Erol of Backford

Would not be stealing, Black Horses are intelligent and wouldn't go along with being stolen, would likely eat you if you tried? But rather earned/given for services rendered to Ethilrist. If said services are impossible, so be it.. was curious what feats might be required as this is a fantasy game.

Scott, thanks much for the link, (and to Jeff on the posts and maps found there on the Aeolians!) I am still catching up on having missed 15 years of Rune Quest ~ Glorantha, Scott, I also saw your old post on Ethilrist, I realize this is about a year late to enter that conversation but its quite interesting to me: So what would be the 5 point plan to meet Ethilrist, serve him, gain his trust, earn a Black Horse mount and still be allowed to move on to other "brighter pastures" with the mount after a given time or tasks performed? If there are 2600 of these demonic mounts (not sure where I saw this number) who's to miss 2~3 of them? What if one of your campaign's PC's was an adopted Agmori Aeolian Emali who, of course loves fire and doesn't mind riding a horse, albeit a demonic one? Again we are playing RQ3 so not so much into the runes but would an Emali need to be, illuminated to be able to ride a Black Horse? Darkness versus Light or since Emal still has fire would it be an issue? Have stats on the Black Horse ever been published? This campaign is starting in about 1600 and is based in Backford but the PC's will be moving up via trade to Sundome, Clearwine and of course Greenbrass and Apple Lane... later, much later, I see an Agmori knight in armor riding a rather large Black Horse out in Prax as potentially very epic for the PC's... The clashes with the Kitori and their troll friends would almost certainly be welcomed through this time period... trolls are not to be trusted.

Again off direct topic from women knights, but Tokugawa/Matsudaira Ieyasu, destined to be Shogun, was thought to have worn a Spanish Conquistador helmet and possibly a cuirass from what I read. It may have been for dress rather than battle but interesting to note nonetheless. The only armor peasants would have had, possibly women, was something stolen off a dead ashigaru or samurai who wandered into their village, wounded after a battle and likely on the run from the victors?

What is the best map showing the Hendriki tribes? Knowing some of the PC's are from Backford and are Aeolian are there any Hendriki that would be directly apposed to them? The thoughts on Brangbane are interesting and will likely turn into multiple adventures and a long term campaign goal. There will be at least 2 Humakti in the party possible 3 or even 4 depending on how it goes... Thank you for the info Jaja!

So since no one is interested in Bragbane (still interested in how many actual ghouls are in the woods if anyone has an opinion) being destroyed I'll ask another question. So repeating that the campaign I am looking at runs from 1600: If the twin adopted Agimori raised in Backford happen to befriend Londra (still looking for a plot connection following Apple Lane to get them with Londra) when she is getting started with the Temple of the Wooden Sword, travel travel with her off and on and end up going to the Haunted Ruins (on both occasions) to meet the Sazdorf Clan and actually play against or temporarily with the Whackers and Tacklers, I think it would be really fun to play out. They are like size 21~22 and are fast so Troll Ball would be fun no? Into Troll Realms and then Snake Pipe Hallow could follow. I have and love, a bunch of the old adventures. How to get the PC's to Clearwine following Apple Lane to meet Londra and Nameless? Is White-eye a Sazdorf outlaw and there is a reward for him being returned as he stole some troll artifact and is hiding it in the Rainbow Mounds? Any ideas? Do they simply tag along with Londra on her way there and get drawn into it all? Also along these lines how does a PC approach Nameless as a love interest over the timeframe ? Does anyone have ideas on she might be "tough and tender" as if one of the PC's was smitten with her it'd draw them back to Clearwine time and again? Just trying to spice up the campaign a bit. Are the Dragons Past magazines/articles available for purchase or are the articles only available via the Wyrm’s Footnotes? I have most of the Tales of Reaching Moon magazines... (NVM on this I saw the bundle on the Chaosium site!)

