jajagappa

There's lots of options for modifications: skill of leaders, field position, average skill level with weapons, freshness or exhaustion of units, etc. Generally the GM will set the +/- bonus to each side, though if PC's are influential, maybe a preliminary Battle or Lore roll or other factor adjusts this slightly. If you have PC's who are leaders, have them make their Battle roll with the initial modifier - their result then influences the PC's with them. For a larger battle, I like the idea of several 'scenes'. I had thought of breaking up the Battle of Queens further: opening forays, attack on Kallyr, Leika's rally, etc. but consolidated to two (or a third if the PC's had joined the pursuit/rout of the Lunars). But then having each PC's Battle roll reflect some event within that larger scene provides a bit more drama. I tried to sequence their rolls based on their role in the battle: missile users first, then cavalry or melee, healers next providing a morale boost, then messengers who need to communicate across the field. Magical support could go anywhere in the sequence depending on whether it is acting like ranged attack, within the melee, or more protective.

The Closing is still in effect until the Boat Planet rises in 1624. That the Cradle sails beyond landfall may be due to any number of factors, the most likely of which is that the giants (or Pinchining) know the route to the Underworld via Magasta's Pool and enchanted the Cradle to get there.

As with Hykim/Mikhy, I always thought the True Dragons were hermaphrodites.

It's in RQG Bestiary as the short writeup of Thed is there.

I would just say the Seven Mothers. That encapsulates all three and readily allows for her actions in various guises.

I'd put them into the Otherworld on some strange sea from the Gods Age. And hope they find some Fog of Iphara from which to escape through (or whatever other interesting idea you might want to use). I've used the Fog of Ignorance surrounding the Tower of the Knowing God as one option before.

In my old Imther campaign, tricksters were a recognized part of the society and expected to add the randomness in life that would keep society from either falling into stasis or devolving into 'violence is always an option'. A couple of my players ran tricksters, notably the aptly named Hysterious and Impetuous. My favorite event though was when I ran a one-off marriage in the village of Moonpost. Marriages in Imther were only truly blessed if a trickster actually played a good trick on the bride, groom, or whole ceremony. Lots of things kept getting messed up in the courtship, including one of the groom's best men being seduced by the bride-to-be. The backstory was that it was the bride who turned out to be the trickster. One of our most memorable sessions. More recently in my HQG campaign, when the heroes were captured by the Lunars, stripped of their weapons, and sent to the stockade within the camp, one of the other prisoners turned out to be a trickster by the name of Rostoth Oakmoss. To help the heroes escape, Rostoth used his Great Swallow. The heroes did go along with this escape plan. I was expecting them to just wait until they were regurgitated, but they got scared of possible falling into the stomach acid, so decided to try the Other Door in the Trickster's gut. Led them into the Otherworld, of course.

Having just run the Battle of the Queens in my RQG campaign, this is what I did: Asked them to identify what roll the PC was taking in the battle: Warrior and fighter; Missile caster; Magical support; Healer and medic; or Recorder of deeds/messenger Indicated that those who wished to augment their subsequent rolls with Inspiration, should identify whether they are inspired by a Rune or a Passion, and make those rolls Then had everyone make a Battle roll (considered adding a Penalty for Prince Kallyr's bad omens, but didn't end up doing so) for the opening scene of the battle Somewhat like a Group Simple contest in HQG, I narrated the flow of this stage of the battle based on the sequence of their results Missile casters and riders generally acted first, fighters fought in the melee, messenger was sent by Queen Leika to Prince Kallyr and had to add in a Ride roll through the battlefield (in time to see Kallyr fall & die) Queen Leika made a rousing speech (i.e. succeeded in her Battle roll which gave everyone in her group a +20% bonus for next scene of the battle Previous Inspirations carried forward; those who failed prior Inspirations could attempt Inspiration via a more limited set of options: a Rune or Passion associated with Queen Leika, the Colymar (or a Colymar clan), Orlanth, Air, Movement, or Truth Then had everyone make a Battle Roll for the second scene of the battle Again narrated results based on the series of results (this time the messenger got to ride to rally the Cinsina and got to see Queen Ivartha fall) Number of battle successes indicated that the Colymar had driven the Lunars back into the Creek (and were busy warning folks not to get too much blood in the Creek itself lest they feed the Delecti's undead downstream) At the conclusion, depending on Battle results, they either took wounds or gained experience checks. Could have elaborated pieces further, or added in some set encounters (e.g. a fight with some named Lunar NPC), but seemed to work well for what I wanted and the players appeared to enjoy the overall flow.

