Joerg

All of this sounds like the Golden Age rather than the Green Age. As has been said above, you can be the first to do thing X - it is your fault that the world (of the Golden Age even) is less perfect than the primordial Green Age. Take harvesting, for instance - in the Green Age, your harvest might have come to you, or at least you would not have had to work hard to receive it. By Yelm's many mistakes, the Golden Age forces people to work in agriculture - they need to prepare the fields or gardens, sow the seeds, possibly water the crop, and then harvest the fruit of the labor. Whoever thought that would be a good idea? Both of these are Golden Age conditions. Accessible even for worshipers of Orlanth through myths of Orlanth's youth, including the early contests, or the cave incident with Yinkin, or Orlanth and Yinkin fathering the clouds upon Helera.

Few minority cults outside of the associates of the main clan deities can accumulate enough reguiar worshipers to maintain a shrine - that's a normal situation for speciality cults like Humakt or the Seven Mothers (outside of Lunar-dominated areas). Such shrines (or often rather minor temples) are found either in the Confederation city, Boldhome, and the occasional speciality clan temple a few clans further. In a way, participation in the Sacred Time rituals takes place everywhere, and participants aren't shirking any of their specific cult duties attending to clan rites. They might be shirking clan rites when attending speciality rites at their cult's temples, but again that is acceptable and required by the clan, too - those specialists would be extremely hard to get otherwise. Either form of absence will usually compensated for by placing votive gifts in the place where you cannot attend, providing a remote participation to help that community. These ought to count as worshipers in the rite. (And frankly I fail to see how else Uleria maintains a minor temple in Apple Lane.)

The typical clan-organized Sacred Time heroquest is a This World quest, with mask-bearers from the clan providing the ritual opposition to the chosen small band of Lightbringers (plus hangers-on acting as their weapon or similar). So, in a passion play way, the clan provides the ambience for the questers, possibly uses some caves for the scenes in the underworld, and at the same time has people out there guarding the stead and taking care of the minors and the ailing. If the heroquest is like a LARP, the majority of the clan provides the Orga(nisation) and the NPCs encountered by the questers. These extra roles don't require that the participants are Lightbringer cultists or anything like that. They require some identification, usually done on stage either by the mask-bearer themselves or by a commentator (either a voice out of the air, or maybe the Knowledge participant making his exposition. These extras may be of any cult. Including the Seven Mothers.

Almost a century more. The Colymar have formed their tribe, but the Malani have not yet arrived as neighbors of your future clan. The Elmali had little trouble coping with their contact with the Grazer sun cult, even as fellow horse-lovers. Arim became king over people who built a Sun Dome Temple at Goldedge (and there is a saga lost there, too), with contacts to temples in territories conquered by Hwarin Dalthippa. IMG there is no northern Heortling ("Tarshite") word for Elmal. People from the north worshiped the same deity as did Balazar, unless there were some Imtherites among the forlorn hope immigrants who followed Arim.

I suppose the Hill of Gold is the Yelmalian equivalent of I Fought We Won. There appears to be a period in the Greater Darkness when even the Last Light was failing, and the Lightfore may have experienced a sojourn to the Underworld. That would not be anything like a Lightbringers' Quest. According to the Dara Happans, the Ram People were led by their king Elmalus when they invaded Urvairinus's Dara Happa. Elmal apparently did a lot more than just guard the stead (although these invasions might be equated with the sons of Vingkot contending for the inheritance of their father's crown/torc/whatever).

Those would have to be horse riders of the Pol Joni, as the founding of New Pavis brought disciples of Monrogh to Suntown. That would date the start of Monrogh's revelation around 1544 (and might be a reason why Tarkalor was absent from the first wave of assassinations of House Norinel). It is a bit funny that there are as many Praxian beast rider worshipers of Lightfore as there are Orlanthi worshippers of Yelmalio in Sartar (including northern Sartar) and the Holy Country, and that most of them are pygmies.

