting them take out their rage and frustration on him, nothing mattered, for he belonged with them.

Mello Yello first knew he was important when he was put with the Sun County Militia, commanded by Jaspar Yello, they even shared the same surname! Like any stepfather, Jaspar could be strict and sometimes cruel, but Mello belonged at last. Put alongside a bunch of Pavic Firemakers, he still belonged, even though they didn’t talk to him much. Mello Yello, Militiaman, he liked the sound of that.

Mello Yello, Militiaman, first knew that Yelm favoured him when Yelm made him a River Voice, with the other Firemakers. They were even woken up by a troupe of baboons, welcoming them back to life. Now, the River Voices weren’t much, but Yelm clearly favoured them as he was Oslir’s husband and the Count of Sun County was Zola Fel’s husband in turn. Mello Yello, Militiaman and River Voice, he liked the sound of that.

Mello Yello, Militiaman and River Voice, knew that Yelmalio loved him when the River Voices took him to Pavis and Karim Temris’ father initiated him into the cult of Yelmalio. Sure, he wasn’t a Templar, but he was an Initiate of Yelmalio. Mello Yello, Militiaman, River Voice and Initiate of Yelmalio, he liked the sound of that.

Mello Yello, Militiaman, River Voice and Initiate of Yelmalio, knew that Yelm loved him when he gained a suit of Golden Armour and the River Voices let him keep it. They also gave him Yamsur’s Spear, gained on a HeroQuest, although they took it away almost immediately and gave it to a total stranger, but that didn’t matter because Mello Yello was important enough to be given Yamsur’s Spear.

Mello Yello, Militiaman, River Voice and Initiate of Yelmalio, knew Yelm favoured him when the River Voices were made Citizens of Sun County and were given the holding of Rabbit Hat Farm. Mello Yello, Militiaman, River Voice, Initiate of Yelmalio and Citizen of Sun County, he liked the sound of that.

Mello Yello, Militiaman, River Voice, Initiate of Yelmalio and Citizen of Sun County, knew that he was Yelm when he played the part of Yelm in the Yelm-Oslir HeroQuest and wedded Kinope, nymph of the Zola Fel. Sure, the River Voices had performed the same HeroQuest many times, with Flargle becoming husband of Kinope, but he wasn’t a Yelmite.  This time, on the HeroQuest, Mello WAS Yelm. Mello Yello, Militiaman, River Voice, Initiate of Yelmalio, Citizen of Sun County and Husband of Kinope, he liked the sound of that.

Mello Yello, Militiaman, River Voice, Initiate of Yelmalio, Citizen of Sun County and Husband of Kinope, knew he was important when the Count of Sun County made him Ambassador to Monkey Ruins! Imagine that, Ambassador Mello, Ambassador of Sun County, the baboons liked that. It was even better when the River Voices deposed the wicked Gorilla King of Monkey Ruins. The baboon orgy that followed was even better still, as Ambassador Mello was a ranking Alpha with his own baboon harem. Mello Yello, Militiaman, River Voice, Initiate of Yelmalio, Citizen of Sun County, Husband of Kinope and Ambassador to Monkey Ruins, he liked the sound of that.

Mello Yello, Militiaman, River Voice, Initiate of Yelmalio, Citizen of Sun County, Husband of Kinope and Ambassador to Monkey Ruins knew that Yelm favoured him when he rescued the Golden Barge and awakened the Angel Figurehead. Angelica, the Angel, became his servant. Imagine that, Ambassador Mello with an Angel as a servant, wearing his Golden Armour. The Sun Domers would just die if they saw him now.

Mello Yello, Militiaman, River Voice, Initiate of Yelmalio, Citizen of Sun County, Husband of Kinope and Ambassador to Monkey Ruins, knew that he was Yelm when the River Voices released an Angelic Lord from imprisonment. The Lord of Angles bowed down to him and greeted him as an equal. He even offered him his Army of Angels to fight for him when needed. Ambassador General Mello sounds too pretentious, so he should just stick with Ambassador Mello.

