Joerg

While I know that there are heroquesting ways to bond with a sky bull, "free roaming titanotheres" makes me wonder whether there are clans who have semi-domesticated these meat mountains?

Care to share some links or examples? We can only benefit from more sources.

What could the son of Zzabur and chief sorcerer of Brithos (after the retirement of his father) be rebelling against? The Engrions?

In the pre-Christian understanding of the world, if you perform the rites and sacrifices properly, the deity is bound by its nature to comply. If results fail to appear, another deity must have interfered, and the deity won't receive sacrifices for this task any more as it has become too weak. Nature phenomena are powerful, but they don't tend to have much in the way of personality or cunning. The many stories of out-tricking the devil harken back to the pre-Christian magical practices, and show a powerful but still limited entity that humans interact with.

From my limited experience with such a device, nocking an atlatl arrow (and keeping it nocked) is a bit fiddlier than nocking an arrow on a bow string. But that's on foot.

Quite the costly treatment in terms of rune points. As an introductory treatment, how about Befuddle?

Sounds like a contraption with a number of sorcerous spells enmeshed with one another. Sorcerous spells are a lot like spirits (at least IMG), and there may be a Gold Caste controlling spell coordinating the other caste tasks the gobbler needs to perform. Gobblers are fire-and-forget weapons, not expected to last long. It is fine if they get destroyed when they have consumed the targeted stuff, ideally causing collateral damage in their destruction. Nilmergs appear to be similar to embodied helpful household spirits ("Heinzelmännchen"), cheerfully fulfilling their assigned (usually limited) tasks. Their inner workings don'T seem to have received any detailed study yet - there might be clockwork, there might be golem-technology, there might be bones and muscles or reproductions thereof. I can recall no information about the life cycle or duration of nilmergs. Their destructive cousins tend to have a short life expectancy when targeting absconded Mostali technology/sorcery. The theory about unviable proto-dwarf modules, recycled in order to serve some limited purpose, doesn't quite account for the (presumed) number of nilmergs found assisting the dwarfs (IMO a ratio of 1:1 or better, not quite approaching the trollkin per troll ratio). We haven't heard about Itsolam, defective mostali sent out to sabotage enemies, which makes me a bit dubious about the "dross of dwarf production" theory.

There is trained militia (the infantry and cavalry units of WBRM's City Militia, which is fairly professional) and the pool of ablebodied people who experienced a short bout of militia training or two. Trained militia will be able to form a line in a battle situation, and receive an enemy attack for long enough to have more professional forces sort things out on another section of the front. They will be able to man fortifications and fend off disadvantaged attackers almost regardless how professional the attackers are. The mounted militia is well-equipped and has decent abilities with their weapons. They havebeen driled to coordinate the individuals. They can ride a frontal charge against another mounted force or against light infantry, they are trained to attack flanks and rears, they can give chase, and well trained militia will also break off chases or attacks when ordered. Untrained militia will be able to man fortifications (palisades, earth ramparts, doors) and resist attackers for long enough to call in better trained forces. They may finish off or capture downed foes, or guard captives sworn to ransom. Forces like these will (almost reliably) break under a cavalry charge and won't hold position when faced with skirmishing forces. They may deliver a skirmishing attack to annoy or weaken enemy lines or flanks. As a rule, these forces fight on their home turf and have that as a tactical or terrain advantage - they know where to hide, what wetlands to avoid, etc., and that means they can still trouble or slow down regulars they are facing. They may dig ditches and ramparts, latrines, and other such field jobs. (Participation in the road building projects will have left the Princes of Sartar with quite competent pioneers in the militia. Minaryth's dam ambush at the Hill of Orlanth Victorious was possible in part because his forces were used to do earthworks.)

The route south of the Shadow Plateau will involve at least very wet feet even at lowest tide. The marsh around Frog Island reaches all the way to the slopes of the Plateau. There might be some passage mountaineering in a few hundred feet above Sea Level, possibly meeting balkonies with access from inside the Plateau. Not exactly a Praxian speciality, though (unless these Storm Bulls have experience climbing the Block). The Fish Road from Nochet to Backford might still be operable. Following the Lyksos, Runnel and New River upriver to the old Creak-Stream River bed is not as dry a route as a Praxian might prefer, and it ends in the Dammed Marsh just south of Beast Valley. The least problematic overland route south of Sartar would be through the Grazelands, past Smoking Ruin and Wild Temple towards the Whitewall road south. The Southern Wilds are detailed in Chaosium's The Smoking Ruins, with encounters to choose from.