Outside of Pavis, the source material on urban Sartar is minuscule. There is a bit of an urban environment in the recruitment prequel to Snake Pipe Hollow which makes all of the urban Sartarite information from the RQ2 era. RQ3 avoided urban Sartar completely, too, with the ultra-rural and backward Varmandi as the sample clan in the sample tribe of the Colymar who don't belong to any of Sartar's city confederation. Thunder Rebels did a further exploration of rural clans, giving the tribes a short thrift. The Sartar Rising campaign avoided cities, too. Sartar: Kingdom of Heroes and the Sartar Companion did give information on the cities, but did not cover prices or transactions. Or even personal property. Is selling stuff for coined money the main business model for these shops, though, or is it contracts with guilds and tribal manors that keeps these workshops afloat? Because we are talking workshops, not grocers. Medieval style guild economy is a command economy, too. Most "medieval" style role-playing settings assume a Wild West or Californian or Klondike gold-digger economy rather than anything resembling medieval conditions, where the gun-slinger murder-hobos ride into town with their illegitimately acquired wealth to gamble away or to spend on equipment upgrades. Taxation in grain, tithing in (living) meat, or fish and dairy. The temples receive both, and distribute both. They also set aside seed stock and breeding stock of the temple-owned herds "leased" to the rurals - something implied in the second full scenario in the GM Screen Adventures book. The Apple Lane section of that book describes tenant farming and how that is supposed to support a noble, although with a rare (?) cash crop rather than traditional agriculture. (Who is contributing the grain and meat for these apple orchard tenants?) Both cities and rural villages have markets where trading happens. I would suggest that all "cash" or barter deals are made in the market, with a gift/hospitality/favor economy doing the rest for the locals. No bringing a sow to the pub and drinking it off... IMG via the market - excess grain neither held in storage for food or seeding. Trading beer for grain will be contractualized. The brewer is going to receive grain in excess of what she is expected to need for fulfilling her beer quota, leaving her able to market some on the market. It takes some enterprise to buy even more grain to go into cash production, which will use the market to buy that extra grain. Selling bread for cash will be done on the market. IMG the baking house is no place of commerce, although you may go there to do contractual negotiations. These crafters (or their guilds) probably have contractual obligations and privileges which covers most things of a transactional character. Much like an adventurer in RQG is supposed to have a life with some exciting time off, a workshop will deal with its contractual obligations but offer something on the side, up to say 25% of the time commitment (two weeks a season). Most accommodation for rent may come without any cooking facilities inside the rented accommodation but with access to a communal hearth or a refectory (think student accommodation). That, or operating on hospitality laws, with guest gifts to whoever takes them in. Or the Cult of Geos with its re-distribution of contributions. To get his cash, he uses the Issaries-run market. To get extra fuel beyond the guild-contracted assignment, he might make a direct contract with the Gustbran cult (producing that char-coal) or go to the market. Or grow them themselves. Some vegetables may be part of the Earth Temple care-taking, with roots or cabbages kept throughout winter in stacks under straw and turf and distributed in late winter and spring. They may distribute this via the market, or they may deal out quotas. Quite a few varieties of meat require some aging or drying before going to the market, although there are direct slaughter-to-pot methods, and those will be used at temple sacrifices, too. Chicken and lambs may be kept alive until a buyer arrives. From Pavis, I get the impression that the butchering is done directly at the meat market.

There never was an isolation between Solar Dara Happa and the Storm Barbarians in the north, and there always was a network of Sun Dome temples and lesser Yelmalio temples there. The Yelmalians had served as mercenaries for the EWF after initially fighting for the Old Day Traditionalists and persecuting the dragonfriends until they got a hold on the Council of Orlanthland, then fighting Old Day Traditionalists and conquering places for the EWF. When the Three Sons of Sarenesh ruled Dara Happa, Carmania and Saird, the Sairdite Lightfore worshipers turned against the EWF, as did many Storm peoples. There was no time when the role of the sun god was not claimed by the Sun Emperor of Dara Happa, with his superior Sunspear to demonstrate where the real power of the daystar was. South of the Inhuman Occupation, there was no contact to Imperial Yelm. Esrolia had its temple to Harono the Sun Emperor, but without much of a cult, and Sunripen given to the Earth Cults. The sun was "little" because it was an associate of the Storm King and never the ruler by its own sovereignty. There was the Hyalor thing, and it was part of Elmal, with the Foreigner Wedding and all that mythical backing from the Berennethtelli (who were extinct, but popularized by the fame of Harmast, who did leave descendants - lots of those). The Far Walkers were part of those who fled from Hwarin Dalthippa's conquests, northern hill men. Why would they have a deity different from the Sun Domers who set up Goldedge with its major Sun Dome temple to Yelmalio? I don't see any evidence for Tarshite-speaking Elmali at all.

