jajagappa

Blood rites/sacrifices for fertility as part of the horticultural practices. Part of how they survived the Great Darkness.

Since the Balurgans, as well as Tor Balur and Tor Vara, came out of my Imther campaign, what would you like to know? The sites were both hills dedicated to the goddess Balur [Gor]. Tor Balur was the center of the culture and was razed by the Dara Happans (IIRC my story about that went into one of the issues of Enclosure). It is at the center of the cursed Plain of Stones. The hill that was Tor Vara is now the site of the necropolis in Hortugarth. It was at least sacked, but it's position at the junction of the Isildon and Imaron rivers has meant that it has remained a natural trade site (and has been variously called Malusia, Siceral, and finally Hortugarth). Some relevant entries from my old fanzine, New Lolon Gospel #1: Balurga [ba-LUHR-ga] -- ancient earth queen and avenger Balurga is the daughter of Nealda, borne from the earthmother’s dreams. Also called the Black Queen, Balurga is the dark side of the earth, dedicated to blood and sacrifice. Earthwielder -- mythic title This title was used first by Verhil Genertson and later applied to Imthus. Prophecies state that the Earthwielder will return for the Hero Wars to restore Imther’s glory. Iaris [ee-AHR-is] -- ancient bull father Iaris was the primal bull of Imther, a wild and untamed beast who wandered across the lands. When the Darkness came, Iaris strode undaunted and slew the Seven Demons of Orak. His wildness was too much for the surviving people though and Khelmal was forced to yoke him. After the Dawning, Iaris served the earth queen Balurga, his blood used again and again in secret rites. When Kareiston came, Balurga sacrificed Iaris and used his powers in her last arcane battle. It is said though that Vaktal found Iaris and gained a sacred blessing from him to ensure Imther’s survival. Iaris is always shown as a massive broad-shouldered bull with huge horns. He is usually yoked Nealda [ne-AHL-da] -- earth mother, mistress of dreams, women’s goddess [Local name of Ernalda] Nealda is the daughter of Genert and Gata, the two primal earth powers. She is one of the societal founders of the Imtherian lands, the spouse of Khelmal and the Women's goddess. She knows things that no other gods know, sheltering those secrets within her Dreaming Palace. Nealda bore many children in the Godtime, including the trees, grasses, animal nourishers, and the fruits. Though promised to Khelmal, she was stolen by Orlantio and then given to Orak, the Hell Wind. She survived these encounters though and was able to bring life to men through their dreams. Nealda is shown as a pregnant mother, surrounded by her bounty. She is often shown sleeping upon a couch while plants sprout from her fingertips. 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. Kareiston’s Conquest of Balur Gor: With the aid of the Mallast chieftain and the Gryphon General, Kareiston brought the Torch of Truth against the evil ways of the Queendom of Balurga. The queen was slain, the land broken, and the Mallust chieftain was raised as King of Malatain. This story is popular and common throughout the Southlands though particularly at the temple itself and its surrounding community. The Bow of Kareiston: (From the Gospel of Kaeriston held at the Great Temple of Khelmal) The spearmen drew up in a mighty phalanx along a small stream. The assorted allies of Balurga took position on several hills blocking the road the her evil temple. Kareiston came forward in his golden chair borne by four burly dwarfs. He was haggard. All night he gazed upon Arahar and the heavens to divine his battle dance. Now he gave orders for the attack, grim determination keeping his eyes alert though his face sagged about them. A cry went up as the spearmen charged the hill. The Axe Maidens stood their ground, wallowing in blood and gore, as gargoyles flew overhead, great rocks held within their claws. Suddenly, a lightwall rose before the mighty pikes, blinding the evil warriors. Behind the wall the phalanx wheeled while hawks fought gargoyles in the sky. Then the lightwall bowed forward in the center, forming a great bow. The Axe Maidens surged forth to break the bow at its apex. Like a mighty bow, the lightwall stretched taut and the roadway was its arrow. As the phalanx moved forward, they all formed west of the road, concentrating their force upon a single hill. Surprised, the Axe Maidens turned to circle them. Then did a great radiance leapt forth from the hand of Kareiston down the golden roadway. It shot forth, quickly passing the great lightwall. The radiance blinded the Axe Maidens in its passing. They fell, hands holding their eyes, truth gnawing at their souls. Others who sought to cross the roadway to aid their evil friends, screamed in agony as the light of truth burned their wicked souls and boiled their tainted blood. Kareiston ordered the dwarfs to move. Hands golden in glory, he was carried forth to the glory of mighty Khelmal.

Have you tried just going to View > Page Display > Single Page View in Adobe Acrobat to adjust that? Mine comes up as the double page view too, but easy to change. And Print seems to come out fine as single pages.

