jajagappa

If you want authenticity, most New England towns do not have mayors. Instead they have an annual town meeting where all citizens can come, raise issues, and vote on the issues. It usually includes election of the town board members (selectmen) who handle administrative tasks, town clerk, and whatever other officials are need.

Thanks for clarifying!

I scanned through a few of my old issues I have at hand (#4, 15, 17, 22) and all indicate published and copyright by Chaosium. Looks like they fall into same status as WF.

(or Liverpool :-) ) And I'd bet the Castle Coast is like that as well - dreary place where the Fogs of Brithos roll in all the time...

Looking at GtG, you could get hard, cold winds coming down from Pent to battle the Urox Storm which seems to hover over the Wastes and blow into Prax. I'd expect cool to cold nights, where you might get dew or frost on the ground in the morning (White Princess, Dew Maid pass by and calm the immediate area). The farther north in the Wastes, the more likely to hit colder winds or a battle between cold bitter winds and stinging dust winds. Probably a good time for dust storms farther south in the Wastes perhaps with stinging clouds of copper. Otherwise probably mild, seasonable temperatures.

I can think of exceptions in both Nochet and Pavis/Big Rubble where dressed stone previously used by the rich becomes available for reuse by survivors of various devastation (e.g. Veskarthan's eruption and the subsequent tidal waves washing over Nochet and leaving it with great ruins and 5000 people; nomadic and troll invasions of Old Pavis).