I have a simple answer to why not every quarrel between Orlanthi farmers will see lightnings zapping around: NPCs will have spent some of their rune points on sensible stuff any time you will encounter them. Much like they may be bruised after a cow kicked them or stepped on their foot, or similar stuff, if you need them to be (even) less competent than the standard stats suggest.

RQ is a toolbox of optional rules. There is something similar to metarules for magic in Glorantha, something I try to follow for effects that may fall into player hands. Like stuff costing some amount of magic points or rune points. Is giving them the real world answer fun? Or do they bring in unnecessary science/chemistry etc. that may or may not be on point and might give them a too easy way to deal with a situation? Then bring in a spirit inhabiting the site/item, or find an excuse of a myth how things were different in Godtime.

How about rider of the sun horse by day, watchman and loyal thane by night?

One thing I would like to point out is that Palashee won the big battle against the mass of the Lunar army with comparatively low losses for the Tarshite side before he and his bodyguard fell prey to an ambush by Phargentes, culminating in a duel that cost Phargentes a hand and Palashee his life. Phargentes never regrew that hand (suggesting that Palashee had access to Seal Wound or something comparably nasty - but then, why do so if you are fighting for your life?). Phargentes did have what remained of the Provincial Army and the Cavalry Corps under his command when he re-established the Lunar dynasty, but he was also busy quelling uprisings in Aggar and pacifying Elkoi in addition to his campaigns against the free Tarshites who received aid from Jarolar, Jarosar and finally Tarkalor.

One thing to keep in mind: a deity may be worshiped by people of a certain profession, but may not deliver any specific feats or rune spells for that task (except through obscure hero- or sub-cults forgotten in RQG except for the Trickster). The identification of Elmal with the Lightfore planet seems to be canon. "It's the same deity" is a stout statement for a limited perception of an Otherworld entity. Monrogh's heroquesting has established an identity, and initiates of Elmal are allowed as co-religionists at Yelmalio temples, although with weird and at times objectionable ideas and mannerisms. They will be able to attend Kargzant rites among the Pentans (assuming they survive to make friendly contact), too, again as weird outlanders with crazy misconceptions about the Sunhorse. In either case, some local tithing and generous sacrifices will allow a smooth acceptance after some effort. This identification bit runs both ways. Foes of Lightfore may latch onto Elmal or Yelmalio or Kargzant cultists as ritual enemies, and might draw them into their heroquesting. Likewise friends of Lightfore by another name might call such cultists in as support. There will be local myths providing local sacred sites. Elmal was the static cold sun offering light to the Vingkotling (and in the Silver Age, Heortling) lands from his seat atop Kero Fin (a site shared with the Orlanthi worship of Pole Star, at least IMG). Of course, the icy top of Kero Fin is a magical realm, and ruled by Inora and claimed by Orlanth, leaving only Zorak Zoran out of the Hill of Gold quartet as non-participant in any activities there (although having had a conflict there might help, too). Any use of this site requires an exchange of gifts and assurances with (the cult of) Orlanth and some propitiation of Orlanth's icy sister. Some generosity towards the Shaker Temple to placate the Mountain Mother won't hurt, either. In other words, there is roleplaying to be done to access this place, possibly as a pilgrimage accompanying experienced cultists, possibly as a heroquest to be able to get there on your own when you need it.