Another fun idea is that it isn't Ralzakark who is the Monster Emperor, but it's actually his 'son', born of some Lunar heroine, so the new Devil is both Chaos and Moonson.

Only recognizable in hindsight! 😉

It popped into my head yesterday that the Sandals of Darkness subcult of Orlanth would be a very good fit.

The 3rd Age Devil may in fact be Ralzakark the Monster Emperor - although he is present beforehand, it is this event which fully incarnates the Devil once more within the world. [Or an alternate is Jar-eel and her apotheosis/return upon the Crimson Bat marking a rebirth of Chaos.]

May well be a good candidate for the "Devil" - doesn't say he has to arrive in Dragon Pass per se.

In what way? The RQG view of dwarves reflects the thoughts that Greg elaborated back in DW 24(?) back in the early 80's when RQ2 was still the in-print version.

I chose the earlier because it provides context as to how far back those views/comments of Lightfore came from.

1) Combat IS deadly. Even against "weak" opponents - a critical hit can readily kill off a PC. Magical protection and available healing can help, but you want to be aware of that. Also useful to think about the advantage/disadvantage of 2-on-1 situations vs. stronger opponent. 2) Gauging the "right" amount of foes in a combat. Sort of a corollary of the first. There's not a set rule to get this, but thinking about the top attack skills of the NPCs in bands (e.g. 0-25, 25-50, 50-75, 75-90, 90+) vs. where the PC's are can help. 3) Keeping the mythic/fantastic/magical in the game. It's one of the great features of Glorantha and RQG. Weird and fantastic races/creatures are part of the game. But it's not about monster-bashing. These races have their own agendas, and are best treated as the intelligent agents they are. And they, too, have Runes, Passions, gods, and magic - use them, it will make the game more interesting.

There are some other old references to keep in mind, specifically the original writeups on the Gods of Fire and Light from WF, subsequently reprinted in Wyrms Footprints (which I'll use for the page references). p.54: Dayzatar was forced to leave his perch at least one time during his isolation. This was to rescue Lightfore, a favorite worshipper whose story is told below. [although I don't think the full story was actually ever 'told below'] p.55: Ourania was created straight for the mind of Dayzatar to sit in the throne while he was gone to rescue Lightfore. p.56: During the Darkness, Pole Star's home was high atop the Spike - sitting near its tip where the mighty mountain pierced the sky.... Some of Pole Star's children were less stable or more adventuresome than the other Star Captains... Many of these demigods were slain, but one in particular, Lightfore, set a clear HeroQuest path which later gods also followed. Lightfore was the first successful Wanderer, called Planet, to pass through the sky.

Pdf likely rare or non-existent for anything RQ2 (unless like the RQ2 Classic that it's been scanned and digitally rendered). Tradetalk has a wide range of articles and is available in pdf at: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/2629/RuneQuest-Gesellschaft-eV Also the D101 material including Hearts in Glorantha and Glorantha Adventures at: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/3240/D101-Games/subcategory/5545_9773/Hearts-in-Glorantha

It also depends on if you are talking about specific magazines only or also including fanzines, as a many of the latter included articles and game content. Also whether you are asking specifically about RQ2 only or also including RQ3. If the latter, there was also AH's Heroes which ran to 10 issues.