Mello Yello, Militiaman, River Voice, Initiate of Yelmalio, Citizen of Sun County, Husband of Kinope and Ambassador to Monkey Ruins, knew he was Yelm when he went to the Sky, yes, the actual Sky. On the Sky Ship, the one that had been pierced by his Golden Barge.  The River Voices had to repair the ship, rescue an Inhuman King to be the Soul of the Dragon Ship, rescue Dormal to be the Steersman and Anaxial to be the captain and sail it out of Hell, but that was easy. Now Ambassador Mello was going to the Sky on a ship. How many of the Sun Domers had actually been to the Sky, eh? None of them! But Ambassador Mello had.

Mello Yello, Militiaman, River Voice, Initiate of Yelmalio, Citizen of Sun County, Husband of Kinope and Ambassador to Monkey Ruins, knew he was Yelm when he got his own Star! Yes, an actual Star! Of his own! Well, one of a constellation for the River Voices, but his was the shiniest and brightest. A Star of his own, where he could sit and look down on Sun County and ask how many of them had a Star. None of them, I’ll bet.

Mello Yello, Militiaman, River Voice, Initiate of Yelmalio, Citizen of Sun County, Husband of Kinope and Ambassador to Monkey Ruins, knew that he was Yelm when he gained Yelm’s Mirror when he fried the bad Yelm Priests’ Brains in an important battle. At least, the River Voices told him it was important. Yelm’s Mirror was made of gold and was so big that it was carried in a cart. Ambassador Mello often looked in the mirror, gazing lovingly at himself, dressed in his Golden Armour, with his Angel by his side.

Mello Yello, Militiaman, River Voice, Initiate of Yelmalio, Citizen of Sun County, Husband of Kinope and Ambassador to Monkey Ruins, knew that he was Yelm when he played Yelm on the Lightbringer Quest to defeat Cacodemon. He wasn’t entirely sure what he was doing, but Shan Agar and Karim Temris knew what they were all doing, so he was happy to follow along. He had to sit on a throne and be sad that he was dead, but Ambassador Mello wasn’t really dead, he was just pretending, perhaps. HeroQuesting is so confusing, but everyone else knew what was going on. Ambassador Mello came out with the ability of I am Yelm, which he already knew, of course.

Mello Yello, Militiaman, River Voice, Initiate of Yelmalio, Citizen of Sun County, Husband of Kinope and Ambassador to Monkey Ruins, became King of Dragon Pass by defeating all the other candidates. He danced his Dance of Harmony, wove a cloak like a spider’s web, shone like the sun in front of Yelm’s Mirror and did lots of other things. The Feathered Horse Queen seemed to take a shine to him, but that was fine as he was an Ambassador, among many other things, whereas what were they? A Duke and a couple of Kings, Duke Harrek looked big and scary and liked to show off with his Wolf Pirates, King Tarkalor used to be King of Dragon pass before he died but that was a long time ago, Sartar was the first King of Dragon Pass but why should they be Kings again? In any case, Ambassador Mello defeated them all and became King of Dragon Pass. Which sounds better, King Ambassador Mello or Ambassador King Mello?