Completing another triad: To: Galacrustus, Geographer, Sage of Irripi Ontor, Imperial Survey Office, Mirin's Cross Fr: Iridascius, Aide to Quinscion, His Most Excellent General of Procurement and Disbursement, Mirin’s Cross Dated: Crescent-Come, Harmony, Fire, 7/46 In light of the recent complaints by a merchant named Bulverius, who styles himself "Ambereye", regarding clans of storm worshippers hostile to his association's venture at a site called Amber Fort beside the Elf Sea east of Imther, my most esteemed lord has determined that a current and correct assessment of the clan populations of Imther is in order, as well as a report on the presence of storm worshippers through these clans. I have reviewed the filed report by Ludoxus of Jillaro entitled "A Catalogue of Imtherian Places", compiled in 7/39 per order of General Yugla-oor during the late and lamentable civil war. It is my firm belief that said Ludoxus not only did not visit the sites noted in his report, but in all likelihood never ventured farther than Hilltown, and I suspect spent his entire time, and the general's coin, in one inn or another there. His estimates of the populations of villages are wildly exaggerated as if they are in fact cities, and his estimate of Hortugarth would make it a rival of Filichet! Further, he shows a complete ignorance of the tribes and clans of Imther, totally oblivious to the presence of the Laramite, Wilktar, and Afothae kings who were busy fighting each other under his own nose! This needs immediate correction so that the tax collectors can attend to their tasks and ensure appropriate delivery of tribute. Please complete your assessment before the snows close the mountains to travel! And please do not consider this the time to assess the quality and quantity of marble or other stone, or the accuracy of the maps in the Survey Office, or engage in debates with the lawspeakers and wild sages of the clans. Quinscion would be most displeased to hear of any delays, and you know where the dung would stick! Yours, Iridascius I should note that receipt of sufficient wheels of Mountain Marble or well-aged Vakthan's Blue might please our most esteemed lord and reduce his ill humor, particularly if accompanied by some barrels of fire wine. And you are well acquainted, of course, with my own tastes. To: Iridascius, Aide to Quinscion, His Most Excellent General of Procurement and Disbursement, Mirin’s Cross Fr: Galacrustus, Geographer, Sage of Irripi Ontor, Imperial Survey Office, Hilltown Dated: Dying, Stasis, Dark, 7/46 Thank Hwarin for the beneficence of her temple! For surely without it, and the grace of her most reverend priestess, Rasefala, I would be confined to some filthy hovel of an inn, or worse boarding in some flea-ridden, goat-stinking stead (of which I have had more than enough during this mission of yours!). The cheeses requested and the fire wine (a poor vintage this year I'm afraid - Lord Daltach claims that the visit of the bat several years ago had a detrimental effect upon the subsequent harvests) accompany this post, as well as three barrels of good cider (for yourself since you've noted previously that cider gives his most excellent general gas) and a wheel of rare Zarkoni Ice Rind, a goat's milk cheese they say is aged upon the high slopes of Giant Top Mountain (the Zarkon clan from which I obtained it also stated that it is one of the Three Finest Cheeses of Imther, known throughout in ancient tales). Unfortunately, I do not accompany this post since the interminable bad weather has made the roads passable only to fish and fowl and I have still to complete the survey of the Wilktar tribe. Hopefully, his most excellent general will find that satisfactory for the moment. This is only the preliminary survey of the Laramite clans as I found them; sufficient, I believe, for the needs of his most excellent general. I will deliver further details to you as I have time to take advantage of the scribes of this most wondrous temple. You really should see the marble work here! The statue of Hwarin herself is stunning - the shield of the Empire yet she is open-handed in her blessings upon this land. And the statue of Jannisor, though substantially smaller in scale, captures his commanding presence as well as the sadness of the wandering storm. Yours, Galacrustus. Laramite Tribe Size: 12,500 Clans: 9 King: Arkarnax Erthex of the Sterneyes Tribal Seat: ostensibly Kareiston's Temple, but King Arkarnax has made Sidherius his stronghold Earth Temple: Hortugarth This large and ancient tribe claims to have been the greatest and most powerful tribe in the aftermath of the Dragonkill, dominating the entire Black Eel valley until the defeat of the Kynnelfing Alliance. Laram Redhorse was their founder and first king. He came down from the mountains of Imther, sealed Daga in an Iron Box, recovered the Golden Bridle of Beren, married Redaylde Redmane, and formed the tribe. Onstheus of the Mastine clan, the Shield of Imther was their next great king. He wielded a spear, a sword, and a club to equal effect, mastered the Hound of the Ashen Hearth, and was friend and companion to Jannisor. Raptor Marthorsson of the Mallust clan was the third great king, famous for proving his lineage to the dwarfs to become King of Imther, assaulting and slaying the Night-mantled Warlord, and unleashing the Lightning Spear and the Seven Winds to overcome the Lord of the Black Stallions. Now, disputes and grudges from the Civil War and earlier grow more intense amongst the Laramite clans. King Arkarnax' judgments grow harsher, often fueled by his own queen, Black Drastis. Intrigues arise from the Queen of Holay, who promises rich rewards to those who join her tribes. And King Margor of Imther promises revenge and retribution on any and all who betray him. Clans of the Laramite Tribe Argon "The Golden Pear Clan" Chief: Harbus Argon Coin-counter Centered around Apimara's Rest where the annual Festival of Life is held, this clan is known for its fine pears and perry (a pear-based cider). They've held the rich and fertile Golden Fields south of Hortugarth since 1461 when the horse lords were driven out, though the Queen of Holay took part of the lands north of the Old Dog River for her own as her reward for helping 'end' the Civil War. The clan is loyal to Khelmal and Ernalda, but is well known for its Issaries and Alakarma merchants. Legend states that the Argon ancestors led the armies of Kareiston against the evil queen Balurga, and the clan and their ancestors still guard the border of the Plain of Stones. Erthex "The Holy Clan", "The Old Goat Clan" Chief: Arkarnax Sterneyes The tribal king Arkarnax is also clan chief and holds the hill fort of Sidherius surrounding Old Bald Top in the Sidha Gap along the Pilgrim Road. An ancient rock called King Goat Head sits in a large urn field here and is invoked in seasonal rituals to protect against disease and kinstrife or to aid in virility and herding. The clan itself is most prevalent in the rugged foothills south of the mountains, and is consider the holiest of the ancient Laramite clans since they maintain the shrines of the Five Old Winds and Ernalda's Dreams. The clan also claims close associations with the kingdom's founders, Imthus and Aidea, and has sworn to uphold the King's line even now when it's reached it's end. The tribal queen, Black Drastis, is a skilled witch who learned Three Secrets in Ernalda's Dreaming Palace and Three Curses in the Dark Halls of Asrelia. Valusi "The Two Waters Clan", "The Feuding Clan" Chief: Corvoral Greenhand A strongly conservative and traditionalist clan which descended to the Southlands in 1349 from near Central Mines when kinstrife led Valus to break from the Polan clan after the defeat of Irnath Winterking. The feud between Valusi and Polan remains to this day and is considered one of the Three Great Feuds of Imther. The clan seized the lands along the upper Isildon vale from the Erthex, Hallite, and Laramar clans and feuds and raids between them continue to this day. The Valusi have notable shrines to Isildon and Heler, the Two Waters, and is thought to harbor a secret shrine to Orlanth somewhere deep in the Boar Run Woods. Several Valusi legends indicate that the return of the Earthwielder will occur when the Stone Spear returns. Though the meaning of this is obscure, members of the clan are always watching for such a relic to appear. ... Kareiston's Temple, small temple city Size: 1000 Count: Erhamal Nightcrest, Upholder of the Torch of Truth Said to be the most ancient of the Sun Dome Temples, it predates those second age temples and originated with Mahzanelm's march into these lands and culminated with the destruction of the Queendom of Balurga. Not only is its temple layout distinct from other Sun Dome Temples, but it is dominated currently by the cult of Khelmal, though Yelmalions and even some Elmali are present. Count Nightcrest claims this state of affairs to be natural as the Many Suns vied for the hand of Ernalda Reladiva after Yelm was slain. Each Fireseason, a great fair and tribal council is held here. The tribal king dispenses justice during this grand event, aided by his Lawspeaker and the Torch of Truth; the new men of the tribe are initiated through the Trials of the New Sons; and many marriage arrangements are made between clans.

