jajagappa

Yep, plenty of mystery there. Being able to plug them in to varied settings and storylines is a definite plus. I like your last line there: "The owner of the tail and pack will never return."

Think Detect Magic is correct. That's been a standard spirit magic spell since RQ2 days. Elemental summoning spells are always specific to the type, not generic.

a real smorgasbord there ;-)

I like this set. Very reminiscent of the encounters in original GM. The Lost Child reminds of an old scenario starter I wrote years ago for some RQ/Glorantha contest (titled "What Child is This?"). I like the runners high in the Giant Redwood. The petrified hunter is probably my favorite. The Mammoth Corpse has a nice air of mystery - why were its bones not picked clean by scavengers, whether birds or trollkin?

That's certainly true.

Some of the weird Lunar cults that came out in ILH2. Just didn't feel that they fit, and glad to see them largely dropped now. I wasn't overly keen on the slarges when they appeared in the old Griffin Island supplement and then later popped up in Tarien. But I'll probably never get there to worry about. There are plenty of creatures though that I haven't had the opportunity to use but would (e.g. mermen, Maidstone Archers).

So did Anaxial! Time for a new Ark! Gather the animals, the plants, and all life to preserve...

And then came the repackaging of previous content across multiple boxes and books, and of course, the "art"...

Certainly if you want magic similar to the Building Wall effect that might shift about against the raging seas. But I picture a number of groups enacting distinct rituals to try to contain or prevent the flood - and perhaps are even responsible for channeling a narrow route northward. The temples of Veskarthan will look to invoke their god to raise Caladraland higher, or perhaps extend into the Right Arm. The Earth temples will seek deep, ancient, forgotten gods who slumber within the earth to rise up - earth giants who can raise the entire land. And then there are places like Storm Hill which is part of Nochet, but not, which never succumbed to the Godtime Flood and will likely be places of refuge. And don't forget the rites of the Earth Queens to marry the Sea Gods and send them elsewhere. I have a feeling that if the Sea Gods and Engizi truly want to reach Oslir, they are going to come ashore at Karse, plow through the Blackwind Marsh, and around the Blackwell (might even have the Styx waters come up to join them there!), and unite with the Creek-Stream River somewhere in Beast Valley before cleansing and purifying the Upland Marsh. The only question then is which way to reach the Oslir? I have a feeling they may cut/bite through the Dragonspine below Kero Fin. If Magasta stops churning downward and allows Sramak's River through from underneath (along with the Styx), then the Glacial iceberg becomes an afterthought - no hole to plug and the Doom Currents can go where directed.

Possible, though I hate putting everything on him/them. Grandfather Mortal could be another possibility, or the Old Man from Scene 24. Might just mean there was a Fronelan Liberator (Talor?) who had no interest at the time in going farther, or who was slain in the Charg/Brolia region after which the effort fell apart until Harmast came with Talor. Those too. That all makes sense. Certainly given the laughter. Quite possible. I don't think we have a lot of Talor's history.

Thanks. Found it on the Seshnela map p.425 in the Guide. That would make sense. I can see a sorcerous Orlanthi cult emerging as the result.

Some bits I found interesting: - "The ancestor of these people was enslaved by the cruel sorcerers and inhuman dwarves of the Evil Emperor Malkion in the Gods War until freed by Orlanth" - could be part of the myth where Esrola is freed from Angdartha; or part of the Plundering of Aron. Wonder if Ehilm is considered one of the Cruel Sorcerers in these myths? - Frive: "grave of a god referred to only as the King Under the Hill" - I like this title. Think he'll have to appear at some point in one of my campaigns. - "Green Lions Tower where lived the sorcerer Goventainer Shadowshirt" - anyone know where this tower is/was? And what became of Goventainer? Does he perhaps dwell on the Plateau of Torture in the Underworld - one of those pleading for PC's to rescue him? - High Llama Pass: "often narrow, creeping along cliff faces and crossing bottomless crevices with ancient wooden bridges" - can picture some nice cinematic imagery here. - Throne Mountain - clearly where the Orlanthi of Ralios go to gain the Justice Staff (rather than Arrowmound). Must be some similar myths to the tales of Jarani here, but I picture that the foes are minions of Valind, rather than Gagarthi. - Uz Eats Wizards - not finding this on the maps, so clearly failing my Map roll. - Orange Palace of Valantia - home to both the Chariot of Lightning cult and the Orgethite sorcery school. A union here of the divine and sorcerous powers of the Air?