As a quick background, in 1455, King Ulianus III of Seshnela conquered everything west of Lake Felster. His empire collapsed in 1515. Since then, the many states of Ralios continue their fierce independence, despite the threat of a united Seshnela to their west. Various city-states and tribes form alliances and leagues for temporary purposes; none seems likely to unify this troubled land. This was 100+ years ago - ancient history (like WW1 for us) - the time of legends for a PC's ancestors. Here's a set of events culled from the Guide relevant to Ralios and Safelster. Many are events that nobles, mercenaries, healers, and warriors might have participated in. Naskorion, Otkorion, and Seshnela are advancing - converging on the city states. Likely many refugees fleeing to other cities, or residents taken as slaves (perhaps being subsequently ransomed, sold, or escaping). 1582: Ruling dynasty of Naskorion based in Makan seizes control of Marost ~1585: Dynasty of Naskorion builds the Temple of the Black Stone in Marost 1597: The regalia of Tinaros sunk in Lake Felster along with its bearer - the surviving widow sacrifices her three children in order to gain revenge and lays with the Devil to beget Argin Terror, the Nightmare Sorcerer. 1598: Birth of Argin Terror. 1599: Partanian fleet is destroyed on the day Argin Terror says his first word, and 1600: Fall and razing of the island city of Partan by the Estali on the day when Argin Terror first walks - its inhabitants are dispersed and its stolen treasures decorate the palace of the Archon of Estali. 1600: City of Nisos, which was part of the Partan League, allies with Azilos. 1605: Surantyr the Non-Heretic experiences the Chariot of Lightning revelations atop Top of the World Mountain 1608: Surantyr completes the conquest of Valantia 1610: Jarabolos which belonged to Sentanos is conquered by the Duke of Naskorion 1611: the Chariot of Lightning conquers Fiesive with its Lankstite allies and forges the confederation of Otkorion 1613: The market city of Kadesos which was held by Sentanos is conquered by the Duke of Naskorion 1615: King Guilmarn of Seshnela appoints a Tanisorian governor over the city of Moeket on the border of Dangim and Daran. 1615: the count of Dangim is killed and replaced with a rival member of his family by the King of Seshnela 1616: Utorost the City of Bronze is conquered by Naskorion. 1617: The Guild of Chaos Monks begin their uprising in Dainmol and attempt to seize Tiskos and Walim 1618: Ingye becomes Queen of Galin at age 15. 1619: The Lankst hero, Siglolf Cloudcrusher, destroys the Sentanos army and leaders at the Battle of Falling Stones 1619: Prince of Dainmol retakes the city from the Guild of Chaos Monks - many are feared to have gone underground. 1620: Defed the Prophet, a powerful sorcerer, becomes the new leader of the Boristi school and has delivered a new revelation for his followers. 1621: Kustria acquires the city-state of Galin through the marriage of Meime, the Tournament King, to Ingye, the Queen of Galin. Somewhat scandalously for such political unions, they really love each other. 1622: the Great Caravan of the Uz, known as the Swarm for the vast herds of giant insects, leaves Guhan and moves across Ralios with the aid of the Argan Argar Chain 1622-23: tracts and omens report the return of one or more Arkats; three leaders vie to prove their claims to reinstitute the ancient Dark Empire of Arkat (Erengazor, the Duchess of Tortun; Foyalfine, Archon of Azilos; and Kimiv, Duke of Naskorion) 1624: King of Seshnela invades Safelster - launches the One God, One King, One Empire Crusade - many flee his advance.

