jajagappa

I believe saying that he "knows" Summon and Fire means that he has those techniques - you either have them or you don't. He has them and therefore he can cast a spell such as Conflagration that requires that rune and that technique together. Based on the notes, Summon Fire Elemental requires something more than just Summon and Fire. I'd guess it also requires the Command technique so that you can direct the elemental you've just summoned. Assuming that's the case, the Designer Notes indicate that he still has insight into the Command technique based on his knowledge of Summon, so it's a double point cost to cast the Summon Fire Elemental.

At the end of the day, the GM has full discretion over which they use, or even whether there is any need to explicitly differentiate.

Since there are no explicit chaos nests in Esrolia, my main thoughts there are: 1) with the river around Korovaka the Necropolis frozen, the dead cross back into the land of the living. The divide between the two is gone. 2) the forests and brown elves go to sleep e.g. the great Arstola Forest within the Wind Stop and the Old Woods. With the divide between the living/dead gone, these are also the Nightwoods and the things of the Nightwood emerge to plague the lands nearby. 3) Nontraya the Taker returns to Esrolia and begins to hunt the daughters of Ernalda (possibly goddesses or possibly her representatives - priestesses and/or queens). He might come out of the Nightwood, out of the Necropolis, or out of the Black Maw. 4) demons may escape the Black Maw during the night when Yelm is no longer visible. The Watchtower of Nochet will be very busy. I don't recall it ever explicitly stated, but two thoughts: 1) the continued devolution and separation of the waters, particularly as the Blue Dragon (Sshorg/Aroka/Oslira) separates from the oceans 2) the purification of the waters necessary to enter the Sky Realm - that is Lorion the Sky River undertakes the purification (perhaps it is the shedding of Heler's Golden Tear?) that removes the salts from the water. All rivers as well as the waters of the clouds then followed Lorion's path and allowed them to rise higher.

I was remembering the spell as temporal rather than instant. So, yes, would repair a wheel. What I'd probably say, though, is that such a repair does not restore the wheel to its full structural strength. It's a little weaker with each break and magical Repair and eventually it just can't be repaired. YGMV though. Similar to North American prairie - looks nice and flat and open on a map. Reality is rough, broken ground with treacherous creek beds where wagons would get stuck, prairie dog holes, badlands with sheer drops. At a minimum, wagons will be substantially slower trying to navigate these obstacles and will make you vulnerable to other dangers for a longer period of time - it's a two-year venture as it is without that delay.

They'll only hold up for a little ways - really short-term duration. Enchantments would work better, but likely pricey vs. the cost of a few more pack animals (and the wagons still need draft animals and food for the draft animals).

Definitely an attractive piece. The main issue is that whoever did it got Storm and Dark seasons reversed. The equinoxes and solstices are off as well (about two weeks too late). They should be (per GtG p652-5): Spring equinox: Waterday, Godweek, Sacred Time Summer solstice: Fireday, Harmonyweek, Fireseason Autumn equinox: Waterday, Stasisweek, Earthseason Winter solstice: Fireday, Illusionweek, Darkseason

I use random bits with HQG these days so don't have issue with applying in a narrative/storytelling setting, but I agree that I'd never use it to override character concept/beliefs. For me it's about the impact of that event vs. how my character as conceived reacts to that.

The runes did not carry over though. :-(

It's a nice set, though personally I enjoy adding in the random factor and how it creates events you weren't expecting.

The problem with wagons across Pent is wheel breakage. There's no trees to replace them with and far too many places where they'd break. Much better to rely solely on pack animals for this caravan.

For my Orlmarth campaign, yes, those are their clan treasures. I don't believe there is any canonical assignment, but the presence of both Orane's Spindle and Orane's Splendorbread Oven suggest the Orlmarth given the placement of Orane's Loom as you note. YGMV.

No, I don't think that is required (and certainly not in my games). But that's one reason why I've enjoyed both RQ and HQG as the systems support the 'realistic' aspect that characters will have very divergent levels of skills. That may mean that some are 'protected' or 'shielded' during a combat or during a debate with the Queen of Nochet, or in some cases they'll be forced to act even though their skills and abilities are significantly lower and the consequences higher. But that makes for good drama.