Sorry this is still slightly off topic but includes women's rolls on the battlefield if not as knights: I recall that the Ikko-ikki use volley fire (again mostly farmers and likely some women as the Ikko-ikki were made up of both sexes, peasant rabble, throw in a few female monks for color as well) against Nobunaga at Nagashima quite effectively that they held him off for a few years. Thus having been used against his forces with great effect (I think even one of relatives fell there) he learned from it and so Nobunaga (and Hideyoshi in later battles) deployed its use against the Takeda at Nagashino. It is off topic but interesting to note... the point women (samurai or not) and peasants, easily trained and then put to use to cut down the élite samurai. What an insult, maybe this was part of the reason Mt. Hei was burned (thousands killed) a few months after the first failed attempt to take Nagashima? (Katsuyori's father I think was actually mortally wounded by an harquebus ball while trying to listen to one of Ieyasu's soldiers playing a flute or something at night during the siege of Mikatagahara?) Maybe a new topic/thread would be how to translate some of the Daimyo to Runequest, Land of Ninja anyone!? It would be like Game of Thrones but set in Kralorela. Did anyone see the movie Ran by Kurosawa... "Go East" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sieges_of_Nagashima

There is a lot of great info on the Waring States Period on line but I prefer the Osprey books mentioned above, many by Turnbull have really great source material. At the Battle of Shizugatake in 1583, there was record of some 200 women musketeers. You could imagine the fury of the samurai charging their ranks only to be raked by the volley fire of female fired harquebus' and then to add insult to their masculinity, the wounded get skewered by females wielding naginatas!? I've been to Aizu a few times where there were supposedly some female samurai to die at the hands of the Mejii Forces during the Boshin War. There is nothing on site that I saw (limited Japanese I confess) which displays women fighting there but Niijima Yae who evidently lived through the battle was called the “Bakumatsu Joan of Arc”. The late 1860's is a bit late to be calling them "female knights" albeit they were "onna-bugeisha" (female samurai)?

Curious what would be the best alternate for the Hendriki Raiders if some of the PC's were Hendriki in the Pegasus plateau and you desired the antagonists to be more of a Lunar sympathizer type? Another question, if you had to estimate how many ghouls were in the Woods of the Dead what would you guess? What about Black Rock proper? Also, how many slaves would there be any given day on average? Would the Humakti turn undead affect Brangbane like a normal undead creature, even failure befuddles him until he fails an intelligence test? How/what would need to be converted to Runequest 3rd Ed/Avalon Hill... If you took 100 Humakti with say 10 Swords could you clear out the Woods of the Dead over a period of time?

Per the Avalon Hill RG, (I think RQ3?) it seems it is fairly simple to create an enchantment and so why do more NPC's not have them? Tattoos don't cost all that much so you don't really need an expensive gold torque necklace to make/have an enchantment? (was reading some posts on enchanting) Is it just the purchasing of the spells costs more than people make in a year? Just curious and thanks again.

There is a lot posted on "Tell me about Elmal and Yelmalio" but is there an actual cult write-up for Elmal even if non canonical?

What would be a good plot lead to have Dwarves end up inhabiting the caverns below Rabbit Hat? Did any of the Flintnail members help build any part of Suntown in Pavis or even the Sundome incognito?

I am finally about 1/2 way through the forum tabs and found "Aeolian Church - Heortland" from 2016 and "Deep background history of the Sun Dome Temple". Lots of great info there and thank you all once again. Joerg, Jeff and Jaja especially. Related to Sun Dome, I have WFN 15 and am surprised the Sun Dome in Sartar seems to be a slave state with nearly 1/3 the population are Ergeshi serfs?! Does anyone know of sources on any of the settlements as there are 6~8 shown near the Sun Dome Temple? Are there any maps of Vanntar or these smaller settlements? Should I assume they are similar to those in the Prax Sun County with walled villas say like Sandheart but the climate more temperate? Or would these settlements be more like Apple Lane?