Heroes and the majority of demigods are of the same power level. Ironhoof and the Red Emperor are both, as is the Dwarf. The Twins are recurring mortal heroes, apparently similar to Jaldon, bound to be reborn. Superheroes have some additional power that puts them onto the same stage as the four True Dragons of Dragon Pass. Imagine a Glorantha where Jar-eel had confronted the Brown Dragon at the temple dedication ceremony, allowing it to go through or to be repeated after Tatius was eaten. Sure, she would have been absent for the appearance of Dranz Goloi... They also are immune to ordinary spirit magic, which is fairly easy to understand in Harrek's case where that undead Great Bear Spirit hovers wherever Harrek roams in its fur. The older writings make a distinction between heroquesters (such as Kallyr, Minaryth Purple, Hofstaring, Gringle), Heroes, and Superheroes. Demigods include Kallyr's son by Pole Star, and possibly Morag from the Biturian Varosh stories. They have an innate potential that they can aim to unlock as heroquesters. Capital H Heroes receive some form of "worship". Whether that is community support for heroquesting or actual sacrificial services in their name is another question. In the latter case, there would be wyters involved, possibly carried by the capital H Hero rather than kept by the worshipers. Harrek appears to receive propitiatory worship. Jar-eel receives genuine worship in her own right as a supermodel and songstress.

In my Glorantha, the Far Place tribes came from Saird. While they may have had stories about Elmal, they never lost contact with the network of Sun Dome Temples in the region, and probably forgot about any differences when they were first desperately fighting against the EWF and then as desperately dedicatedly for them until Karvanyar and his heirs hired them against the dragons again. Their ancestors may have sent some folk along with Balazar to settle the Elder Wilds before the Dragonkill War.

The Far Place and the Dinacoli tribe (which used to belong to the Jonstown confederation until 1613) are tribes who speak Tarshite (the Pelorian and Sairdite dialect of the language of Orlanthland which got preserved - spiced with Auld Wyrmish - as Old Pavic). The Alone tribes actually include refugees from what is now called the Bush Range, Tarsh outside of the Glowline. Back in the nineties, I was writing a scenario for Free INT which was to use dragonewts, and it was supposed to go with our publication "Schatten in den Hügeln", a rural Sartarite scenario booklet set in Malani lands. The scenario hook was a cattle raid by some Dinacoli which the party would go after, whether as members of the community or as honorable guests. I was picturing the Dinacoli as horse-riding cattle-herders as well as cattle-raiders, and I was wondering about their horse-thane deity. (This was back when King of Sartar was the one source that informed us about the little sun and life in Sartar.) My question was whether these guys would worship Elmal or Yelmalio, and Greg graciously told me that my hunch that they would be Yelmalians was correct. Under current canon, this would mean that the Dinacoli would have brought Yelmalio into the Jonstown confederation already before Monrogh had his revelation. But then, Yarandros (fourth King of Tarsh) would have had Yelmalian horse-thanes when he took tribute from the Quivini tribes even before Sartar came into the region. The current maps show a no-man's land between the Dragonspine Ridge and the Creek-Stream River, with only Dwarf Mine and the Dragon's Eye occupying territory here, plus some Tarsh Exile domain going all the way to the Upland Marsh. This is a fairly recent development. While the land may not have been as densely settled as say the Sartarite valley bottoms, there used to be Tarshite clans and tribes in the region doing the Orlanthi mix of agriculture and pastoralism alongside some dedicated hunting. Judging from the Sartar Free Army unit of the Bush Children, it looks like they too would have been riders and horse archers (or whichever other riding beasts they would cultivate). After the Battle of Grizly Peak, Moirades took over Bagnot from the Exiles, the Orindori consolidated their hold on Dunstop and the Sikithi Vale, and the farmsteads outside of the Glowline were systematically burned and made unusable for agriculture. (Sort of makes me wonder how the Earth temple reacted to that, but it is likely that Moirades would employ agents from outside of their direct influence to achieve this depopulation.) Terasarin offered the new city of Alone to those survivors who would join the Sartarite cause. The Sairdite origin of the Far Walkers and the Bush Range Tarshites opens a number of possibilities to differ from the Hendrikiland immigrants of Old Sartar. They might favor a different main crop than the southerners, or use a greater variety of grain. They would be more of a beer-drinking culture than the southerners who brought their own vineyards. Other than the DInacoli, these tribes would have been subjects of Phargentes' Tarsh, at least until Tarkalor bested him for the hand of the Feathered Horse Queen. Afterwards, these folk may have taken a carefully independent stance between the two kingdoms. It would be quite ironic if there were quite Lunar-friendly tribes among those in the Bush Range who were forced to abandon their lands by Moirades. Which means to me that this absolutely would have happened. This gives a slight chance for there to have been a Seven Mothers shrine in the Alone tribal confederation already under Terasarin.