I'd say your interpretation is correct based on HQG p.39 "You start with an ability that details your relationship to a community. This relationship starts at 13." However, I'm quite comfortable with it as a keyword for those players who wish to branch abilities off of it as long as those are pertinent to and related to the community.

Overall, good initial set. My only complaint is with Ernalda as not good for a starting character, but that probably reflects what was available in the old RQ material though. Hopefully that's something that we'll see corrected in the new RQ like it was for HQG.

Lanbril. Straightforward thief. He's in the Pavis books as well as Cults Compendium. Alternately, Orlanth (since his Adventurous aspect included being a thief - e.g. stealing the Sandals of Darkness)

Revealed Mythology p.11 indicates: "some of the schools of sorcery that were well established during the Dawn Age. These are not named after their founders, but are descriptive words indicating their powers.... Ekozite [sic] - Philosophy: Zzaburite; Affinity: Alchemical Transformations" So the transmuting "Ezok/Ekoz" relates to spells that make alchemical changes.

I'd go along with this view. At least some branch of chaos marched south through the Elder Wilds and turned and melted/dissolved the Gap of Tork. Though most of the chaos passed on to assail Yelmalio at the Hill of Gold and melt/shatter the Glacier over DH, lingering and scattered bits of chaos were clearly left in its wake. The Festering Isle, the River of the Damned, the Cacodemon spirit, possibly remnants in Gork's Hills. The spirit of Granny Keeneye would fit in with this - perhaps some ancient, Godtime spirit of nature/life that was hideously corrupted to forever seek out new life.

From GtG, we know this of the Etyries Caravan: Lunar agents take the redheaded children of Pent back to the Oraya Satrapy. The children are reared by the Emperor’s household, taught the Lunar religion, and trained to become the caravaneers of the famous Etyries Caravan, called the Red Hair Tribe by the nomads.... The Red Hair Tribe is the Lunar Emperor’s eyes and ears in Pent. They are well-versed in the Lunar Way (in particular the Etyries cult) and are trusted agents of the Empire. The Etyries Caravan has made them fabulously wealthy and given them great economic power in the Heartland. And yet, the Red Hair Tribe remains kinsmen to the nomads. Also see under Pent in GtG p.372 under Uncommon Events in the Regional Activity table: Etyries Caravan hiring warriors among the tribes; opportunity to travel to Peloria or Kralorela. My conclusions from this short bit are: 1) the merchants are a homogenous group as they are all red-haired, born in Pent, and they all follow Etyries. No Lokarnos, no Argan Argar, no Issaries. And they are wealthy 2) they do hire others as guards for the caravan, probably Redlanders normally, but occasionally nomads (who would certainly not be red-haired). Wild beasts, Redland bandits, trolls and trollish horrors, Gagarthi - definitely Chaos bands - probably From Anaxial's Roster: Steppe eagle of Pent, griffins (who love horse meat), alynx, wild horses, wild donkeys, bison (southern Pent), reindeer (northern Pent), mastodon (far, presumably north Pent), sable antelope (probably southern Pent), Leaping Bear (Leaping bears are tiger-sized animals with dark-furred ursine bodies and dog-like heads and tails), arctic/white fox, clouded leopard, fell wolves, Quenlarg (in northern Pent: Quenlarg are large, burrowing creatures that are widespread but rare throughout northern Genertela. They have worm-like bodies fifteen feet or more in length, with segmented bluish-gray armor), headhangers (a chaotic horror), and river nymphs.

IIRC (and it was some 30 years ago), it was at least an opportunity to play some of the RQ material I'd been buying, but I really didn't have any tools/emulators available at the time to help provide more randomness or add the unexpected things that players bring. So interesting, but certainly not as enjoyable as a good gaming group.

Definitely! One of the heroes in my Sartar campaign has the following community keyword and breakouts: Orlmarth Clan 13 Friend to Sora Goodseller +1 Friend of the Ash Creek Lady +1 Relationship with Joseph Greenbeak +1 Foe of Lunar Witch Oheha +1 Vow to the Wyter +2 Another has: Orlmarth Clan 16 Praise to the Clouds, Rain to the Ground +1 In my Nochet campaign, several of the heroes have: House Lorionaeo 13 Friendship with trolls +1 Mists over Waters charm +1 However, many have no breakouts or choose to make contacts an independent ability altogether. It's as flexible as any other keyword as to what you want to use and emphasize.