A bit of Imtherian history: The Founding of the Laramite Tribe Sing silver-shielded Hwarin of horse-loving Laram Sing of the hearts of heroes: bold hearts, brave hearts, broken hearts. Sing of the Bridle of Beren, sing of red-maned Redalyde Sing of clawed curses bought by the blackheart for base coin Sing of the bone road, grey grasper and her resting rose bud Sing of blood’s bounty: bright heads and broad striders. Laram and his friend Erthek were born in 1118 ST in the hidden shelter of the Whispers where the old boar, Stormtusk, hunted for hidden heartroot. They were but children when the news of the Dragonkill was brought back to the Hundred Widows. In 1133 ST, they followed the Pilgrim's Way to Giant Top, avoiding the Stinking Giants, bargaining with Raven and gaining the Old Knot, and hunting down the Hundred Black Mice of Aga Raan. At Giant Top, they flew to the top past the Stinging Wasps, met the Lost Ancestors, and slew the Hidden Broo who awoke during the rites. Laram returned with the Trident of Mastery upon his brow, while Erthek held the Two-Fold Magics. Erthek was first to reveal his new powers when he mastered the Five Old Winds, and freed Orlanth from the Dragonknot. Laram found his way into the Nest of Debris in Vanch where he recovered the Golden Bridle of Beren. With the bridle and the Old Knot, he tamed the Far-running Stallion and began his campaign against Withan Longwhisker. Laram found the mouse hole and entered Underhill where he bargained for the Iron Box. He found Daga then and bound the skeletal demon within the Iron Box, tied tight with the Old Knot, and cast the box into the depths of Lake Invaress. Erthek called Heler back to refresh and renew the dried land. Laram retreated to the mountains to seek counsel from Orlanth. When he returned two years later, he gathered the old clan and the young clan, the clan of Erthek and the clan of Malus, the earth clan and the wind clan. United, they formed a ring and fashioned a new tribe and Laram was chosen King. With the backing of his tribe, Laram wooed and won Redalyde Redhair. Angry Withan cursed them with the Three Foul Curses. Kibrogar took the first curse to himself and fell to the Wasting. Redalyde fell into the Deep Sleep of the second curse, but Laram and Erthek were born in the Whispers and the Whispers of the Night were no terror for them. They found the Old Deep Path and took the Hope of Khelmal and journeyed deep into the Dreaming Palace. Laram awoke his Queen and they returned to breathe life again into the tribe and land. The Five Old Winds were freed and they hunted down Withan Longwhiskers and slew his champions before Sargreth Kibrogarsson gained vengeance for his father's death. For his efforts, Redalyde offered Laram the Bounty of the Land - he could have accepted the Sovereignty of Saird or the Blessing of Sons, but chose only the Earthfirm Sandals that would protect his tribe after he was gone as long as someone of his line still wore them. [And to this day, the Laramite tribe still stands firm though no one knows who wears the Sandals.]

