Joerg

These are two magical steeds owned by Mastakos, and may or may not be actual sky creature horses. Given the fact that already Harmast's kin has settled this location (as farmers), I think it a safe assumption for there to be an aquifer fed by the meltoff from the Storm Mountains reliably feeding local wells throughout most of the year. Barbarian Town is not an oasis as it is not part of the drylands but of the wetland eastern foothills of the mountains. There being reliable wells may explain its role as a trading town. The trasients would be the herder portion of the tribe. The cattle are standard Orlanthi cattle bred with a magical Pentan steppe bull Derik liberated from the Opili horse nomads some time after the Battle of Quintus Vale. These two statements are true, but IMG not causally connected. IMG Barbarian Town does have agriculture. For most of its recent incarnation, the Pol Joni have warded off other Praxian tribes from occupying the place, and the recent influx of Dundaelos refugees would have increased that agricultural portion of the population. Praxian herds entering here need a lot of guards to avoid being slaughtered or sold off. The only role Jaldon played in the establishment of the Pol Joni town was that his great raid had aggravated Derik Pol Joni enough that he quested mightily to put that ancient recurring hero to rest again. While the Pol Joni ride with Jaldon in the Barbarian Horde in the WBRM / Dragon Pass boardgame, that is a way more recent reincarnation/summoning of the hero, I don't think that Jaldon would be welcome in the town. The Pol Joni practice nomadic pastoralism and rarely bring their herds to town. They roam the Pol Joni March, comprised of the Good Place and the Better Place, the area where the seasonal streams die off in the dry season, with the cattle probably following the furthest extent of their water-bearing portions as that recedes. The pasture is year-round fertile (to Praxian standards). The people of Barbarian Town are in the same position as the Marcher Barons further south, east of the Bandori tribe. The Pol Joni tribe is a source of breeding mares (horses, not zebras) for the Zebra Riders to breed their infertile cross-breed cavalry zebras, and it is likely that they provide the same service to the Issaries mule breeders, who may have some donkey herds for fertilizing such breeding mares with mules. Dorasar found his zebra-rider ally Olgkarth among the Pol Joni when he collected allies for the construction of New Pavis. There might be some donkey breeders in Barbarian Town, and zebra riders bringing breeding war zebra stallions may be a common event, too.

Spacecraft freely entering planetary atmospheres is a standard trope in less hard SF. Escaping the rocket equation is theoretically possible by using external sources of energy to produce lift, e.g. focussed electromagnetic beams or fields creating a virtual space lift. Starting and landing beams collected in the equivalent of solar sails could allow vertical take off and landing. There are cheaper and more easily constructed alternatives to space lifts, like e.g. railgun sleds. Isaac Arthur has an episode where the sled's rails are upheld dynamically by a high-speed circular cable beneath these rails using the direction change at the end of the loop to produce enough force to counter the gravitational pull of the planet. Or space bolas, basically docking facilities slung down into the upper atmosphere at the rotaitonal speed of the planetary surface to enable aerial docking, then moving up with the rotational momentum, to leave the docking module when the vessel is at a convenient angle and start velocity. The losses in rotational energy would be re-filled either using rockets or beamed electromagnetic energy.

Maybe the ship's figurehead? At least that's what the wolf pirate ships are famous for.

Some of Isaac Arthur's concepts are for our technology level (but great commitment).

Check out some of Isaac Arthur's series on megastructures for more ideas:

Orthodox Mostali are encouraged, nay, required to develop a personal hobby project for part of their downtime. That extravaganza may define them as much as their job function. Not quite - you need the INT capacity to manage that much manipulation, or a lot of POW sunk into Engravings of that spell.

Cold-resistant tubers sound like something of great nutritional interest to the Gopher people of northern Pent.

To my knowledge, nothing heavier than a chariot is pulled by horses in Glorantha. The heavy work for wagons or plows is left to oxen or water buffalo while lighter work is given to donkies or mules. I remember seeing an interesting plow team (I think from Egypt) consisting of one donkey (working on the unplowed side of the furrow) and one camel (on the plowed side of the furrow), the donkey for maximum grip and the camel for minimum soil condensation, but I have no idea whether anything similar has ever been considered in Glorantha.