Also in the revised King of Sartar, p. 139 But Whitewall fell, and the priests killed gods. The powerful priestess Enerian Scarlet, called “beloved of Sedenya,” found the heart of Orlanth that was hidden in the bedrock under the citadel. She crushed it in her hands, and there was a great roar of agony that was so loud it knocked everyone to the ground, and it deafened most hearers permanently. But it ended in a whimper, and the wind stopped. In the Ernalda temple a sleeping goddess was discovered, and the Alkothite named Garoshargash, a Hell priest, strangled it to death. The priests heard a distant wail and great mourning. Overhead the face of Red Moon smiled and spoke. “You are heroes, my children,” said the Red Goddess, “I will love you forever.” Her rivals, Orlanth and his spouse Ernalda, were dead. Their magic and influence in the world vanished. Their worshippers were left breathless. A Great Winter immediately descended upon the former Orlanthi lands. All of Kerofinela froze, except those regions of Tarsh protected by our Red Goddess.

My question here would be why? Was Esrolia mythically different from Dragon Pass in that respect? There were plenty of demons that came to Nochet and no reason those did not include hollri or the like. However, we know that Veskarthan lives beneath Caladraland, and I think beneath the Shadow Plateau as well. So his heat may have kept Esrolia warmer mythically, and thus will keep the Esrolian earth warmer. But probably not enough to avoid surface/river ice.

Oh that's even better! Or the well, pond, etc. gets inhabited by Moon spirits (spirits of Madness) or gets a strange sheen, taste, or color that locals call Moonshine. Lots of different effects that clearly show that the locals collaborated with the Lunars.

I love that scenario! And particularly the Ex Files.

This is one key point: is there actually snow? If there is, then there is water to melt. If not, water is going to be very, very hard to come by. Given no rain (unless the Bad Rains come?), I think they will not only dwindle but come to a stop, except perhaps for the Sky River (though I like the idea that it turns into or includes hail on the way down). They actually have several years of grain supplies stored, so won't run out, but I'm sure rationing and hoarding will occur, prices will rise,and food riots are still likely. Outside the Esrolian cities, it'll be interesting to see how extensive the supplies are - anything really beyond Dark and Stormseasons? By Seaseason, shortages should become commonplace and starvation by the start of Fireseason at the latest. But water supplies remain a far greater and faster issue. Right. So that would keep the Skyfall flowing, which makes sense. Might freeze on the way down, but perhaps sufficient (or even additional flow) is still liquid and Skyfall Lake still liquid under the ice. Whether due to Engizi, chaos, the Dwarf, or even Delecti, there is water moving down the River. But where is Heler? No wind to move him. Perhaps he still arises over the Choralinthor and moves like (or with?) the murderous Iphara Fogs? Or perhaps his flocks are scattered, sitting atop whatever mountains or valleys they were on or in when the winds stopped? [I rather like that idea, that they stop and never move and continue to rain or snow until the clouds are empty and they dissipate.] So deep pools, ponds, small lakes become critical to survival for those who can cut holes in the ice. And, yes, mountain fed streams will continue for some time (just as they would in a drought). But with constant freezing, it may become necessary to climb higher up into the mountains and battle hollri to reach these sources. I could certainly see hollri being fed and growing from these as well. It will if if is normal swamp and Delecti doesn't stop it. But Delecti may well have the magic and the motives to keep the water clear of ice. Yes, I think that all makes sense. And I can certainly picture clansfolk desperately trying to get wood cut. Perhaps they even turn to Oakfed to warm larger areas?! (And anger the aldryami in the aftermath) I think both of those work well. The question will be whether the Lunars can obtain water that the locals cannot. Makes me wonder if the 'tidal' powers of the Moon can be used to draw water up from the Earth??? That would make the Lunars particularly useful/powerful in this period. I can picture this event along the Gorphing as well since some of its headwaters are beyond the Windstop. Could even occur along the River if the Skyfall Lake builds up a great ice dam above Snakepipe Hollow. Yes, that would make a lot of sense, and if Delecti has been busy expanding his number of zombies throughout the period... Lots of good thoughts to work from here.