Over on G+ thread, there was a little hint of an old map of Imther. I'm not including that here since it's out-of-date and non-canonical, but have included a couple maps showing the rough arrangement of the Laramite tribe in the south of Imther and the eastern wilds stretching to Balazar (where much of my old campaign occurred). Overlays done on top of relevant section of the Argan Argar Atlas.

p.52 - last paragraph, 'Veralzi' misspelled as 'Varalzi'

See the current Prince of Sartar episode. http://www.princeofsartar.com/comic/71-the-master-of-this-house/ Or the sketches of Ernalda priestesses here: http://www.glorantha.com/sketch-of-two-ernalda-priestesses/ Many of the earth priestesses receive visions from the earth goddess. Perhaps she has a vision of one of the other PC's and that vision entails protecting some part of the earth from chaos or some other foe.

I recall at some point someone noting that the 3 Balazar citadel layouts in Griffin Mountain were taking directly from Mycenean originals.

But there's also the Newtling option with that, and they could travel further afield.

Yes! And this is where I feel you need to at least align some of the right factors (needs to start on the right day, have the right companions or weapons or trade goods, etc.) or else it's more likely to go off track

And with very minimal reward. That's the price for 'stacking the deck'. Or, alternately, just because you try to minimize the risk, there is no guarantee that it will in fact do so. The 'troll' may not play the part correctly, miss some key actions, and instead of the 'easy' quest, you find yourself under attack by a Death Lord and his legion of Undead.

I think that is true. And I don't think you can simply declare yourself to be on a heroquest in the middle of a raid (just because it somewhat conforms to your raid does not mean it will have any magical implications). But I do think you could initiate a heroquest in the right circumstances - but it takes time to do so, it takes getting the right accoutrements, and to establish the right frame for the quest. And that creates risks that should seriously warn off the unprepared. As a hero/PC, I can decide to go off and raid the Sazdorf Ruins with the goal to steal the High Priestess' magical sandals. There's no specific heroquest involved. If I succeed, I have the sandals. If I fail, I'm likely one of the heads on Sigron's wall. Now, my party of adventurers could decide to make this raid into a heroquest. One of the party may be a priest of Orlanth, knows the myth of the Sandals of Darkness, and knows the steps to undertake it as a This World Heroquest. To do so, the PC's need to start on the Hill of Orlanth Victorious (which is not that far away). Of course, that happens to be occupied and guarded by a Lunar patrol, so there's a complication just to start the quest. But the PC's dispatch the patrol and perform the ceremony and ritual to invoke the quest and get underway. Now, there's a slight issue here - there's very little or no community support - the only folk present to perform the ceremony are the PC's and they'll be on the quest. The PC's go merrily off on their quest, find the Back Door to the Sazdorf caves and go in. They've ritually entered the 'Underworld' station, though because it's a This World quest, it's still just the Sazdorf caves. But as they descend, they are attacked by the ghosts of the Lunars they killed (whose souls got dragged along by the PC's because they were ritually heading to the 'Underworld') - that's a surprise! And further in they encounter an Argan Argar merchant. He offers them hospitality. And in the ritual maybe the PC's are supposed to pledge the 'friendship of their community' in return. But they can't because they didn't get such support in the first place. The Argan Argar merchant turns away, and the PC's are set upon by 'Zorak Zoran' and his legion. Later expeditions to the Sazdorf find the heads of said PC's decorating Sigron's wall. The proper way for these PC's to begin the This World Heroquest is within their community where they convince their Chief that they should raid the Sazdorf clan because the High Priestess has the Sandals of Darkness and their clan needs those to survive. The community blesses the ritual, adding their own magic in some fashion into it. Perhaps its in the form of a feather of a red-headed woodpecker, or the drinking horn from a red cow, or something else. This will help the quest at some critical point. And there will still be surprises, but at least they start on the right foot. And then there is the Otherworld Heroquest which may start very similarly to the This World Heroquest getting community support. But when the heroes descend from Orlanth's Hill at the start of the ritual, they are no longer on the mundane plane but in the midst of the Gods War during the Darkness. And they do literally descend into the Underworld. And they may encounter the ghosts of Lunars they have killed upon the Endless Path towards the River of Swords before they come to the Castle of Lead where Kyger Litor resides. Etc.