Rather than a grain goddess, I see Thed originally as one of the animal mothers like (the daughters of) Eiritha or Nevala (the sheep mother). Thed is obviously connected to goats, possibly originally with some of the Vadrudi tribes. Broo are the offspring of Ragnaglar and Thed when both of them were regular deities of their respective categories. Non-chaotic Broo early in the Storm Age were little different from Storm Bull's Minotaurs. That changed when Ragnaglar (already psydhically traumatized from his failure at initiation) and Thed (as a traumatized victim of his trauma-induced insanity) conspired with Mallia to incarnate the Devil in their collective child (Wakboth) after interpreting Rashoran's message in their revenge-ridden way. Much like with Vivamort, the question is whether such earlier not-yet-chaotic experiences of the deity can be contacted, or whether a turn to the Chaos pantheon overwrites all initiatory access to such a deity. In case of Mallia, there is a possibility of propitiative initiation bypassing the Chaos link, approaching her through her original element of Darkness. While Mallia doesn't provide herd immunity against that specific disease, she offers survival in infection, and with a herd immunity building up in naturally healing-overcome diseases or magically treated ones, being infectious at some point becomes a non-event if nobody attracts the disease any more. RQ diseases follow a simplistic scheme describing a general set of symptoms depending on the pathogenicity which comes in levels, rather than our world's mutating cell lines we have disease spirit lineages from propagation which may be less diverse and harder to ummunize against. But enough of the Mistress of Diseases and Midwife of Wakboth.

This goes for past historical records, too - i.e. don't trust any declaration that the God Learners went extinct, or what marvels there were to be had in Dorastor prior to Arkat cursing Dokat and other such Feldichi places. Possibly "again" after a prior curse (or genocide) leading to the extinction of the Feldichi (really?) was not enough. Switching into a near future in the early 1630ies: How did the Fazzurites excise Phargentes from the Sartarite records of the campaigns against Lunar Tarsh? Is this a literary (rather than physical, Mularik "helped" there) assassination of the very existence of that ingrate?

Black elves might have a love-hate relationship with these tubers - they love to infect them, and therefore hinder their regular harvest. What rivalry is there between Mee Vorala and Annilla? Possibly enough that she went on to salt-resistant rice on Melib, although there too might be a fungal disease called yellow rice mycotoxicoses.

Cuchullain had the conflicting geas never to refuse hospitality - this went far beyond social obligation, and was fate's way to announce that Cuchullain was fated to perish. A person without that geas never to refuse hospitality can do so, especially if declaring a conflicting geas (like "never eat bird on Firedays"). This does of course paint that geas as a target on the bearer, a weakness waiting to be exploited.

Tusk Rider scholars experimenting wish to find out whether Heal Body and Resurrection on a bisected body with the two halves kept apart will result in two identical people. Now they research how to split or duplicate that person's spirit so that there is someone to call into the body. Possessed bodies don't seem to work.