Where is the best description of how to bind a ghost or spirit into an enchantment? We are still using the old 1990's AH version of the rules but have the new system (didn't read it yet) I was and still am confused about how to overcome said entity. I always thought it was total current MP versus MP not power versus power but really don't know? It would be great if there were an example of spirit combat using spirit block, etc. in order to bind one... How would you break and existing binding and move said spirit and or ghost into a new enchantment, if possible? How would one slay a "polar bear" and bind its spirit into it skin (without simply saying the character is a hero and can do that) Is it explained somewhere? Say you have a spirit binding enchantment and you place a spirit into it can you not transfer it to another enchantment? I am recalling lots of mad-head ghosts which you can break the enchantment binding them but would you be able to bind them into another enchantment at the time the original enchantment being broken? It says the become simple ghosts after the enchantment is broken.

Reading through the 100's of posts (tab 34, its taking a long time to read through this stuff) I am used to Sun County in Sartar, p12 of Escape From Duckland and Adventures in the Land of the Sun, I also picked up the trilogy of Sandheart but not familiar with Vanntar? Is Sun County in Sartar the same as Vanntar, it's old name? Is there an actual map that shows the boundaries of Vanntar or is it the same as Sun County? Who would be the Lakarnos contact there and or would there be an Issaries shrine at or near the Sartar Sundome? Also where is there detail on who's who in the Sartar, Sun County from 1600 ~ 1625 and the political relation with the Lunar Empire during that time? One other question back in the late 80's my friends and I learned to really dislike Halcyon var Enkorth. What happens to him and who is slimier than him in all of Glorantha? Did he somehow die? Did he take revenge on Bluebird? Who was the unnamed oger with him noted on page 48 of Griffin Mountain? Just look at him, what a grease-bag:

What year would be the earliest you see Storms in the Deep or The Barren Isle taking place? 1624 would be very late or so I am thinking. What years were the author's suggesting the two scenarios in Tales 10 took place as they were written before the Guide? Again this campaign begins in 1600 and would be costal at best in my mind as there is way to much good material on land in Dragon pass and Prax... Another interesting item would be that somehow dwarves are in the turtle ship with arquebuses and cannon. (Turnbull has some great samurai 1600's titles with Osprey) I don't like the concrete ship idea shown in Tales #10 for dwarves but iron (or some other metal) clad ships or even something similar to the ACW period would be welcome though they'd not be very seaworthy from what I understood from reading. Float spells and undines could rectify any of that however and dwarves are good engineers. Maybe Leonardo helped design something like this and its control mechanism went haywire? It would be interesting to see something like this float up the Zola Fel or Syphon if a shallow draft? 275'/84m is a good bit smaller than any dragon ship and so not as obtrusive? Maybe its just a trading vessel...

So reading through Glorantha Sourcebook I was excited to see the Waertagi discussed. And so searching the Forum and old fanzines I have I began to think of scenario ideas. Again the campaign I am planning is begining about 1600 and is based in Backford long before the Scorpionmen take over. Hopefully the PC will have relocated long before then? The one that seems easy enough to generate would be for say a either a Waertagi or God Learner ship, or more likely, a portion of a ship has floundered on the shoals off of Sklar and the PC's are sent to investigate. Has anyone detailed anything on a Waetagi ship or something the God Learners may have had? Did the God Learners have ships? Is one of these ships powered by something similar to Shell Island (but much much larger) that appears in Tales #10 p.9 Storms in the Deep or assuming the sea dragon or whatever was hollowed out as I don't like the idea that a city was just built on the back of the sea dragon, does it have something like the Underworld p.43 of the same Tales #10 powering it or is it more like the Mostali areas described in the Haunted Ruins p.26. Being very large it would have the cross section nearly as complex as an Iowa Class Battleship nearly, 900' long I am guessing: Again, sorry to post on this if it was already somewhere but I didn't find anything when I searched and am not so confident to begin a new post as of yet... Thank you all.