Since Pavis was founded in the 2nd Age, you cannot go to the Godtime Founding of Pavis - there was not one. What you could do is to figure out what rituals Pavis followed to build his city. Perhaps there was the Trading Blanket of Issaries in Genert's Garden where Issaries shows Genert and Seolinthor how to exchange items. That you could reach. But not the Founding of Pavis. As for Gbaji, when the gods intervened in the mundane plane at the Battle of Night and Day, the Compromise broke and the entire battle/event was in the Godtime at that point. But ritually it can be thought of as the Sun's invasion of the Underworld and the power of the sun to harm the Hell Mother, and that is where the trolls quest to.

You could say that you want to raid the Greydogs in order to steal the power of Minlister (the brewer) from them. This has mythic overtones, and you can set it up as a This World Heroquest where the goal is that you have the magic power that they currently have (maybe it is part of the Greydog clan wyter). But you need to put it into the context of an existing myth and some will work better than others. The mythic hero Vingkot went on many raids, including against Alkoth (which is part of the Underworld and Sky World), but using those as a basis won't do much good in this case - the foes and the stations of the quest will be 'wrong' and who knows what may happen to the raid. But Minlister uses a huge magical cauldron named Karni that was taken from the water gods by Orlanth and the Thunder Brothers. You need to follow this quest if you want to steal the Greydog's magical cauldron and its powers for yourself. Therefore, you have to cast the Greydogs as the 'Water Gods' in the quest in order to be successful (think of it as staging a big interactive 'play' where you are casting the parts but need to have the 'right' people in the 'right' roles). The easiest 'water god' to cast the Greydogs as is Heler before he joined the Storm Tribe. To do this, you likely need to be at some place (perhaps beside the Sword River or the Creek) and you 'summon' your 'enemy' (the Water Gods) in a specific ritual that brings both Heler's rain clouds and the Greydog warriors (they may feel a magical 'pull' in this case, or their wyter feels a threat and orders them to defend their land, etc.). If you defeat the Greydogs ('water gods'), then you can raid their camp and find their magical cauldron and take it for your own. So as Steve notes, this is not a 'random raid', but a very prescribed raid based on an ancient storyline that needs the 'right' acts, characters, and components to succeed well (otherwise you may just end up with someone's wineskin sack) or you are driven off (and now you have some vulnerability to the 'water gods').

I partially agree with this. There are places in Glorantha where the division between mundane and Otherworld/GodsTime is weak. If you attempt to climb Mount Kerofin, you push towards the mythic where you could encounter the Mountain Mother herself. Or if you sail down Magasta's Pool to the Underworld. Or climb the ladder to the Sky World. Or leap onto the Moon. Or travel to the distant Gates of Dawn or Dusk where the sun rises or sets each day. These exist, but only heroes can truly might and overcome the guardians there (and if you die doing so, you die and your soul heads off to the Underworld). But you cannot go to the Palace of Black Glass in this world as it no longer exists there. You must enter myth to reach it (since it was built in the God Time). But you could travel to the Tarpit where it once stood, and you may find it easier to enter the land of myth from there. Or you may use the Tarpit as a way to access the Underworld (which exists in both Godtime and real time and is one of those Otherworlds. Similarly you cannot go back to the Founding of Pavis before it became the Big Rubble - there is no time travel. But you could sail into the Puzzle Canal in the Big Rubble on the right day and find yourself sailing on the River Styx in the Underworld as there is some occasional connection or gateway to the realm of myth there.