Once more in the correction thread for Earth Goddesses: Note that this is the cult of the Tusk Riders, a demi-human race of people descended from the Aramites. The Bestiary tells their own version of the history of Dragon Pass, and the claims by the cult that Aram-ya-Udram was the founder of the EWF results from that version of their history. The earliest history of Dragon Pass was printed in the board game White Bear and Red Moon, and that version named the Empire of the Wyrm's Friends as the only predecessor civilization in Dragon Pass. But the EWF was present only for a much shorter period in history. It was the successor of the Theyalan civilization of the Heortlings and other Orlanthi in the region. Naming the earlier history the Empire of Wyrm's Friends was a political fiction bowing to the greatest human empire in the history of the Pass region. Aram ya Udram had a hand in creating that human civilization. Aram was a Silver Age hero, probably born in or before the Greater Darkness, and human representative on the Unity Council in the first century after the Dawn - possibly until 170 S.T. if I recall the availability of the Necklace of Kero Fin correctly. He was one of the lovers of Queen Merngala, the queen who resettled Nochet from the Obsidian Palace where her predecessor Norinel had led the survivors of that city when her husband Kimantor could no longer defend the city (or its outlying farming area) against the monsters. At some point, Aram hunted down Gouger, the God Pig, sent to destroy three cities where the people no longer paid the proper respect to Ernalda. Using a darkness demon Aram had bound earlier, he killed the Earth Avenger that had gone on a rampage of destruction beyond its original task, and from the tusks of that boar the Ivory Plinth was shaped on top of an older low ziggurat. At some point, Aram became the lover of Sorana Tor, the avatar of Kero Fin - possibly as reward for his action against the rampage of the God Pig in her domain, and was gifted (or loaned) the Necklace of Kero Fin. After 170 S.T., Aram was no longer alive. His followers and descendants became the Tusker-boar riding humans of Dragon Pass. A descendant fought in the Battle of Night and Day around 380 S.T., leading the center of the Heortling and Troll forces, with 400 boar-riding warriors. There are no accounts about Palangio's retribution against the Aramite humans. After the liberation of Dragon Pass and the victory over the Bright Empire, civilized Aramites became a warrior elite in the urban culture of the Kingdom of Orlanthland. Tribute from Dara Happa helped fueling the rapid urbanisation of the Dragon Pass Orlanthi. This urban culture predated the discovery/spread of draconic thought and Auld Wyrmish among humans by at least a century, and it was not before 700 S.T. that the first dragonspeaker became a member of the ruling council of Orlanthland. Another three generations later, the dragonspeakers had replaced the traditionalist Orlanthi on the council, and the Kingdom of Orlanthland finally became the EWF. In the Machine Wars of the early 900s, the leading EWF hero was an Aramite by the name of Varankol the Mangler, a Great Living Hero (i.e. a mortal receiving worship by a cult, enabling him to perform greater magics than humanly possible). While not a draconic mystic, Varankol was a citizen of the urban EWF and profited from its accumulation of magical power, aka the Proximate Holy Realm (at the expense of tributary provinces in Peloria and Ralios). When the EWF collapsed in 1042 and the EWF cities were raided by the vengeful Pelorians (Sairdites, Carmanians and Dara Happans), the urban Aramites would have been its best defenders, and possibly bore the brunt of the onslaught. With the magical crops and magically enhanced livestock powered by the draconic magic failing, the enslaved EWF citizens carried off into Peloria were spared a period of famine and deterioration that those left behind were suffering, with many fleeing south into the powerful Hendriki kingdom to escape starvation. The humans who remained in the Pass adapted to the old ways of pastoralism and agriculture, with the once proud cities deteriorating into half-empty fortified towns occupied by farmers managing the surrounding lands. They too acepted the leadership and protection of the Hendriki kings. When the dragonkill struck the invading True Golden Horde, few of the human defenders of Dragon Pass were remaining. The dragons kiled all the humans that remained on the land, but spared those who had been changed by the magics of Remakerela. Among these may have been the Tusk Riders, descendants of Aramite Tusker boar riders, possibly changed in the image of Varankol the Mangler who was said to have had the tusks of his boar implanted after it was killed in the Machine Wars.

While I have some sentimental fondness for King of Sartar and the scholarship it incited, the meat of it is more clearly found in the Sourcebook History of Dragon Pass, the Colymar history in the Colymar Adventure Book from the GM screen, and the Argrath Saga in the prophecies appendix in the Guide. Nobody needs any ambiguity about the date of the demise of King Moirades these days.

The RuneQuest post-mortem stat deterioration is the real problem here - there is 1D3 stat loss per day regardless whether you refrigerate the body or leave it marinating in the sun, and the hit point recronstruction will be taken care of by a Heal Body before the Resurrection is enacted. Heal Body may even re-attach lost arms or limbs pre-resurrection, provided they are available, and should be able to reconstruct any gray matter splattered by that troll maul RAW. Deezola offers Resurrection, but on a one-use base (unless that is about to be changed). Usually the temple would prefer to contract a healer of Erissa or Chalana Arroy if a Resurrection attempt is to be made, or ask a rune lord to attempt a Divine Intervention. IMO the "heal all damage" step might be the critical failure point. How can a dead body respond to a healing magic? Would it be sensible to heal a dead comrade on his way to the CA temple immediately after the combat? Can a three day ripe body benefit from the healing magic? Would the embalmers use heal rather than thread and needle to reconstruct the dead? Will Heal Body cope with straw fillings? With limbs or even necks Glued into place?

