jajagappa

In my Lunar army camps I've generally placed stockades at the center where they place rebels, bandits, thieves, etc. until they can dispense justice or execute them. All weapons are taken, and the Lunar magicians place a warding upon the stockade.

If it's not overly important, I'd just use the Battle skill to represent the "mass combat" where the foes are abstracted at 5% (or less).

Except confusing for the RQG player as there are Runes that aren't used there (e.g. Issaries rune).

While much of the setting has been elaborated, I believe the focus for getting this material out will be in association with RQG scenarios. I believe they will be RQG-based. However, I don't see any barriers to use in HQG. And there is plenty of material within to utilize for any HQG game. (Even information such as Associated Cults is useful/usable whether from mapping shrines in a given temple to possible Feats/abilities to incorporate in a hero's arsenal of magic.)

As long as they don't talk...

The Quakebeasts!!! I'd strongly consider who she dwells with in the Third Hell, GtG p.678 IV-8. Deshlotralas God of the Third Underworld, Keeper of the Third Hell. He holds aloft the Bone of Power. IV-9. Annara Gor Goddess of the Third Underworld, Keeper of the Third Hell. Her hair is of serpents, and her clothing is in rags. She is also called Ugly Old woman. This is Ty Kora Tek, Goddess of the Dead and Queen of the Land of the Dead.

Sounds like a well-paying job from a Jonstown sage to find out!

Different views depending on needs and where adventurers are. This is my detailed view of Oranesstead and surroundings including the sacred grounds where my Orlmarth clan hold their Harvest Games/Festival. Used this for my transplanted "Harvest Bride" scenario (based on the old RQ3 Sun County one).

Any particular sections of Sartar? I often create these for my local campaigns, such as the attached for a section of Orlmarth clan lands.

What's a "prison"?! Seriously, it doesn't really seem to fit the Bronze Age world theme. The Salt Mines of Pavis are probably the best example of a "prison", or one of the Lunar slave farms.

This clearly happens in the West with sorcerers receiving the POW from the lesser folk. We just don't have rules for it yet. Same will be true of a person's spirit, which could potentially become a Wyter and receive sacrifices. Clearly some unique individuals (the Red Goddess, Argrath, Arkat) have become gods. Many heroes become god-lets, i.e. the center of a sub-cult or hero cult (though usually after "death" or retirement from the world). It may be that you need to be largely in the Otherworld in order to receive POW sacrifices.

I don't ever recall seeing this in RQ, whether RQG, RQ2, or RQ3. Sounds like a BRP variant or house rule.

Quite a few in the RQ Adventures book, whether the folk in Apple Lane, the Varmandi herders, or the stead folk attacked by the dragon.

Yes. As well as plenty of other spirits of reprisal.

Bare feet, of course! The color of Hate.

Yes, important to talk about the implications of particular Rune choices in relation to the gods and the cultures. The primary element and the top 2 power Runes most commonly should align with preferred cult. The secondary element serves more as a bonus for characteristics and as a means for inspiration for certain skills/magics. There's a natural antipathy between Air and Moon, or Darkness and Fire, or Water and Fire, etc. Moon will not be useful for Orlanth's magic. But it can inspire you in Magic skills (e.g. Worship, Meditation). And it's personality comes out in someone who seeks balance within their self.

My take is that they represent the "DNA" of the individual's soul - their personality. That can be altered by the prevalent "exercise" of that part of the personality. But they can also be changed by exposure to certain magical forces: a holy fire can burn away your Darkness; shadows can creep into your soul; meditation upon balance may encourage the growth of your Moon; etc. They are definitely descriptive (and mechanical), but also reflect something about the world that you can draw upon within yourself, like innate talents. Definitely the culture and prevalence of deities comes into play. If you want to be part of Orlanth, you'll need Movement or Air. A low level on either will definitely restrict the ability to initiate, cast Rune magic, etc. But I like to encourage variation in personality too.