IMO the Heron Hegemony on the God Learner maps is just a projection of Suvaria onto the greater mythical map. There are no surviving pieces of evidence for any heron activity in Vyimorni or Agimori lands, or islands. Zzabur's wars tell us about "Beakies" washed into the Neliomi Sea by the Solkathi flood which drowned the greater portion of Ernaldela (the lowlands north of the Spike). Maybe we don't need to look all the way to Keetela to get some birdheads there. Possibly the mythical antecessors of the Durulz re-created in Remakerela to populate a Godtime-ish EWF core region? Descendants of Imarja? If so, why were they cursed by Yelm? Did they resist his usurpation of sovereignty over the world?

I agree that the boys during that stage are in an inbetween stage, but this is a time to make mistakes, a time which may bring them outside of the law. I wonder how well informed they are about precedences and the finer terms of law. They take up weapons, something that children have been forbidden to do. They start to engage in fighting, in raiding, in sex, and possibly in magic. If caught in raiding, captive boys may be treated like outlaws, although possibly just as another initiatory experience.

Does this apply to the 20k Sartarites (or Sartarite descended citizens) in Nochet, too? Symbolic "survival in the mountains" on Orlanth's Hill overlooking the Lyksos narrows doesn't quite seem to replace the preparations Vasana underwent, and spending a year in banditry in the Antones Estates sounds like a capital letters Bad Idea to me. (Suggesting that there are some groups in Nochet's underbelly doing just this...) Any appearance of the WIld Hunt in Nochet would be highly disruptive, possibly a Sacred Time problem. Having local Gagarthi (possibly hanging out in the Antones Estates the rest of the year) as genuine bad boys for such rites might be advantageous over having to face the full Other Side impact or Orlanthi raider kings capitalizing on that role. (Possibly something Broyan might have done to overcome Hendira's rule?)

Sorcerous techiques for heroquesting? Sorcerous spells with some duration may be used to amp up the questers in ways that rune magic or battle magic cannot do, and "sorcerous" devices e.g. to capture spirits (like Pokeballs) are a thing (see Vadel loaning the Iron Energy Prison from the Mostali, and Zzabur coming up with the Bronze Energy Prison as the Malkioni home-made derivation thereof, starting the hostilities between the Brithini and the Mostali that led to the destruction of the Tadeniti and the revolt against the Kachisti. But otherwise, other than enslaving lesser deities or spirits and negotiation with their greater kin (ransoming them?) there don't seem to be any remaining sorcerous techniques designed for heroquesting. Jrusteli heroquesting lore was re-engineered from Arkati secrets conquered in Tanisor, initially badly mis-understood. Theyalan Other Side knowledge was usurped in Slontos and Umathela while the Jrusteli methods seem to have been more esoteric, like the reduction to runes to provide tools to capture or overcome specific heroquest obstacles encountered when copying Arkati or Slontan natives' rites. Foes of the God Learners like the Loper People start out as unmanageable while the sorcerers devise spells to identify their runic associations, then to devise spells weakening those runes or usurping the spirits or deities involved through brute power commands and/or summonings, or by faking Other Side identifications through spells providing approximates of typical Other Side protagonist powers. At some point the key advantages of these opponents get neutralized or even turned around on them, the Red Sword gets lost, and ultimately their leader gets overcome and the threat ended. Fearing the Gift Bringers of the Sending Gods is a very Umathelan problem, contained by the Closing and never affecting the Slontan or Seshnegi God Learners. Slontos remained unaffected by the attentions of Halwal who apparently found counters to the God Learner holds on their Irensavalist or Arkati conquests, which may explain why Ramalia still "thrives" under its sorcerer kings. (If there was any generational change in Ramalian royalty at all since the Devastation of the Vent aided Slonta in rolling over.) The Ramalians seem to have powerful magics against foes associated with the Sea or with Hykimi ancestral magics, and these magics might contain blueprints for other sorcerous control of Other Side foes, including proven techniques against followers of the Blue Moon (originally the Lopers) which might be brought to bear on the Lunar Empire. No idea whether Belintar's disciples ever got sent out to reconnoiter the Ramalian sorcerers, or if so, whether they succeeded in bringing back methods to counter Lunar advantages. History shows us that too little of that came into practical use too late, as Lunar heroquesting (championed by Jar-eel) pre-empted large scale use of any such knowledge, but a high magic campaign delving in stealing sorcerous knowledge might be built on this. Following this line of development, God Learner-ish techniques are good for researching maguffins against core enemy powers to neutralize them in Other Side encounters. Arkati techniques will more likely be based on feats of the many cults permeated by Arkat and his disciples, and superior mapping of intersecting mythic pathways. Arkati sem to have mastered genuine identification with the mythical protagonists where Jrusteli had mastered overpowering replication of such powers or specific neutralization of hostile feats and advantages. At least that is how I conceive the influence of sorcerers on the Hero Wars, whether in the Dragon Pass arena or in Fronela and Ralios.