Mello Yello, Militiaman, River Voice, Initiate of Yelmalio, Citizen of Sun County, Husband of Kinope, Ambassador to Monkey Ruins and King of Dragon Pass knew that he was Yeml when Yelmalio and Monrogh came to see him. Yes, they came to see him themselves. How many Sun Domers had Yemlalio come to see personally, eh? None, that’s how many, not even the Count. They looked a bit snooty, to be honest, but all high-ups of Yelmalio do, even the Red Emperor who had come to Sun County once, in his Moonboat and had walked on the backs of Yelm Priests rather than sully himself with the dirt of Prax. Anyway, Monrogh and Yelmalio came to see Mello Yello himself. They were not happy, you see, as Ambassador King Mello was, well, Ambassador to Sun County and King of Dragon Pass and he had been to the Sky on a Dragonship and had a Star in the Sky and had Yelm’s Mirror and an Angel as a servant and had command of an Angelic Army that he had used a few times. Well, they weren’t unhappy with that, no, they were unhappy that he was a baboon! They looked down on him, sniffed a bot and said that they would make him a Hero of Yelmalio if he became a human instead of being a dirty baboon. Imagine that, Mello Yello, a Hero of Yelmalio, none of the Sun Domers had become a Hero of Yelmalio, he would have s shrine in the Sun County Sun Dome Temple and the Sun Domers would come and worship him! Him! Him! Him, who they laughed at, spat on, whose fur they used to wipe their bottoms with when still attached to him, a Hero of Yelmalio! But, Ambassador King Mello could not accept and turned them down. Why, you ask. Because he was above all, more than anything else, a baboon. Sure, he was a baboon who had shaved his fur off and painted his skin and fur yellow, but he was a baboon and He Was Yelm. So, he turned down Yelmalio and Monrogh, turned down the chance of becoming a Hero of Yelmalio, turned down the chance of having a Shrine in the Sun County Sun Dome Temple. Because he was a baboon. Then Yelm appeared. Yelm. Not Yelmalio, although he was still there. Not Ambassador King Mello, playing Yelm on a HeroQuest as I am Yelm, but the real Yelm. The Sun God, Emperor, Mr Shiny himself. And he was smiling and he greeted Ambassador King Mello as his Son. Yelm’s Son! Like Yelmalio! He said that Ambassador King Mello had an important choice to make. He could become a human Hero of Yelmalio or a Baboon Hero of Yelm, whose job it would be to initiate Beast Men of all kinds into the Yelmic Ways, so Beast men would join his subcult of Yelmalio to become initiates of Yelmalio. He would have a Shrine to Mello Yello in every Yelmic Temple, whether Yelmalio, Yelorna, Pole Star or Yelm, wherever the Beast Folk wanted to join those Cults. Of course, he said yes, as Mello Yello, Militiaman, River Voice, Initiate of Yelmalio, Citizen of Sun County, Husband of Kinope, Ambassador to Monkey Ruins, King of Dragon Pass and Hero of Yelm sounded good and he liked the sound of that.

Mello Yello, Militiaman, River Voice, Initiate of Yelmalio, Citizen of Sun County, Husband of Kinope, Ambassador to Monkey Ruins, King of Dragon Pass and Hero of Yelm, knew he was Yelm when he became a Golden True Dragon. How did that happen, you ask. Well, he had gained a Draconic Soul when he raised the Dragonship and went to the Sky and had been practising his draconic nature for a long time. The River Voices had freed a True Dragon from the Crimson Bat when they turned it inside out and made it non-Chaotic, then they used the True Dragon to eat up all the Lunars in Sartar and forced them out of Sartar, Prax and the Holy Country. Ambassador King Mello had done a lot of other draconic stuff after he had become a Hero of Yelm, as the Beast Rune was just a Dragon’s Eye and he had been to the Dragon Kill, taken part in the Dragonewt’s Dream and danced with the Dragons and Dragonewts in a Harmonious Dance, so he was well in with the Dragons. The River Voices were in Dorastor, see, trying to get Ralzakark’s Crown, which was Arkat’s Crown, which Flargle wanted to be crowned as Arkat, so he could march against Ralzakark, who had buggered him, been covered with acid and impregnated with his own child, and Flargle’s, that’s where it gets a bit complicated and Ambassador King Mello didn’t really understand all of it, anyway. But, they were in Dorastor’s Cleft and had hidden the True Dragon that they had rescued from the Crimson Bat, in Dorastor’s Cleft, so that it could poke its head out, breathe over Ralzakark’s Humakti Broo Army and kill them before they could attack the River Voices. Well, it all started off well. The True Dragon stuck his head out and breathed fire over the Humakti Broos, but they were brought back from the brink of death by Humakt, all of them, as he was not keen on his forces being beaten by an Arkati, even though Flargle was a Hero of Humakt and had Arkat’s Sword. The River Voices broke the link between Ralzakark and Humakt, proving that he was not worthy to command a Humakti Army, so Flargle became their commander instead, Flargle, Hero of Humakt, Hero of Storm Bull, now led a Broo Army and Ambassador King Mello would not let him kill them as they were Beast Men and Ambassador King Mello could get them to worship Yelmalio. Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, the True Dragon. It had poked its head out and breathed fire, when the ground shook and one of the Seven Hills ruptured and out flew a Chaotic True Dragon, with Two Heads, roaring a challenge to the True Dragon that had just appeared in its territory. Our True Dragon roared its acceptance of the Challenge and burst out of Dorastor’s Cleft, leaping to the Skies. Well, Ambassador King Mello wasn’t going to let two True Dragons fight it out above them, so he jumped into the air and transformed into a Dragon, becoming a Golden True Dragon and flying to meet them.  He danced the Harmonious Dance and the Dragon Dance, sucking the other Dragons into his dance, while the other River Voices sucked all the Chaos into one of the Heads and cut it off, with Shan Agar swallowing the head, having become the Chromatic Dragon, another True Dragon. The four Dragons then danced the Harmonious Dragon Dance and became friends. Golden True Dragon isn’t really a title, but Dragon Friend is, so Mello Yello, Militiaman, River Voice, Initiate of Yelmalio, Citizen of Sun County, Husband of Kinope, Ambassador to Monkey Ruins, King of Dragon Pass, Hero of Yelm and Dragon Friend sounded good and he liked the sound of that.