Argrath can come across as calm and mystical. And then there is the cold-blooded killer that strikes down the assassins, that has no love for the Red Moon, etc. He's in a great ravenkaaz game with the Red Emperor for control of the world, and is willing to bring in anyone who can help him win (including tyrants like Mularik Iron-eye, tricksters like Elusu, sorcerers, crazed mystics, …). This guy is weird and very, very dangerous. He's not Harrek - he won't off you for a perceived slight or go into a rage - but he is unpredictable. He'll reject what the traditionalist Orlanthi or Praxians want. He'll meet with dragonewts and trolls. Just when you think you have a handle on him, he does the opposite. He is Change and Liberation - and for most folk that is very, very scary since you don't know what repercussions it will have (and maybe he doesn't care!).

One of them. Issaries is another. The Nobles Brothers and Irillo are others.

It's hu-metal, IIRC, which means it is the metal of Death. Possibly that means that it occurs in some location where Humakt specifically cut down a deity with the First Sword and some part of that being turned to iron. Then again, it could be something transformed and created from certain cauldrons by Mostal.

Unfortunately some of the relevant material never was published by Greg, even in the Stafford Library series. Of the content that was published there, Glorious ReAscent of Yelm and Entekosiad both have useful background where you can see how some of the mix of ideas from DH and Pelanda came together. Fortunate Succession has a whole section on the Lunar Empire and Red Emperor which is useful as it gives a very different view on some of the events from the Redline History in the Glorantha Sourcebook. Do you have the Glorantha Sourcebook? I'd start with the background material on the Lunar gods there. Also go through Greg's Lives of Sedenya in the Rule One material online: http://ruleonemagazine.com/Iss5/Myth_LifeSedenya.php That provides some of the key myths to the Red Goddess (Teelo Estara) and includes important references to the 7 Mothers.

Glorantha Sourcebook p.189 as noted: In 8/1 (1626), Dranz Goloi suffered his first reversal when the Lunar Army, led by Jar-eel, riding atop the Crimson Bat, routed him outside the walls of Blessed Torang, and revealed herself to be the incarnation of the Red Goddess in the Third Battle of Chaos. So, in 1625, dead. In 1626, very much alive and back. This is Jar-eel's apotheosis as the incarnation of the Red Goddess, and just as the Red Goddess returned riding atop the Bat, Jar-eel will too. Now, most likely it will be awhile before the Bat returns south, so perhaps it is just rumors in Dragon Pass, or bad visions, or evil omens for the time being. If you're in Oraya and the Redlands, you will know the Bat is back.

I'd say that some in the cult start to get horrible visions and nightmares of a Great Flood that will wash away mankind. Dragonships returning upon gigantic tides with monstrous sea creatures such as the kraken at their side. And these folk will pray to Dormal and he will reveal the plans for a great Ark that will save them. These folk try to reinvent the cult and quest for the tools to build and populate their Ark. But most priests of Dormal, the captains of the great mercantile ships, scoff at such and ply their trade in their ongoing quest for wealth and fame now that the Boat Planet is back to guide them. They probably seek to gain greater nautical skills by leveraging their Celestial Lore, aided by the Boat Planet, and find short cuts across the seas or through the Doldrums.

Every time I see the thread title "Whatever Happened to the Cradle Baby?", I can't help but think of a cross between "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" and "Rosemary's Baby". Nothing like a good horror/psychological thriller for the residents of Pavis (or perhaps Corflu?).

In my Orlmarth campaign, the primary trading fair was in Fireseason when folk have time to travel, and the big event was the Fireseason fair at Larnste's Table. SKoH notes Horsetown near Runegate: Gundvingkor, the founder of the Hyaloring Triarchy, established the Horse Fair to honor Elmal and Redalda. The yearly Horse Fair is presided over by the Elmal High Priest and attracts horse traders from across Dragon Pass and occasionally beyond. Sartar Companion further notes: Runegate is an important trade center and the Horsetown market is the largest horse fair in Sartar. And: Horses can be purchased from Horsetown during the small weekly market or at the annual fair each Fire Season. I also had local fairs in Earthseason coinciding with Harvest festivals, so the Orlmarthi had their Harvest Games to select the Barley King who would marry the Harvest Queen. They had a small fair at Orane's Loom where Issaries and Etyries merchants competed for attention and trade.

Yes except for Sacred Time. These are two days after Orlanth's rituals and IIRC the day after the clan or tribal moot so many folk already gathered together. The Table Races at Larnste's Table in Movementweek of Fireseason (see Coming Storm p.92) are an example of a weeklong fair for the Cinsina and Malani tribes with entertainment, rituals, moots, and market. As Issaries merchants will be participating in Lightbringer Quests during Sacred Time, I'm not sure I'd expect a Fair at the spring equinox, but likely helps to contribute to whatever Feasting marks the end of the Sacred Time.