Should this be a new thread? Intelligent Horses: Continuing the discussion on Agimori possibly riding horses, I was reading in the GSB on page 16 (horse named Glad Leaper) that horses could have sentient INT and could learn spells etc. and so I am curious how this could happen without the horse being an allied spirit. Are horses able to be awakened similar to the Release INT spell the Morokanth have in Prax? Would there be some sort of Hero Quest as noted in the GSB, again p16 that could be conducted? Griffins and Hippogriff are already noted as being able to speak and cast spells. Would one just need to know speak with birds to communicate with them (They are both birds/birdlike no, hawk and or eagle headed?) meaning is there a speak with horses ability? Thinking that a horse casting Bludgeon on their hooves or Bladesharp on a character's lance... Any thoughts or comments appreciated.

I have player characters wanting to know about ghosts and how to capture or bind them when they are encountered rather than always fighting them or running away. For future encounters months if not years down the road when the players are Rune Lord status... The question is could a character not somehow transfer the binding to a new enchantment. For example, looking at Runequest Gamemater Adventures we have King Berevenenos' ghost. Would player characters not be able to bind him if they had an appropriate spell and enchantment? Taking that further I always thought from gaming back in the 90's, somehow getting the ghost of Ormelius from Shadows on the Borderland bound so he was under the control of a player character would be really really interesting. Could you use some Lhankor Mhy spell to go back in time to see where the binding enchantment was made in the shrine and then transfer it to a new enchantment or remove it in whole (without damaging it) to bring him with? of course they'd need to be protected from him while any of these activities were in progress? Also the ghost from Snakepipe Hallow, the Blue Ghost would be really cool to unleash on character enemies. Could a character not use divine intervention with Humakt to get the ghost under character's control (I didn't think Humakti could be undead but it doesn't bother me here) Lastly the spirit Ironarm in Balastors Barracks, could they not be bound to further the glory of Humakt by being transferred, again via divine intervention to a weapon of cult artifact like the golden sword or such? If this sort of discussion was posted somewhere previously, my apologies.

So we have a PC who is an Agimori who was orphaned and raised Civilized (its a long story involving Broo and Knight Fort, I don't know the whole story yet) and has no objection to riding a horse... I have no issues with it as they like to antagonize trolls and it puts them on a more even footing when fighting with them or playing Troll Ball. They give new meaning to "push" in Shield Push as well. 2 questions: Where might they find a horse, sized to carry them, all the better if they have to travel far to obtain it, trade, travel all good ways to get into scenarios. Also, what other animals besides say rhinos in Prax could carry them and where would a nomad trader sell them? I looked through several pages on Agimori but didn't see anything on mounts... sorry if I missed it. As always thoughts and suggestions are appreciated.

I read through the old closed post on TSR's but didn't find notes on a few things: Long Home is shown on the map p10~11 mostly to the north of TSR, as I see it, but there is a river running out of the valley at the southeast end of the valley. The map on p111 it shows a/the river running into a/the sinkhole. Is there another river running out of the valley or does the water also flow around the sinkhole in some way that not all of it runs into the sinkhole and continues out of the valley? When the Lunars and the Manticore Company come to the valley it would be through here past the sinkhole as that is the main entry to the valley? Also when I look at the picture on p122 is that True Ford in the right midground looking from the east side of the valley maybe a little north of the tower? One other question, Danbar's stats are similar/same to the regular Warden's but I assume he'd be more like Terentha's as he was a mercenary for a time? I think the stats for him were inadvertently posted as that of a regular warden? If there was an errata on TSR, I have not seen it, so if anyone has a link please share it. PS: I received TSR as a gift and am curious if there is a way I can still get the PDF if it wasn't purchased through Chaosium?

Guys, this is the best, I feel like I am reliving my 1990's RuneQuest but with more and better detail. The Heortland map is great, I have a copy of How the West Was Won and will need to reread it this evening. Thanks for the links as well. The game is so much better with all the socioeconomics wrapped in with the culture. Really, really great stuff here. I just got a few of the new RuneQuest books and haven't even pulled the plastic seal off 2 of them as I need to absorb it one book at a time... So glad new material has come out. Thanks yet again!

Thank you both for the great input.