This will likely trigger a Deep Discussion thread, but figured I'd post here first on the Arkat Tracts on Gbaji as these are just quick notes on what I found new and different. "Acting on the words of the Old Man, Arkat sought another route over the mountains." - who was the Old Man? A companion? A local? Someone in the God Plane? "In his lust for vengeance he swept like a hurricane through Saird" - good opportunity in Saird to rediscover some remnant/relic of this march. A great tumulus (or barrows) with the buried remains of a battle or famed chieftains killed in battle? "The parts of the Deceiver were buried separately as far away as the Elder Wilds, hidden in distant places by Arkat’s allies." - perhaps the source of the Festering Isle, or the River of the Damned? Does Ralzakark hire a party of adventurers to seek out hidden "treasure" in the Elder Wilds - a task he doesn't trust his broo or chaotic allies to do? "The peoples of Acos mustered their strength to fight the evil god, though some had been corrupted by his lies, and fought for him instead" - sounds like Arkat gathered dwarfs to his cause. And that there were dwarfs corrupted to the cause of chaos as well - dwarfs who may have their own nefarious plans for the "World Machine". "He held the mightiest weapon in the world, a sword forged in Lodrilela [the Land of Fire]" - does Lodrilela exist in the mundane world or the God Plane (or both)? Is it reached deep within the Vent? Might be a reason for Arkat to land near Esrolia if that is the case. "the Liberator came, son of the Storm God and a queen of the Brithini" - though this may simply indicate the passage of Arkat from Brithini to initiate of Orlanth/Humakt, it would be interesting if his mother actually encountered the Storm God himself. "the race of half-demons which plagued the land for many centuries after" - surely some line of these half-demons persists into the present.

Yes, the trollkin of the Dark Warrens are put to good use (along with other collectors). Black Esrola must be honored! Going back to the Guide, and checking Dezarpovo, I can definitely see that.

I'd expect Samastina, with a vision of what's coming, to initiate something to save the land. Might be quests to free Veskarthan from enslavement by the dwarfs. Might be quests to find the Old Earth gods (or endow a regiment of men with the powers of Vogarth). Or maybe even seeking the aid of the Green Dragon! But there are a lot of possibilities here for game play.

Yes, I like the idea of such an annual ritual. It's especially interesting since the inhabitants of the Sarli district around the Grace Temple are mostly Sartarites and Heortlings. I think the entities in these cisterns will definitely be called Heler's children, so of a more divine nature. I'm wondering whether this would be in Sea Season, though? The dry season is likely to be Earth Season, or perhaps early Dark Season.

Of course, if there was Darkness at the bottom instead of Water, it would make a great temple for Gerra.

While we get occasional postings over in the G+ group for "Where in Glorantha" questions, I don't think we have one here. These stepwells have to be somewhere in Glorantha. While Esrolian cities certainly have cisterns (and could have features like these), I wonder if these would exist in Teshnos or perhaps even have some at the borders of the Wastes?

Grandmother Evaeo sees her son, a famed warrior and initiate of Veskarthan, prepared for his funerary pyre. Perhaps following Greymane's Great Raid, or perhaps during the Siege of Nochet. Another warrior lies nearby.

A Lunar or Tarshite noblewoman, perhaps part of a delegation to Queen Hendira, visits a shop in Nochet near the Great Market.

Teelo Norri is the essence of Innocence about the world for the Lunars. Illumination is the ultimate in Understanding of that world. What happens when the Innocent is Illuminated? Is this the revelation that anything is possible and acceptable (and a descent into complete amorality)? Or is this the revelation that all existence (and Life) comes from the void of chaos, so anything is worth nurturing (so even keeping chaotic life from harm)? Or something else. What happens when she finds the nest of scorpionman eggs? Aren't these creatures too? Don't they deserve Life? Isn't it her obligation to find them food so that they may grow and live and accomplish their life purpose? Of course, such children inevitably turn on their foster mother....

Also the Lunars are inheritors of the myths of the Evil Emperor who held the world bound by Order and Stasis. I think this is going to be a very prominent aspect between Umathelans and Fonritians. Ompalam and his slavery fall very much in line with the Evil Emperor here. In Fonrit, even Orlanth has submitted to his will (at least in certain places). For the Umathelans, I'd expect them to draw heavily on the power of change and rebellion against this (and maybe much more so than any recognition of chaos in Fonrit).

And thus he also escaped the destruction wrought by Argrath, and becomes the foundation for the new Golden Age that is the aftermath of the Hero Wars. :-) I personally like this. And would make an interesting premise to initiate a Fourth Age campaign.

I had a sense from the original text that the 9 noted children were fathered or mothered during the Great Darkness, which would work for Jaldon, but not Sheng. On the other hand, the latter would make an interesting 'twist', so to speak. It would also imply Androgeus was somewhere near Pent or Kralorela in 1220. Given that we know little of her wanderings, other than references to him in Fronela during the Syndics Ban and her arrival in Dragon Pass at some point during the Hero Wars to aid the Tarsh Earth Twins, it's certainly feasible. Speaking of the Earth Twins, I wonder who is birthed from that encounter with Androgeus? I'd surmiss that he fathered one that is left behind, and mothers another born after his departure from Dragon Pass.

We have very little understanding of the Holy Country prior to the arrival of the Seas. There's some sense of the division of Esrolia among various goddesses, but even their background is unclear. Somewhere I remember seeing it suggested that Belintar was recreating the Golden Age of Kethaela when all the elements were ordered and in Harmony. The chaining of the Larnsting (i.e. Movement) is part of the maintenance of Order (e.g. much like Yelm ruled the world with order). Whether this mythical Golden Age actually existed is unclear. But to at least achieve the manifestation of it, Belintar had to unite the elements under (or within) his God-soul. The Only Old One represented a different Truth of mythical Kethaela and had to be defeated for Belintar to reach his goal. The Pedestal raised by Belintar is very reminiscent of the Footstool of Yelm. The City of Wonders something like the Celestial City (including connections by magical roads).