If the goal was to kill the Ghoul, they've succeeded. But what does it mean to be a Marginal Victory? Several possibilities with very different outcomes: it was able to unleash its Howl and though they've won, all heroes are demoralized it was able to unleash its Howl, and call more ghouls - it's dead, but if they don't get away fast, they'll be facing multiple ghouls though they killed it, the malignant ghoul spirit has arisen from the corpse - perhaps seeking a new more suitable host (and then track down the heroes) as the ghoul 'dies', and the ghoulish spirit flees, they discover the corpse was really a long-lost kinsmen possessed by the spirit - have they possibly committed kin-strife?

We either followed models for cults such as Yanafal, Irrippi, or Etyries, or created our own (as I did for Hwarin Dalthippa which was a primary PC cult in my old Imther campaign).

Much as I enjoy face-to-face, I haven't had that option for some time. I've been running play-by-forum for nearly 5 years now, both HQG and RQG - really enjoy its ability to include more narrative content.

When I started GM'ing RQ years ago, I used four basic books/sources: the RQ rules (RQ3 at the time, though I had RQ2 as well), Cults of Prax, Griffin Mountain, and the History of the Lunar Empire (which is now part of the Glorantha Sourcebook). I set my game in an out-of-the-way corner of the Lunar Empire, the Kingdom of Imther, based on about two sentences in Griffin Mountain plus a bit of the Lunar Empire history (which gave me enough to write a cult of the Conquering Daughter, Hwarin Dalthippa). There was no other background, so all scenarios were created, as was the city the characters resided in. Adventurers largely belonged to one of these cults: Yelmalio, Issaries, Lhankor Mhy/Irrippi Onto, the Conquering Daughter. That's pretty much all you need to work with.

And so billions laughed it off, and all the while the cultists proceeded, preparing the way for not only Cthulhu but also the hordes of spawn lying dormant about the world, and smiling knowingly in their deception of the masses...

I love the ability to quickly find material in the PDF's, and cut-and-paste if needed for something in-game. But I can't sit and "read" through a PDF. It's nice now to be able to open and simply read the book, easily flip between pages, see a full 2-page view, etc.

Several approaches could work, all with the sense that he still has to work for it: 1) He gains a magical object, a Harp of Harmony. When played it causes listeners to forget why they were fighting and to accept offers of friendship. But it only works its magic while played (so might have to learn Play (harp) to get the desired effect). 2) He gains a natural talent/ability called Peaceweaving. It's a Communication skill and starts at a base chance of, say, 30% (plus Communication bonus). Useful, but there's still good chance for failure. 3) He becomes more in tune with the Harmony Rune. Perhaps he hears the Harp of Harmony, or it's the outcome of successfully imposing peace between the Red Wolves and the Green Bears. 4) He gains a Special Rune Magic from the quest. It's a Chalana Arroy rune spell/ritual. Something that lasts for one day in which the parties engage in Peacemaking. Or might be like the old Three-Bean Circus rune spell from Cults of Prax so good for a limited time, but after its expired, then things may be back to normal. A. THE 3 BEAN CIRCUS This cult is of a band or family of ancient times whose fame was widely known as peaceful worshippers of the gods, but their power was broken and cast down during the horrid War of the Gods. However, their persistence is immortal, and they are still wandering about the plains. They have one spell. Peace 3 points Duration 15 min., Range 160 meters, Reusable. This spell causes all persons not of Rune status within a one kilometer radius to lay down their weapons and forget all violence and war. For the length of the spell they prefer rather to listen to the wonders of peace and love which the spirits send ringing through their minds. Only the Most Respected Elder and the High Priestess of the 3 Bean Circus may use this spell.