Personally, I would place RQ2 Troll Pak before the Guide, possibly even before Cults of RuneQuest Mythology, because it offers an excerpt of all of Glorantha's myths and history from the troll perspective in a very accessible way in Uz Lore.

Orlanth's ethics have no problem with stealing from "not-us", whether alive or dead. Ernalda or rather her mom Asrelia may see this a bit differently (once something has been given over to the Earth, it belongs to the Earth, and if it has been given in holding towards the afterlife of the deceased, Asrelia might be contractually obliged to pursue thieves). My question here is what do the people who bury their dead with ostentatious grave goods expect the deceased to do with the equipment? The Greek obolos for Charon served to allow the deceased to pay the ferryman. The warrior who is cremated or subsequently buried alongside his favourite items doesn't have the physical body to wield or wear any of these items. The items sacrificed this way do follow the deceased into his afterlives (five souls and a spirit - which one gets to carry the stuff? Or does everything go to the afterlife of the deceased's main cult? Are there reusable grave gifts, used in the burial rites but retrieved before "sealing" the tomb? Are there clay figurines of items representing the real thing in the afterlife? Are there Fresco-covered death houses depicting everyday life like the Etruscan tombs, suggesting that the painted stuff becomes available to the dead?

Kargan Tor appears to have fragmented or split up like in crystal refraction into multiple entities as Death was removed from Subere's Vault and applied to Grandfather Mortal. Hence we have Kargzant Lightfore, Karrg Litor, Vivamort (Kargan Tor derelicting on his post on the Spike - an accurate description for the guardian of Subere's Vault going AWOL), and of course Humakt. The copying and multiplying of Death in the Sword Story is another clue towards this.

@scott-martin So are your Gorakiki trolls more the equivalent of Praxian Beast RIders or Pure Horse Pentans than ersatz insect-Hsunchen? Gorakiki the overall herd mother, the aspects the different beast tribes with their two-legged sibling/companions?

What I meant with that different angle is that potato bread is not something common but (like in Japan) a rare foodstuff, the source of Lunar indoctrination through the Teelo Norri soup kitchens. It would be a communion with the Moon, of sorts, rather than just getting hungry bellies filled with starch (and little else of nutritional value if cooked, and potentially poisonous if not cooked).

If you are a practitioner, you might use chips in sacrificial and/or necromantic ways, like in one of Ben Aaronovich's recent offerings in the novels.

For an alternative explanation, there might have been a devastating potato blight in the Storm Age, leaving none in the world of Time. For those who want potatoes for her Redness and Blueness, maybe there are potatoes that are protected against that blight by moonglow. E.g. in the sacred gardens of the Reaching Moon temples, giving that theme of potato bread a different angle. If you want more potatoes, you might take the plot of Jabberwocky and turn it into a massive heroquest. Derobe, enter the underworld, release Gbaji, ride the hummingbird, you know the drill.

Argan Argar is deeply intertwined with the Theyalan or Unity Council. While the deity himself wasn't present for the Unity Battle or I Fought We Won, his son/avatar Ezkankekko (The Only Old One) was, and probably shaped the cult. The Kitori Shadowlords were keeping the books on the Equal Exchange between the survival sites in the Silver Age and the Dawn Age. The act of reading is a magical dedication to the Lord of Knowledge and Literacy. It may be low level, but it is done all over the world. Whether all the literates go to visit a shrine to LM regularly to deposite a certain amount of magic points is a different question. I would not be surprised if some form of offering would be included in certain AA rites, though. There ought to be a hero who developed the writing of Darktongue in darkness. There is a good chance that this entity does receive associate worship in AA rites.

Argan Argar has a literacy requirement for initiates and upward, which means they are lay members of LM almost by default. AA seems to be the go-to cult for troll literacy, and the cult is known to make the best use of trollkin, e.g. with the introduction of the spearkin.