Mello Yello, Militiaman, River Voice, Initiate of Yelmalio, Citizen of Sun County, Husband of Kinope, Ambassador to Monkey Ruins, King of Dragon Pass, Hero of Yelm and Dragon Friend knew he was Yelm when the River Voices deposed the Count of Sun County and put Karim Temris’ father in place as Duke instead. Imagine that, having the two Dukes bow before Ambassador King Mello, in front of his statue in his own Shrine. Of course, the old Duke had a price and the River Voices allowed him to found a new Sun Dome temple in Rist, where the River Voices had broken the power of the Red Moon and installed the White Moon instead. So, Ambassador King Mello had gone against the Red Emperor and established a Yelmalio Temple in the Lunar Empire without asking the Red Emperor’s permission.

Mello Yello, Militiaman, River Voice, Initiate of Yelmalio, Citizen of Sun County, Husband of Kinope, Ambassador to Monkey Ruins, King of Dragon Pass, Hero of Yelm and Dragon Friend knew that he was Yelm when the Red Emperor gathered together the draconic powers of the Dara Happan Empire and gathered together a group of Full Priest Dragonewts, worshippers of the Sun Dragon, various Dragon Mystics and various important people in the Court of Dara Happa. The Red Emperor appeared, dressed in the robes of the Sun Dragon, carrying an Utuma, or sacred Dragonewt dagger. Being draconic, Ambassador King Mello knew he was about to commit Utuma and die, taking the sins of the Empire with him. The Red Emperor recited all the sins and calamities that had befallen the Empire. The attacks of the Pentians, the raising of the Sky Ship, Harrek and the Wolf Pirates in the Lunar Empire, the Dragonrise, losing Prax, Sartar and the Holy Country, losing the Crimson Bat, the Crater being blocked by an Iceberg and many, many more things, all instigated by the River Voices. In turn, Ambassador King Mello recited the good things the River Voices had done, in particular the good things that he had done, as Ambassador, King and Hero of Yelm. When all recitations were complete, the Red Emperor committed Utuma and stabbed himself in the stomach, drawing the Dragonewt Rune in his flesh, but the wound did not bite, for Flargle had transferred the wound to Ambassador King Mello, the Golden True Dragon, who died of the wound. Ambassador King Mello, the Golden Dragon, attempted a Dragonewt Rebirth and Shan Agar redirected the rebirth, making Mello be reborn as a Golden Egg, laid by the Chromatic Dragon, as Shan Agar had become. Ambassador King Mello Yello, the Golden Dragon, was consumed by a burst of flame from the Sun, burning up instantly with no smoke or ash left behind, as all true Yelm Heroes die. The Golden Egg hit the ground and broke apart, revealing Ambassador King Mello, the Golden Dragon and Dragon Emperor of Dara Happa. The Draconic Forces that the Red Emperor tried to contain proved too much for him and he died of shame, exploding in a shower of blood and flame, because he had failed and because Mello Yello, a baboon, had succeeded. Mello Yello, Militiaman, River Voice, Initiate of Yelmalio, Citizen of Sun County, Husband of Kinope, Ambassador to Monkey Ruins, King of Dragon Pass, Hero of Yelm, Dragon Friend, Golden Dragon and Dragon Emperor of Dara Happa smiled with the serenity and inner peace that only a Master of Harmony and Emperor could bring, while thinking “What do I do now” …