that's fairly close to how the Sartarite royal roads are constructed, at least iMG. The only perhaps somewhat more sophisticated roads nearby would be the Daugher's Road (which is or has a viaduct for much of its length) and the (now defunct) rainbow bridges of Belintar. (The ephemeral dragonewt roads might count, too.)

Apparently these native Issaries priests know when to go on a business trip when a Lightbringer might be needed for a ritual...

Possibly to the place where the river gains its identity. Which doesn't apply to major joinings with some shared or changed identity downriver, like the confluences of the Creek or the Stream with the River, or the Martof and Minthors confluence, or the shared estuary of the Esrolian Mesopotamia. The old symbol for a headwater was a pool or a lake where the water emerges from elsewhere, usually from underground. Placing these pools near mountain tops might indicate a glacial melt-off. And possibly a myth somewhere where the advance of the rivers was stopped by Inora.

Ironically, I have started to officially be "one of the God Learners" as per the podcast. These enemies included other Malkioni who disagreed with their findings, like the Hrestoli of Fronela who had Irensavalist leanings. At first, the Jrusteli religious movement learned about their own (Invisible) God, which is why it is God in the singular. The studies of other deities other than for their weaknesses to sorcery grew out of contact with the Slontan-descended Olodo (whose homeland had received a thin Malkioni veneer already in the Grey Age or the Dawn Age, even before Lalmor of the Vathmai brought the Lightbringer methods to his distant kin - Boltror the Traveler, the serpent-legged son of Sonmalos, got his wife Pamala "from the East".). That is a later definition of "God Learner" which might be better with the plural of divinities rather than the singularity. While that distinction could be made in English, too, it becomes fairly explicit in German language. The combination of fragmentary Arkati documentation about heroquesting and the forcible invasion of other peoples' rites and myths grew out of the consolidation of the Invisible God philosophy. The Zistorite experiment to build a machine god is yet another "god learning" experience, both in learning to construct a mechanical and flesh machine deity and in learning about the abilities of such a deity.

There are a number of phenomena that defy our world's observations - the tides, the Syphon River, Tidal Waves (as controlled by the Waertagi), and the entire celestial "mechanics" (which are a giant Rube Goldberg engine named Mostal). Some stuff is pretty hard to explain in terms of physics, like the effects of the Windstop in the outside world, with raging gale strength winds disappearing on its boundary. "Physical forces" can be ignored or even affected by sufficiently advanced mysticism.

Possibly a temple to the Mistress of the Tides somewhere in Maslo. It would be fun to have secret Ludoch habitats under one of the jungles there.

Yes, all the domes. Actually, that's what makes me think of somewhere not Sun County, with many lesser celestial entities worshiped. In a Sun Dome county, I would not expect mundane buildings to imitate the sacred architecture. How many of us live in church-like houses?

Getting eaten by her seems to do the trick - the Web of Arachne Solara doesn't seem to detect as Chaotic.

You can reduce the number greatly by having them overhead in Darkness. Scopionfolk should be able to cling to vertical and overhead surfaces with their spider-like legs, getting the drop (both with dropped items and with their own bodies) instead. As centaur-like creatures, they can disengage from disadvantageous melee like cavalrists can.