The nice thing about Ralios and its little city-states in the Safelster region is that you can create a basic background for your player's character from there without having to worry too much about what might or might not fit. I ran a campaign for years based in the Lunar kingdom of Imther based largely on a couple lines from the old Griffin Mountain pack. There are plenty of us here who have the Glorantha guide and can provide snippets and enough insights to get you started (and hopefully not too frustrated in the process!). 🙂 Ralios is a bunch of small city-states largely surrounding this great inland lake. And there are caravans from Ralios that then travel through the land of Maniria along the famous Trader's Road that ends in Esrolia. In Safelster: Many prominent cities cluster about the fertile shores of Lake Felster, Lake Helby, and the great tributaries of the Tanier River. The lakes are surrounded by wide grasslands with scattered, but enormous, oak trees. To the south is the vast Tarinwood forest... Safelster is not ruled by one or two great cities, but by a dozen large cities, all competing with each other in trade and war. Here's a little picture to set the stage. Highwater in the SE is the jumping off point to places east (e.g. Esrolia/Dragon Pass). The closest cities to the Trader's Road are: Estali, Gamol, Lartuli, and Tolin. Gamol is heavily focused on a shamanic tradition, so let's look at Galin instead. These are all part of the Estali League. Estali (large city): Estali is rich from its control of the Estal River Valley. It is ruled by the Archon of Estal, a position held by whoever wields the Purple Scepter of Serpent Sentience. The current Archon maintains a fervent affair with Alangellia, high priestess of the Great Green Lady (also called Ernalda in Estali). Estali dominated Safelster from 1360 to 1400 and still maintains a sizeable navy. The splendors of its former glory can still be seen in the great Palace of the Archon, the magnificent Temple of the Great Green Lady, with its Copper Gate, and the Great Library of Lhankor Mhy, the largest in Safelster. Estali is notorious for its lascivious fertility festivals celebrating the Great Green Lady. Galin (large city): This city is an ancient holy place, the birth site of Galanin, the horse-god, divine ancestor of the Enerali people who dominated the region in the Dawn Age. It is ruled by a dynasty of hereditary queens who came to power about two centuries ago. The previous Queen was killed in battle, and her successor, Queen Ingye, was recently married to the Tournament King of Kustria. The city is part of the Estali League and allied with the city of that name. Lartuli (small city): This hill-top city was founded as a royal fortress of the ancient Galanini queens. It is a place of pilgrimage because of a sacred rock relief carved into a nearby cliff. The relief, some thirty feet high and of unknown age, depicts a Solar horse woman battling against the dragon ruler of the Underworld. Near Lartuli is the battlefield of Irn, where many Ralian demigods fought and bled in the Gods Age. Mining for Gods’ Blood crystals and various associated metals is an important part of the city’s wealth, and several of the mines are many centuries old. Tolin (small city): This city is best known for its great and ornate Sun Temple, located on the lake shore. The complex is designed in the form of the god’s chariot drawn by seven spirited horses on ten pairs of decorated wheels at its base. Each Sacred Time, the temple is the site of wild and drunken festivals intended to revive the god in the Underworld. A few things to note from the above: All these cities have temples to gods! This is a society that has a mixture of traditions where sorcerers and other magic users interact. There are some deities here that are also common in Dragon Pass! Great Green Lady, aka Ernalda; a horse god, the sun god. And some odd differences: the dragon ruler of the Underworld. There's a temple to the God of Knowledge in Estali - convenient place to have learned about places elsewhere in the world. And a few cultural notes: Each city has its distinguishing palaces, along with temples and other sacrificial buildings of sometimes monumental size and form, which lie next to tightly-knit living quarters traversed by a bewildering network of streets.... Beneath most cities are catacombs, subterranean passageways that serve as tombs and, often, as meeting places for cults of Darkness or worse. The Safelstrans are notorious for their penchant for intrigue, plots, and assassinations, and the overall unstable political state of affairs. The Arkati sects that survived the persecutions of the God Learners did so by perfecting their inherent