So, here are the full titles of Ambassador King Emperor Mello: Militiaman, River Voice, Initiate of Yelmalio, Citizen of Sun County, Citizen of Pavis, Constable of Pavis, Husband of Kinope, Ambassador to Monkey Ruins, Master of Harmony, Master of Water, Master of Light, Prophet of Pavis, Golden Sage of Heaven, Companion of Pavis, Companion of Tada, Companion of Genert, Companion of Arkat, King of Dragon Pass, Hero of Yelm, Dragon Friend, Golden Dragon and Dragon Emperor of Dara Happa. Contrary to popular belief, Companion of Shan Argar and Arganaut are not titles that Ambassador King Emperor Mello accepts.

So, in The Eleven Lights (warning you right now, massive spoilers for that book, don't continue if you don't want that), the dead gods you revive as the Three New Stars are originally just worshiped as a group, but with 500 worshipers any of them could become a sub-cult of Orlanth “or a similar deity.” They could also become a cult of their own with 2,000 worshipers, but that’s another thing entirely.

Anyway, my question is: Who and what would these old/new gods become gods of? How would their worship differ from similar, established gods (since I don't see them replacing any of these gods outright barring some serious Gods War shenanigans), and what changes might they create in Orlanthi society if they become established cults or subcults of their own?

Varnaval the Shepherd King was a very martial god, while his replacements Voriof and Uroth are not. I think Varnaval as a subcult of Orlanth would be a path for shepherds to become warriors who can not only defend their flocks from invaders but take the fight to them. I could see a young shepherd initiating to Varnaval and becoming an Orlanthi version of David, for example, defeating some great foe and becoming a great conqueror.

In other words, I think Varnaval would present a martial path for shepherds to become raiders and conquerors rather than just skirmishers and defenders of flocks, which might lead to greater respect and prestige for shepherds in clans where his worship catches on, which would probably be clans where sheep-herding is already very important to them, i.e. Light Orlanthi clans.

Siwend the Hunter is represented by the Man Rune where his replacement Odayla is represented by the Beast Rune. Odayla represents the hunter as a person who straddles the line between man and beast, a creature of the hinterlands between the wild and the civilized worlds. One of the major Odaylan myths is of a man hunting a bear, one of them coming back, and there is ambiguity as to which is Odayla (with the mythic secret being that they are both Odayla, and that the hunter and the hunted are two parts of a whole).

I think Siwend represents a hunter who isn’t of the wild the way Odayla is; he is a man who conquers beasts, rather than someone who is both man and beast and has to reconcile the two as he advances in the cult. I guess he might become a subcult for the more “civilized” Odaylans?

Apropos of nothing, in Six Ages: Ride Like the Wind one of the Hyaloring gods is Dostal the Hunter, whose wife is Inilla the Forager, a daughter of Nyalda, the Hyaloring name for Ernalda. Meanwhile, Siwend the Hunter is married to Indeg, who made the thorn basket that always has another handful of dried berries in it. Does that mean that Siwend himself might have been a foreign god brought into the Vingkotling fold along with Elmal? Would it then be possible for Siwend to become a subcult of Elmal the way Rigsdal is, or am I just completely off-base in how that works?