So this Heroquest could occur in one of two ways: 1) A "This World" HQ. Though you are re-enacting a mythic event, your goal is to steal something from, for instance, the Sun Dome Temple such as their Orb of Authority. You prepare in much the same way, get your ritual artifacts, find a sacred hill on a stormy day to leave from, and follow the prescribed 'steps'. Maybe you need to get the Scarf of Mist from the river goddess, so you need to go to the Creek before Sunrise when the mists are rising and bargain for that; then you need Raven's Cloak so you go to the Silent Grove and hope to find the Raven spirit there and have a riddling contest to gain the cloak. And at last you come to the Sun Dome where you must sneak in using those tools, gain the item, and depart. If you fight temple guards on the way out, and kill them, they die. If they kill you, you die. If you gain the item, you have it in your possession, and likely the Sun Dome will try to get it back since it's an important ritual object for them 2) An Otherworld HQ. You are not just re-enacting the myth, you will be 'in' the myth. YOU are Orlanth and the Thunder Brothers. YOU are going into Yelm's actual palace. The steps are the same, but they take place in the Otherworld, outside of time. The ceremony and ritual to bring you there are magically charged, and you must prepare sacred objects in advance to hold whatever you intend to steal. At the conclusion of the ritual you find yourself In Orlanth's Hall or on Orlanth's Hill, etc. in the time of the early Gods War. In the Otherworld quest, you may have to sneak past Gold Gryphon, the doorkeeper; and then walk the golden corridors of the palace, perhaps encountering Ernalda the concubine of the Emperor; and then enter the golden sanctum guarded by the Keepers of the Four Directions. You fight the Keepers of the Four Directions. That these may be heroquesters as well may or may not be the case - it may be immaterial to your story. Let's say you steal the Orb of Authority and slay the Keeper of the North. Now what happens in This World? What you've returned with is the ritual object you brought into the quest (say it was a bronze orb) but it is now 'filled' with a magical blessing of some time (perhaps you can Command the Little Suns as a special divine magic). This relic might be used in subsequent rituals to gain the loyalty of Elmal or even Yelmalio. Or when Yelmalions come onto your lands, your Chief can invoke its power to command them to depart (and it has a high chance of success). That you mythically killed the Keeper of the North in the ritual does not mean that anyone in This World died. If a Yelmalion heroquester was 'pulled into' the ritual, he may have been 'knocked out' of his quest, and failed. He may be magically weakened, perhaps even losing an important ability/magic (perhaps his Watchful Eyes divine magic). But there may be other This World ramifications. That the Keeper of the North mythically died, may mean that the powers of Order are no longer guarding the northern border of your clan lands. Maybe chaos is now magically drawn to your clan, always attacking from the north. It's really up to you to determine what level of consequence a given myth has. The more powerful your heroes, though, the greater the consequence is likely to be as they increasingly 'impact' the mythic landscape. No. It's not another world like our real world concept of Faerie. It's a mythic landscape that requires ritual and ceremony to reach and does not directly correspond to the real world in that way. It's a ritual reenactment of the myths. And in 1602 if your heroes went heroquesting on an Orlanth Goes Raiding myth, likely what they encounter is not the Palace of the Emperor, but the Advance of the Devil with his horde of chaos. And encountering chaos anywhere, even in myth, is NOT GOOD. You may well not return to the real world in that case.