So I have been digging in some more in my older magazines. In Tradetalk #5 p12 Brian of the Volsaxi is leading Volsaxi Mercenaries in the service of the King of Heortland defending Knight Fort and the Praxian Marches. I have looked a bit in the Forum but not able to find much on the Knight Fort besides there are differences of opinion as to where it actually is and how many forts there are, though I may have missed a bit? Is the location about 50 miles east of Mt. Passant about right or is it supposed to be further north? The map clip below is from the RuneQuest Companion. I also added a clip from the game (I never played as I can't speak French but back in the day was so crazy for RuneQuest I thought I needed a copy even I couldn't understand it...) which also shows the Knight Fort south and slightly east of Barbarian Town and positions it about the mid point of the open plain between the Stormwalk Mts. and the cliffs dropping off toward God Forgot. This distance is roughly 30 miles with Knight Fort being centrally located. Does this location make sense? (funny to note the Sundome Templar counters, lower left on the clip, look a lot like the figures on the counters from an old Trojan War game I have...) The idea that the PC's in this campaign could also assist with the protection of Marcher Barons sometime during the period from 1611 ~ 1615 when Brian is posted there would be an interesting way to set plot hooks for them to actually venture into Prax and be tied to Brian possibly after then in the campaign? Though Prax portion needs a lot more investigation and vetting as horses aren't very welcome in Prax... Maybe they learn to ride other more acceptable mounts though zebras are likely to be more donkey sized then that of a horse for a knight? I'll need to look into that some more later but would take suggestions as to how to have them ride horses in Prax without needing to fight all the nomads they cross? Do I forget something related to horse being hated in Prax? Also does anyone have suggestions as to how I might tie Aeolians to Brian? Would he oppose Aeolians being part of his company? I had read somewhere that Brian had extensive holdings in Backford (if I find that article again I'll post location when I do) and so he mustn't have dislike or hate for Aeolians would he? This is assuming there are Aeolians in Backford which I am now thinking is pretty obvious? Previously Joerg had suggested Aeolians could be Jansholm and Karse, so why not Backford if I understood correctly? It was also noted that they would not be in Sklar but I found something interesting in the same Tradetalk issue but on page 13. Gwydion of Sklar is the Archbishop of the Aeolian Church of Heortland. Earlier there was discussion that all the Aeolian where in larger cities which doesn't trouble me but when the Archbishop is from a "upstart fishing port" and he was actually the Bishop of Backford at age 35, it helps me solidify the Aeolians were definitely in Backford and there must have been quite a few for a bishop to have been posted there? The PC's would be introduced to Gwydion when he is in Backford or has returned for a visit if the timing doesn't work. How old would Gwydion when he became Archbishop and what year? So I am at about 1600 for the starting point in the campaign and if Owain King of Heortland is say 8 years old who is King in Heortland assuming Owain is not yet? I'll have a good number of years in Heortland and Sartar to develop the campaign and some in Prax from 1611~1615 plus possibilities of the PC's heading off with Gwydion after Richard supplants Owain in 1617. I am also wanting a tie to the Capratis Family, possibly through trade where the PC's being Aeolians wouldn't cause many issues? Knowing the Bishop of Nochet, Vancelain du Tumerine supported Richard gives lots of reasons to dislike them both especially after the decree "to remove all pagan ornaments from the churches of the Invisible God" is made? (Again Tradetalk #5 Holy Country article, page 12~15. This helps the tension with trade competition especially when the Aeolians are being persecuted by Richard? Is there a good source on this? When, what year would the Fish Roads have been created? How would the temple to Belintar the God-king, the Aeolian church of the Invisible God and any Orlanthian Temples be integrated. St. Orlanth has a shrine in the church? Would Belintar's temple be separate or integrated, assuming I am going to go with Aeolians in Backford and the whole Gwydion of Sklar being the Bishop of Backford? Thank you all yet again for any thoughts.