Korolful the Keen is a Star Captain; he is the Shooting Star who speeds across the sky to strike enemies with burning flame. He represents the idea that all men make their own inheritance (like all Star Captains, apparently) and values pride, independence and initiative. Very proper Orlanthi values, actually. So, I’m actually not sure what changes introducing the worship of Korolful would bring. Maybe something to do with his Fate Rune?

Baroshi the Avenger is actually interesting, in that he strikes me as akin to a male version of Babeester Gor. He sought vengeance almost from birth and has a strong connection to Maran Gor, and he of course has the Earth Rune.

It actually raises a question for me. Is it possible, as an Orlanthi boy taking his initiation, to display an affinity for both Earth and Death? Being a Nandan is the only Earth-related male role I know of, so what happens if you have a connection to Earth but aren’t really cut out to act like a typical Ernaldan? Is that just not possible, and would introducing Baroshi as a subcult to some suitable Earth goddess (probably Maran, I’d think) make that possible? If so, I’m really curious as to how they would take that in Esrolia, where Babeester is much more popular than she is elsewhere. Would they see that as an intrusion of some kind?

Saren the Charioteer is the driver of Elmal’s chariot, in which Elmal crosses the sky. The Orlanthi aren’t a chariot-focused people in the first place and Mastakos fills any need for chariots and charioteers they do have. It’s actually kind of weird, because the Elmali are the horse riders of the Orlanthi, so I think if a subcult of Saren emerged there might be some real tension with the rider subcult of Hyalor in particular. Which would be an interesting resurgence of the tension between the Riders (Hyalorings) and Wheels (Samnali) in Six Ages, actually.

Actually, in that game “Samnal” was one of the children of Elmal; the Riders didn’t like to admit that, because it would mean admitting that Samnal was closer to Elmal than Hyalor, whose divine parentage isn’t even known to the Hyalorings unless you do the Gamari Heroquest and discover that he was the son of Yamsur. I wonder is Saren is another name for him?

Oonil the Skillful actually reminds me of Lugh of the Tuatha Dé Danann in Irish myth, who among other things is called Ildánach (“skilled in many arts”) or Samildánach (“equally skilled in many arts”). I'm sure that's entirely intentional.

When Lugh tried to join the court of Nuada, he tried to offer his services in a variety of professions, but he was rejected each time because the court already had someone with that skill. Lugh was let in when he asked if they had anyone who could offer each of those skills rather than just one, and so was made the Chief Ollam (Ollam/Oonil?), the greatest poet/bard in Ireland; I think this is actually where D&D got the idea of bards as jack-of-all-trade characters.

Well, after having said that, I’m not sure I can imagine what niche Oonil would fulfill in Orlanthi society. After all, it’s got Issaries for trade and negotiation, it’s got various gods like Gustbran and Orstan for crafts, and the Orlanthi spout poetry all the time. It's got lawspeakers and the like to recite histories and legends of importance. So what would Oonil's place be, then?

I don’t have the confidence to even touch Tanian.

So, let's carry on my old thread from over on the Glorantha.com forum.

The Long Nose Tribe, gone, perhaps hidden.

Were they connected to Teshnos in some way? Have they vanished there perhaps?

When did they vanish, in the Second Age, the Dawn?

And the Plains Elk, not really something I'd have expected in a place like Prax. Did it get to hot for them?

I'm a fairly new visitor to the world of Glorantha (I've just bought a copy of King of Sartar and am reading it alongside the .pdf of The Glorantha Sourcebook) but I'm just as fascinated with the development of the mythology as I am with the mythology itself.

Is there any resource which lists all of the concepts introduced with each Glorantha release? For example, was Argrath introduced in White Bear and Red Moon? Did Arkat exist as a concept before the introduction of Argrath? Is the former a retcon designed to lend more weight to the latter? These are the kind of things I'm interested in.  

