jajagappa

You can use Training or Research to increase/recover some of the characteristics (see RQG p417-8) including STR, CON, DEX and CHA. POW can be regained through subsequent use/experience (POW gain rolls). Losses to INT or SIZ are largely permanent without use of magic. But there is no natural rate of recovery.

Why? That's the stuff of stories and legends! The Eurmali trickster shatters your famed sword Trollbane, but you know Humakt blessed you to carry it into the heart of the Black Dragon Mountain so you could confront the great darkness there. You consult the sages of Jonstown, but their only answers are to seek out the Seers of Enervi in distant Esrolia. But you know Humakt has set this task to you, so you gather companions to journey there and learn what you can. The price of the seers is high, but you learn that Trollbane can be reforged in the Fires of Heaven, Gustbran's birthplace, a place that darkness cannot touch. It is a journey into the Sky World and the way is shrouded, but your quest is clear...

I would probably not play Runes on an incremental scale. Generally, the point of the initiation into adulthood is to gain/learn/awaken your Runes. Before then you (and your clan) have no specific awareness of them and you don't get any benefit from them (no magic, no inspiration). That said, from an MGF standpoint, the runes are the building blocks of everything, including every person. You might say that the runes are not yet differentiated so maybe 30/30/10 or 20/20/20 for the elemental runes and all power/form runes at 50/50. However, this is also a world of exceptions. A god or spirit has touched this child and awoken something early, so make one or two runes at 60. There's some awareness of that one element or power and the child can use it for a limited augment.

I'd say it depends on your goal. If you are building up myths/quests related to the First Man, then yes. If you are talking about the interaction between two different cultures, it depends. If the cultures want to become friendly, then they would look at commonalities (you call him this, we call him that, but he is the same). If they are enemies, then they would focus on differences (we know the True First Man, but yours is false - the child of the Evil one or the Trickster who made a parody or mockery of First Man).

Veskarthan is VERY sluggish. Arousal is clearly a requirement of any quest to get his help.

Let's see: we could resurrect Genert; or maybe quest for the Seed of Genert to give birth to a new Earth child to hold back the waters; or maybe awaken Veskarthan/Lodril to lift the earth up on his shoulders. I'm sure we can find more! 😉

I'd say yes, and that there are very few outside the dwarfs who would have it - perhaps Gonn Orta, the Red Emperor, Godunya, Argrath and Harrek, and few others.

I'd include a tick box. You can learn from experience what your social gaffes are (at least if you become aware of them).

Look through the section starting on RQG p.244 on increasing chance of success with magic through meditation and ritual practices. These would be the techniques IMO. Successful use of Meditation during the casting yields a direct and specific bonus to the chance of success. Ritual practices also can add bonuses and represent time spent in preparations. As the Cult of Silence, there will be no chanting, but I'd include creating mandalas or other geometric patterns, carving of Runes, perhaps even inscribing words or formulas on the ground, or even on material that can be burned or otherwise destroyed.

The dwarves have been very busy. They've repaired their entire cube in SW Glorantha (see GtG p.691)!

Who's talking about moving soil? I'm suggesting raising the titanic earth spirits/elementals/giants from deep within the earth cube, or growing a mountain range, or using the thoughts of the Green Dragon to reshape the land.

I would follow the skills times noted on p.139. Let's say I want to augment my Bargain with (Human)Insight. The 1-5 minute timeframe is what would apply and it would be limited to the duration of the bargaining. However, if I use my Cult Lore(Ty Kora Tek) to augment my Prepare Corpse skill, I would allow it to apply through the whole time necessary to complete that preparation whether a day or several days. It would still be limited to the Prepare Corpse skill. If it was a successful roll, I would apply an experience check. Both Passion and Runic inspiration had a -10% penalty on failure in the Quickstart. Presumably they were both supposed to be bumped to -20% for consistency with skill augment failure.

Yes, that would make sense. Interesting idea - and seems to fit with some of the early devices they loaned out. Like it!

That's what I thought when I read the KoS reference too.

These seem unlikely as they don't produce a pair without breaking another set (Darkness is already in the Elemental set, Stasis in the Powers set)

I haven't assembled these thoughts into proper sorcery spell form, but were some musings: Silver dwarfs - it would seem like a good part of their job is to harness and 'tap' into the magical energies of Glorantha for use in the World Machine. One possibility is a spell such as Separate (Elemental Rune). Each level of intensity draws forth 10% of that Element from the target. Useful in diminishing the power of a Storm Voice for instance by weakening their connection to the Storm. They could also Store (Elemental Rune) into prepared containers (from the Elemental progression - e.g. a copper kettle can contain the Storm essence). They could also Measure (Elements) where each level of intensity gives greater precision as to the Elemental Runes of the target. Copper dwarfs - seems like there could be a lot of fun and useful implements and magics. Gather Lightning uses Separate to draw a Lightning rune spell out of the clouds and then Join it into a prepared long copper rod. Cut Shadow uses Separate upon a pair of copper shears to cut the shadow off of a target. Lead dwarfs - most likely those producing wards and the like would be encountered. Seal Door seems like a natural one with the intensity creating the strength of the magical seal.