predispositions for secrecy and paranoia; even heroes learn to fear daggers in the night or an assassin’s poison. Outsiders portray the Safelstrans as cunning, corrupt, perfidious, servile, effeminate, and treacherous. Kafl leaf is an important crop in Ralios. Originally smoked as a vehicle for sending prayers to the spirits, it has been a popular stimulant in the West since the First Age. Kafl leaf is dried and crumbled and kept in elaborate beaded bags until used. Then it is rolled into paper, and the spirit talkers light one end and puff on it, feeding the spirits with their smoke and prayers. Wealthy Safelstrans smoke kafl leaf from ornate bronze water-pipes. An ancient Hero named Arkat once benevolently ruled this region. His long and complex history provides a fascinating and confusing story whose truth has been lost among the propaganda and lies of many centuries of oppression. Several philosophers and historians believe that more than one person named Arkat lived and were compressed by faulty memory into one character. Now, several fragments of the old hero cult of Arkat exist, most of them exclusive of each other, all of them claiming to be the genuine heir to the ancient secrets. Now, the "name" Arkat mean "Liberator". It is the same root name/word as Argrath. The rise of Argrath in Dragon Pass is stirring the return of some/many Arkats from the Otherworld. Lots of different traditions there. Whether they are meaningful or not for the player's character is a decision, but it may be a motivating reason to have journeyed eastward. Aspects of Arkat include: Arkat Liberator, Arkat Destroyer, Arkat Peacemaker, Arkat the Deceiver (i.e. the chaotic Arkat), Arkat the Founder, Arkat Chaosbane. As for sorcery, in the western tradition, Wizards are called zzaburi and constitute the “blue caste”. They learn the arts of wizardry. Zzaburi are philosophers, religious functionaries, scribes, and, of course, powerful magicians. In wartime, they support the Soldiers and may compose special units. They are subordinate to the talars. Zzaburi are fed, housed, and appropriately honored for the labors they perform for their talars. Some serve as wizard-priests for a shrine or temple and are supported by their community. Zzaburi learn their art in a school or from a wandering teacher.... Wizards exaggerate their height with tall hats and long-sleeved robes (and sometimes even elevated shoes). The preferred textile is wool or silk, dyed to either a blue so dark it is almost black or dyed white to emphasize their purity. There are three broad "philosophies" of wizardry in Ralios, each with certain acceptable practices. The Henotheist is the most open. Boristi (Ralios): This School believes that it is their sacred duty to freely Tap Chaotic things. This school was founded during the Gbaji Wars and was never widespread. Galvosti (Ralios): This School permits Tapping of non-Malkioni. Like other Hrestoli schools, the Galvosti believe in reincarnation. They originated in the Second Age, when the Galvosti dynasty of Nomia ruled much of Ralios as allies of the God Learners. When Ralios was liberated from the God Learners, the school was nearly wiped out by vengeful barbarians. Henotheists (Fronela, Maniria, Ralios): Numerous henotheist schools exist throughout western Genertela. They acknowledge a supreme god, but sacrifice to gods and spirits and incorporate other various elements of Malkionism. Each henotheist school has its own esoteric secrets and many claim to have been founded by Arkat during the Gbaji Wars or during his long rule of Ralios. Lots of room within one of these philosophies for specific "schools". If you follow the general RQG premise that the school is part of the Malkionism approach (RQG p.389), then the selection of the three Runes (the Spirit Rune, an Elemental Rune, and either a Power Rune or the Magic Rune) and two techniques (Command and one other) becomes a central element of that school. This is something you can work with the player on defining, and maybe the tidbits above on the cities can help with that - and whether canonical or not is immaterial as the important point is for you and the player to have fun in the game.

That works fine. An Eurmali focused on the Murderer aspect of the trickster is another possibility. Or a small spirit cult like Blackfang (either with same or different rune spell) is another option.

This was part of my thought on why Lhankor Mhy would not willingly burn scrolls - it would be like offering an offering to Thanatar or Oakfed.

Their offerings are donations to the libraries. No burning needed.

As long as they don't slither out of your grasp, turn into gorp that engulf and consume you, warp your limbs and mind into something else, etc.