Some of the origins of these bits are visible in the original entries from my New Lolon Gospel: Khelmal [KHEL-mal] --cultural leader and hero; men’s god Khelmal is the son of Yelem, the sun. His father gave him rule over the Imtherian lands during the days of the Glorious Empire. With Yelem’s death, Khelmal led the fight to preserve the world. He fought first Orlantio and then Orak at the Hill of Gold. He sacrificed his fire powers to escape his foes traps and to continue to aid the people. Heliacal [HEL-ee-ah-cahl] --the Light Protector This companion of Khelmal defended Khelmal's right side at the Hill of Gold and helped hold the forces of darkness at bay. Heliacal is always depicted as a huge warrior carrying a huge and blindingly bright shield. Valind [VAL-ind] --north wind Valind is one of the seven storm sons of Umath and embodies the frigid powers of the north wind, including the snows of winter and the all-destroying glaciers. He brought these powers south during the Storm Age and drove Khelmal from the Hill of Gold. Of all foes of Khelmal, this one was never beaten until Yelem returned to the sky. For long his children ruled the mountain peaks of Imther, advancing in the dark seasons and retreating only in the fire season. Valind is shown as a frosty giant with icy beard and icicle spears. Verhil [VEHR-hil] --ancient earthwielder Variously called the son of Genert, the brother of Nealda, or the father of Balurga, Verhil is an enigmatic figure best known for stepping forward at the Hill of Gold to fill the breach created when Yurmalio betrayed Khelmal. Verhil is said to have sacrificed himself to allow Khelmal to flee. He is not known to have survived into Time, though his title of Earthwielder has appeared several times. Yurmalio [yur-MAHL-ee-oe] --trickster, betrayer of Khelmal Yurmalio was once the companion of Khelmal, a loyal and faithful aide. But he was seduced by Orlantio and betrayed Khelmal at the Hill of Gold. After that, he pursued his own desires. Over time, he traded away his own luck for that of others until he had no luck at all. Eventually, he was defeated by various heroes, whether Khelmal or Gordaval, Arahar or a clan founder. Yurmalio is depicted as a sinister and sneaking fox-headed man. The Battle at the Hill of Gold: Khelmal finally forced a confrontation with Orlantio after Orlantio refused to return Nealda. Khelmal gathered his kin and allies and went to fight at the Hill of Gold. Here Yurmalio betrayed Khelmal. Basmal was slain by Orlantio and his lightning spears were taken. But eventually Khelmal rallied his forces and turned Orlantio aside with his Spear of Hope. Orlantio departed, though not before telling Khelmal that Nealda was now in the hands of Orak the Hell Wind. [A version of the complete story appears in The RuneQuest-Con Compendium, though that version clearly included an element of propaganda directed at the Sun Dome temples of Dragon Pass and Prax.] Khelmal’s Sacrifice: Though Khelmal had driven off most of his foes, Orak the Hell Wind and Valind the North Wind still marched with their demon allies from the north. Heliacal, Khelmal's right-side protector, had held them at bay throughout the battle, parrying all blows with his massive shield of light, but the light was not enough to stop those foes. Neither were the firs of Ryar, which could stand the dark and cold, but broke in the hurricane gales or from the grinding power of deadly ice or under the power of the demon axes. Khelmal was forced to turn and fight them, though he was sorely tired, and the foe was overwhelming. Khelmal called to his friends and allies to rally around him. He still carried hope and offered what he could of it to those with him. He still carried the truth and understood that there was still one path to survival, the only victory that he could now achieve. While Heliacal stood on his right, Khelmal engaged Orak hand-to-hand. Horrible, fearful winds buffeted Khelmal and drove lesser beings from his side. But Khelmal did not try to win. Instead he exposed his left flank, allowing Orak to wound him. And from the wound flowed the fiery powers of Yelem's son, drenching Orak in flame from which he could not escape. Half the hell demons burned in that flow and the others withdrew, confused and cursing the wildfires which sprang up around them. The legions of Valind were lost, melted into mere puddles that could only reflect the glory of Khelmal's achievement. Khelmal's loss was great, though. He was only half what he was and his own forces were in disarray. The wound could not be staunched. So Khelmal called upon his allies to follow him and join him in the mountains of Malatain where he could heal somehow and rally mankind to save the world. Orak, burning in agony, became twisted and distorted into a being of pure hate. Pieces of him turned to ash and were carried by the winds into many corners of the world from which hatreds still spring. That which was most whole called upon his son Ebonn Afrax, the heart of the Hell Wind, to take up the battle standard and destroy the hated Khelmal once and for all. Thus began the great pursuit. Khelmal, wounded and exhausted, limped up along the mountain paths while the demons of the Hell Wind howled around, chasing after his light, his hope, and his truth.