Replace the Beast rune, not the Man rune. Aldryami will either be very man-like/civilized or like wild plants. They have no Beast association.

Until you try to run the Quickstart adventure without them! Trying to round up dispersed cattle without the Herd skill is really, really hard. (And if you want to quest for Bergilmer's cattle, you want someone with really good herding skills.)

Are those the shields shown on p.120 of Sartar Companion? If so, 2nd from right looks like Shargash's rune, the left two look like Lunar symbols. Can't tell for sure with right-most.

But of course we want an Oslir "catastrophe"! Surely the sea gods are trying to reunite the primal river that is the Blue Dragon and both Oslir and Lorion. I fully expect that there will be a concerted effort by Esrolians, perhaps years in preparation, to raise the Earth and wrap it in Ernalda's arms. There's some epic heroquesting opportunities here which might include: having to counter the Goddess Switch (rescuing Slonta, or Wenelia, or whatever that goddess was named), maybe raising the Behemoth (of Gods War legend), bargaining for (i.e. stealing) secret plans/instructions/magic from the dwarves, learning the sorcerous secrets of the Nolos/Pasos refugees, befriending Brastalos, awakening Kodig, etc.

And there's another version in Eleven Lights p.102 Queen Ivartha organizes a gathering at Larnste’s Table on Orlanth’s High Holy Day. Everyone who can make it tries to do so, despite the cold weather and the Imperial patrols. Nothing happens. The rite fails. The sacrificial fires abruptly go out; they are stone cold, and cannot be relit. The meat is all burnt or like jelly, spoiled by cold. Runes are cast, and the sticks break when they hit the floor. Priests read the livers of the beasts, and they are diseased. People who normally hear the gods go deaf. A dead animal, gutted and spitted over the cold fire, bleats and staggers off the spit before men hack it to bits. Its blood flows and sizzles upon the ground and the smell of rotten flesh fills the sacred grounds. Men weep, women fall senseless, and old people slump dead to the ground. That night the dark gets darker, as if the stars are being pinched out. The cold grows hard and thick, so that all the earth freezes solid and more than solid, so heavy that a sheen of ice coats everything. Those who did not admit it before hear it again, and cannot deny it: “Orlanth is dead.”

More in Thunder Rebels p.211 "Priests and devotees of Orlanth use ritual tools, weapons, and instruments in their ceremonies, which always involve clouds, wind, rain, and great noise. They give libations of beer and mead at the start of sacrifices. Sacrifices often include bales of burnt barley, oats, rye, or wheat. Like most Heortling deities, Orlanth favors animal sacrifices, usually cattle (especially red bulls) or sheep (especially blue rams). Depending on the aspect and holy day, worshippers may make other sacrifices, such as boars during Dark Season." Note: you can see why the Red Cows of the Cinsina are particularly valuable/useful in trade.

A lot of this is in Thunder Rebels. p.120 "At any ceremony outsiders see the mundane events, but they do not see what truly occurs. They do not see what the worshippers do, because they do not know the secrets or have the proper perceptions. For example, when outsiders watch an Orlanth ceremony they see the men dancing throughout the entire rite. They may even see the men rise into the air at the climax and fly in a spiral above the temple. They cannot see that the worshippers have actually left their bodies and flown into the God World." p.132+ describes the approach into the Storm Realm with Kero Fin at the center. "All initiated Heortlings have been to the God World. They go there every seasonal high holy day, the Storm Season high holy day, and during Sacred Time. The souls of the initiates rise above their temple area and hurtle towards the nearest sacred mountain. There, hundreds or thousands of other initiates and devotees are gathering, depending on the holy day (see pg. 119). They circle the mountain as a single wind, and in an instant find themselves blowing upon Orlanth’s winds in the God World. The initiates are still flying, but everything is bigger and more vital. At first, flyers cruise over the seemingly endless virgin Forest of the Winds. Trees stretch away on all sides as far as can be seen. The green of the forest is so deep that it looks black. Gods and their kin stalk this forest, where Yinkin is king and Velhara, Lady of the Wild, is his beloved prey. The initiates fly on, in the direction that they call In One Direction...." p.138 describes the Storm Home Karulinoran which they enter after circling and honoring Kero Fin. "When worshippers first enter Orlanth’s Hall, as always they see only as much as they can perceive. For most worshippers, they see Orlanth’s Hall as specific to the aspect that they worship: Adventurous, Allfather, or Thunderous. The celebrants they see are thus warriors, farmers, holy people, or the like. Such is the nature of Orlanth the Great God that when anyone in one of these familiar halls raises a horn of mead in a toast to the great god, they find themselves in the Great Hall upon completion." @Joerg described it like a gigantic Oktoberfest and that sounds right. For new initiates, this is the welcome into Karulinoran. For others a time to feast, drink, and boast. Depending on needs, the Storm Voices likely invoke one of the standard myths like a great raid, a rescue, the Discovery Band, etc. How Karulinoran appears will depend on this as well.

And nice art at that Kalin!

I seem to recall Jeff noting that was correct at some point.