One of these days I'll get to setting up actual PC's and their backgrounds that have some instilled/learned longing to fight Chaos and the Lunars but not until all these plot lines with trade, the fish roads, the City of Wonders and how to tie lots of old RQ2~3 adventures into a Backford Champaign come together. More questions on the Fish Roads and possible underwater combat: Let's say you have the River Eyes spell and Breathe Water with like Extension 10... Do the fish roads hinder movement to the point of exhaustion (What would be the point?) or does the magical nature of them and or the rites to enter them gain you freedom of movement, walking running. It doesn't seem to be meaningful to have the Fish Roads without some movement benefit? Walking 60 miles on the bottom of a river, bay, sea, ocean doesn't sound like fun. Take a boat maybe? Possibly Mobility3~4 is cast on you as part of the entry rites or ceremony? If so and you can move freely would your abilities as an air breather be more or less normal? Sword and mace attack be normal or would only thrusting weapons be useable if some Mobility type spell wasn't cast? I read through GMKen's topic related to the Elf Sea and treasure hunting, and I have the old Strangers in Prax booklet. Fond memories I must say from the mid 90's and so more reasons to investigate and vet this pre-campaign. Question, who knows (living or dead) how to make Frog Masks and if no one alive does what would be a way to go back in time to discover it without doing a Hero Quest? I haven't done any Hero Questing but going back to learn how to make frog masks in old Pavis might not be too dangerous? Any brief suggestions as to level of difficulty and plot line? Also for sorcery, is there some sort of freedom of movement spell like a phylactery of action for water or could you say use a Form Set Water with a 1" range with a multi-spelled skin of life to be able to survive and move underwater, maybe even out of the Fish Roads? If you could use a short range form set water as a forcefield what intensity would it have to be. Not thinking water dynamics and fluid displacement, though this could create buoyancy issues and prevent one from staying submerged? (This is supposed to be Runequest and Glorantha not physics class.) Its like you'd have a forcefield something like the image attached but it would be for water? Funny question, how many AP would spaceman armor have? Can power spirits be used to cast sorcery if they are bound into the item with the matrix on it? Though they wouldn't actually cast it for you would they. So how do you set up a sorcery spell to cast it when you want it or do you have to wait 25 melee rounds to cast an cool spell? Could you cast form set water on say a crossbow and its bolts to use it underwater? I start thinking of those Air-bender movies which I have not seen. I suppose if you had advance sorcery you could cast a group of spells and move through the air, why bother with underwater besides for trade purposes though flooded cavers filled with Chaos are always fun adventuring scenarios. Sorry if some of ese questions don't make sense, its been a while since I've played, thanks again for any input.

OK, I found the fish roads but as I said had never heard of them before. We didn't have those back in the mid~late 80's... Several questions: Where does the Fish Road end/stop that passes Backford into the footprint and can you travel there down to the Underworld (any detail or articles on this) if you were crazy enough to do it? Is that a Hero Quest thing? Again any PC's in my campaigns do not have Hero Quest Super Bowl rings. Can Chaos beings use the Fish Road and if so how does one guard against them using it or stop them from walking right into Bullpen or Backford for that matter? Did this happen when the scorpionmen overran Backford? If the Fish Roads can be used to take wagons to the City of Wonders, there is already a clear path for trade in and out of Backford you'd just have to travel the 65 miles minimum to get there. Can you jump off/out of or onto/into the Fish Roads when and where you want or is it only at the terminals for entry and exit? Yes you may need a breathe water spell if you could move off/out of them. It is almost like there would need to be inns along the Fish Roads? I can imagine the names: The Frowning Carp, The Bearded Dolphin, Magasta's Bog...the names are limitless... Possibly travel is sped up in the Fish Roads? Is there magical assistance to movement therein? It would most certainly help military troop movement as well as trade. Are tolls levied on goods and travelers and if so who gets the funds? Could a bird fly in the Fish Roads or a character with a fly spell do so? When "Belintar's mortal frame expired and the Tournament failed to produce a replacement" what happened to all the niffy things he helped create? Do the Fish Roads collapse suddenly (if/when he really dies) and drown all those air-breathers in them in 1616 or are they permanent until someone godlike dispels them? Thoughts and comments appreciated!