The one thing that is taboo about the Koryonos gangs is to attack their own (clan) kin. If these gangs are assembled by tribe or even city confederation, that immunity is extended to the contributors' communities. To live as a bandit, to survive in the wild and to go on cattle and sheep raids is part of this "fly with the Vadrudi" experience. Re-enacting the Tales of Tat and Tol definitely is an option in these years before the final adulthood rites. Quoting from Vasana's Apprenticeship: The entire experience is an in-between status, which makes it both magical and attractive to the Godtime. The actual "Evil Uncles" and "Quest for the Star Heart" are just the finishing touches. The main difference to joining Gagarth is that there is a way back into the orderly society, to become grounded in the business of farming, pursuing a craft, or following a great leader in a military or magical role. In civilized urban Sartar, this procedure might seem positively Spartanic, and I wonder where Esrolian and especially Nochet boys are sent to undergo such an experience.

Outlawry is a required experience for Orlanthi adulthood - the Koryonos gangs undergone by intitiees. This is a stage of transgression by the youths (including making sexual experiences despite not being adults yet).

Don't overlook the omnipresent rivalries between the elemental tribes. Darkness wants to eat whatever Earth has to offer, without regard for Earth's well-being. Sea invaded Ernaldela during the Flood Age, and that may repeat. Vadrus ravaged the lands, without any of the respect Umath may have had for his Earth wives. Followers of many of his sons wouldn't think much Yelm usurped rule over the world from Earth (championed by Molandro), and this assault may be repeated. Lodril's wrestling underground was an assault, too. And any foe of the regional husband protector (or Earth King) is a possible assault perp, too, proving the inability of the current protector(s) to protect.

My own theory is that a dragonewt is a dream-dragon-like projection of the immature dragon in the egg, a vehicle for making experiences while growing to size. Whether this dream experience has to follow normal time or whether dragonewt experiences now may be part of an already adult dragon's experience - provided that a dragonewt egg conserves some of the timelessness and potential for non-sequential experiences. If this is the case, then one and the same True Dragon could have manifestations of its own egg all over History and Godtime, in all manner of stages. That would frame the Dragonkill War as self-defence, unless one and the same dragon is able to branch out in all manner of experiences, including the Magisaur or the Dinosaur paths. The role of Hykim and Mikyh as ancestors of all animals actually suggests such a branching out.

That's one theory, repeating the assumption that all dragonewt eggs have existed since before the Green Age. There is a rivalling theory that there might be some form of dragonewt procreation involving individuals from all sexes. If there are newer eggs, then the "useless" argument doesn't bite. There is an indication that the number of dragnewt survivors in Dragon Pass at the Dawn is lower than the number of dragonewts active on the cusp of the Hero Wars, and that's after losses suffered in the early stages of the Dragonkill War. That might be a "proof" for dragonewt propagation by other means. (Or simply a vastly incomplete census at the Dawn.)

If I learned one thing in my four decades as a GM it is never to expect sense or sensible decisions from players.

Belintar used heroquesting to build things up. Understanding mythology was necessary for his feats (like raising Loon Island, installing the magical bridges and the Fish Roads, creating the Building Wall...) and for achieving the Proximate Holy Realm that brought divinity to his lands, or at least his City of Wonders. And then there is building to empower the heroquesting - all the edifices created by Belintar served to support his questing. Just like the roads and walls of Sartar, the Daughter's Road, or the Reaching Moon Temples. Malkioni urban architecture was developed to optimize magical support (for the sorcerers, but later also used by the Men-of-All). Greg was very keen on tracking the support infrastructure of the heroquesters, and would use the Hero Wars/HQ-mechanics to simulate the economics of such support. RQG offers a different method of tracking such investment, it will be interesting to see Jeff's solution for this mechanic.

If the pack has 7 individuals, I would have allowed it to disperse after five to nine uses of the spell, each use leaving an individual squealing in pain or dead.

Time for those "Disrupt" or even "Ignite" spells.

The Vale of Flowers along Giants' Walk in northwestern Dagori Inkarth ticks at least giant flowers and giant pollen, collected by the Bee tribe of Dagori Inkarth. No incident of giant fruit trees I have heard of outside of Hidden Greens - if those enter into a fragment of Genert's Garden that somehow escaped devastation. There would have to be a grove of a giant dryad in there. If there have been giant insectivorous birds in the region of Giants' Walk at the time of the arrival of Gash and Gore in Dagori Inkarth, I suppose they were eaten by trolls before the Greater Darkness started.

The question is whether such a god will have a cult and initiates, or whether the god will be an associate of one of the greater temples with a shrine and a single rune spell, or a spirit cult with a shaman or godspeaker officiating for the guild. Most professional cults don't offer much in the way of answering the big questions or offering an afterlife (other than endless toil).

The point of the fish road is that you can travel the sea (or river) bottom as if it was a road on dry land. No special vessels required. Theoretically, walkers could tow a submersible that did not pass through the nexus but was brought into the Fish Road waters from regular waters. Come to think of it - the Syphon part of the Fish Road might serve as a towing path.