Has anyone compiled a list of what gods and spirit societies are detailed in which HeroQuest books?

18 size and 18 str.  Bison rider gets +2 size.  Air rune for +2 str.  Darkness rune for +1 size.  So 20 str 21 size for 2d6 dmg bonus.

He would drive his enemies before him and listen to the lamentations of the women.  Of course, in the Dino De Laurentiis Glorantha the Lunars capture him and put him in the Gladiator pits, eventually sending him to Kralorela to learn.  And he hates Ernaldans cuz, you know, that snake thing.

Wotcher, warblers!

I've been posting these to the Glorantha Google+ page so far, but while that format is brilliant for quickly displaying visual things like these, it isn't that great for keeping stuff collated. As I'm working on a few more at the moment, I thought I'd start a thread here, with all the links 'n' stuff.

Attached at the bottom of this post (at least, I bloody hope so) are the first four in the series. Below is a list of all current entries, with links to high-quality PDFs.

*****

Famous Ducks of the Hero Wars

1. Runk Squallheart, Basmoli Duck Gladiator

2. Rudepebble the Streamlord, Rune Lord of the River Gods

3. Buy-one-get-one-free Bronzebill, Rune Priest of Issaries/Etyries

4. Sir Montgomery Quackholy, Duck of (Not Quite) All

5. Mildred Keenwarble, Vingan Adventurer

6. Sungobble, Ptyrant of the Sorns

7. Esmerelda Wildwarble, Torch Singer

8. Snipbeak, Duck Bandit

Bonus Deviance

a. In the Duck Corners of the Earth

b. Elf-finger

c. An Illustrated Duckopedia of Durulz Helmets

d. The Sord Sage

e. Holiday Glorantha: Stormwalk Mountain

f. The Parade of the Bloomers

It is mentioned in several sources, but I can't seem to locate it. Presumably the seat of the Lunar Empire's Vampire Legion, which might be connected to the Vampire Legion of Tanisor?

Note: In TotRM 19 it is implied that the "Vampire Kingdom" borders the Lunar Empire in northern Peloria.

..and the Sourcebook says they are rumored to 'train in the mountains'. (the Pavis book for HeroQuest further states that they 'train in the mountains of Peloria').

I doubt if these are the Yolp Mountains or Blue Moon Plateau because they are troll country, which leaves the Western Reaches/Carmania, Doblian, the Jernalf Mountains (I think this one is unlikely because the Jernotians wouldn't stand for it), Ford, or maybe Imther (I am dubious about those). If there's a connection to Dorastor... maybe the Tobros Mountains?

Here is a link to my latest post, which follows the creation of a new chaos gang to unleash upon an unsuspecting Bug Rubble, or anywhere else really. Part One details the gang, its members, their origins and inter-relationships, and (naturally) their mutations and appearance. Part Two, next week, will stat them up.

https://d-infinity.net/game-content/runequest-thursday-199-new-chaos-gang-big-rubble-or-your-own-game

In Dragon Pass, Shadow cats are very common amongst Orlanthi tribes.

But what about Umathelan Orlanthi? Shadow pigs ;)?

In Umathela, 50% are Malkionists (Sedalpists for most), 50% are Orlanthists

Except Orlanth and Ernalda, what are the other 'common' cults?

Humakt seems appropriate.

As I would see that most of the big business is in the hands of the city merchand princes (Malkionists most probably), I would say that Issaries is quite small and only in the villages.

Chalana Arroy should be present

Lankhor Mhy? Again, big university are in cities, hence mostly in the hand of the Malkion Wizards

Maran Gor? Babeester Gor? To protect the Earth temples

Eurmal? In the villages (or every where as they are always every where... )

Storm bull? Not so much Chaos in this part of the world...

Yelmalio for those closer to the elves.

Odayla for the hunter

Some worshiping Aldrya?