Yes, that should be connected as well.

I don't think I've seen any explicit connection between the two but perhaps the Cradle's crossing of the Black Sea maps the path that the Boat Planet subsequently takes when it returns to the Underworld. The ritual that has been connected to the rise of the Boat Planet (and the end of the Closing) is Harrek's circumnavigation of the oceans.

That's the Nysalor riddle for Craft: Cook. The questions are the same for both, so you must choose your answer carefully!

You've discovered the Nysalor riddle for Duck Lore! 😉

Also a stage - unfortunately one that many get stuck at. 😉

On the contrary, these are all simply stages on the way to Illumination. Once you realize that there is no 'good' or 'evil', that all morals are in fact relative, apathy is a natural result. But it is also a step or stage to overcome.

Swim. Besides gaining bearings based on the positional objects (Pole Star, the Jumpers, the planets), as it says in RQG "The great starry bowl contains secrets, and the stars are the key to events that occur regularly upon their annual passage, as well as to long-term events and occurrences." So, reading the stars for omens, myths, stories, possible places of danger, signs of good or bad fortune, etc. For those at sea after the rise of the Boat Planet in 1624, I might use the points at which the path of the boat/celestial river cross the paths of Orlanth's Ring, Shargash/Tolat, Lightfore, and other planets as having specific impacts for sailors in the mundane world. Orlanth's Ring is a sign of a coming storm, Shargash of violence and destruction, travelling with Lightfore might be a sign of divine protection, an intersection with Lokarnos a sign of good trade.

Correct, this is how it's always been played. No they do not. That is one of the significant differences between Rune magic and spirit magic. Agree.

It can certainly be viewed in that way. And I'm sure the Cosmic Dragon had a good laugh about it!

Personally I like much more random birthdates and then see how that relates or contradicts their runes - makes for some interesting questions and storylines about why they are different. The entire second week of Sacred Time is holy to Chalana Arroy. It also represents the time when Chalana Arroy was in the Underworld on the Lightbringer's Quest. Having a baby born to a Chalana Arroy healer during the Sacred Time strongly suggests some interaction with creatures of the Underworld during the prior Sacred Time - perhaps the result of a union with a demon, darkness entity, or even a spirit. Or even if the mother was not a Chalana Arroy healer, it could still represent some similar union where the mother encountered an Underworld figure while the energies and magics of the Lightbringer Quest were strongly in the world.

One reason I created some alternate birth date generation tables here: https://basicroleplaying.org/topic/8138-rqg-birthday-tables/ The week runes are Luck and Fate. The former suggests some random blessing, boon, or curse (with an elemental association if on Freezeday through Fireday, totally random on Wildday, associated with a random deity on Godsday). Could be a blend of the random gift tables from Humakt and Yelmalio, or a random skill or rune increase, or even a random spirit or rune spell as a natural ability. The latter something pre-ordained (much like the gift/geas concept for Humakti and Yelmalions). The player can choose one specific blessing, but will receive 1-3 specific limitations as a result (GM select from the geas tables or the shamans taboo table), and if they break that limitation, the blessing is forever lost.

It is also about the recognition that the One is simply part of the Many and also part of the Void. There is no You. You are all and none. Beyond accepting Chaos. You are Chaos, and contain Chaos. You are also not-Chaos. No. That is a recognition of Duality. The triumph of Illumination is shattering both uniqueness and duality. You can be/are Multitudes. Also disagree with this. Illumination includes the recognition that You does not exist. You are many, two, one, and none simultaneously. You are God, mortal, chaos, spirit, and nothing. Agree. To see yourself as the One, is I think the hubris of the gods. There is no One. This is part of what the Dragons see, that destruction of the shell helps to return oneself to the many, the infinite, and the none. Nysalor, as Illuminated, is Beyond Good and Evil. There is nothing 'evil' for him to do. It is failure to move beyond stages of Illumination that leads to evil such as believing you can use Chaos to become more powerful.

First, I'd just say go for it! Sounds like it could be a really fun area to run a campaign. Between the Kings of Seshnela (GtG p.412), Seshnela events (GtG p.415), the Hero Wars Begin (GtG p.424), possibly the voyages of Dormal, and whatever other dates you can glean from the Seshnela chapter, you should be able to get a good basis for this. Keep it simple at the start: Fornoar, maybe Rindland, maybe some Orlanthi area in Ralios (where you can use the Sartar or Old Tarsh homeland as a model). Sorcery spells for your Malkioni cults (or even for sorcerous 'schools' that characters might get magic from).