In my old Imther campaign, the one dwarf the PC's encountered might well have been considered broken. He had arrived at the city of Hortugarth and been hidden away (for political reasons) by the PC's main patron. But the dwarf was paranoid, convinced that the repairs being made to the World Machine were wrong and that instead of repairing the world, the 'fixes' were opening ways for chaos to reenter the world. He ended up leading the PC's to a cavern (the patron was expecting the PC's to return with magical dwarf goods), where he could 'demonstrate' his experiment to the PC's. The device was a small magical sphere emitting light, placed in a box with one small pinhole on one side to let out the light. Then the dwarf had a small wheel with many small metal plates attached to it. Each metal plate had a small cutout. When turned quickly in front of the box with the light sphere, the light would pass through the sequence of cutouts projecting a changing scene upon the wall. Unfortunately, the dwarf's hypothesis was correct - the changing figures of light turned into broos which attacked the PC's and the dwarf.

A brief excerpt regarding dwarfs from the survey of one Galacrustus, sage of the Irripi Ontor temple, in a letter to Iridascius, Aide to Quinscion, His Most Excellent General of Procurement and Disbursement, Mirin’s Cross. Dwarf Coins Due to the regular Dwarf Market, the coins of dwarfs can be found in circulation in Imther, particularly in Hilltown and amongst the mountain clans. The most common of these coins are called Circles (silver), Squares (copper), and Hexes (gold). Other coins seen include lead triangles, brass pentagons, the very rare seametal heptagons, and tin octagons. Each coin has a slight indentation along the outer rim to allow for easier stacking and a milled edge. The coins have no pictures, instead being entirely marked by runes said to be in the dwarf tongue. Supposedly one Circle that was translated read: “1.0000000 Prazcdat Silver .9999989 Purity 3rd Forge Arganum Master Berv 241,982 Work Cycle Preferred”. Dwarfs carry these coins in specially crafted tin containers with fitted slots for each different shape. Each slot has an upper and a lower section and a device that allows a dwarf to either transfer a coin from the upper to the lower section or out of the container altogether. Dwarfs have been seen using these devices both in trade and in measuring. The dwarfs also seem to use individual coins as weights, placing them on special balances during trade deals. Dwarfs trade these coins exclusively in Hilltown for silt, sand, and clay hauled up from the Aryael and Silverstone Rivers (and sometimes even brought from as far away as the Oslir River!). It is unknown why the dwarfs value these products so highly. Dwarfs coins are highly prized by Imtherian merchants since they are hard to clip and quite pure. All of them have a central hole and some clansmen string them onto necklaces or earrings as talismans against sorcerous magics. Their dwarfish nature, though, prevents their use in magical ceremonies and folk go to great length to ensure that all such coins are carefully put aside to avoid bad luck.

And don't forget Stone ships!

Cults Compendium included not only Cults of Prax and Cults of Terror, but also the cults from Trollpak, Pavis/Big Rubble and various magazines (e.g. Different Worlds), and the spirit cults from Borderlands. Either will work to get underway.

One likely candidate to handle the bodies, at least south of Alkoth and particularly in Saird, are the Jajalaring, the dog-servants of Jajagappa given Jajagappa's role as a psychopomp amidst the DH. Here's my culture writeup of these folk: The Jajalarings are the dog servants, an underclass of Saird and surrounding lands who follow Jajagappa, Catcher of Souls. The Jajalaring folk live amongst the other clans and are born to serve as cottars or thralls and guard the earth and tend to the dead. They are known for loyalty and piety and a dark fatalism about the world, though some of them go wild and become bandits. They are always ready when called upon by Jajagappa to join his Hunt. Jajagappa and the earth mothers provide the whole of life to the Jajalarings: purpose, kinship, provision, justice, a place in the ‘pack’, and proof of life after death. They know that Jajagappa will bring vengeance to all who are evil and those who harm the dog servants. They fight with simple weapons such as daggers, javelins, or spears as well as fists and may serve with or aid the fyrd or militia. The Jajalarings help farm, herd, hunt, and scout; raise dogs; gather herbs, timber, and thatch; prepare and tend the dead; and know rituals to drive off or capture hostile demons and spirits. They are known to scour battlefields, collecting Jajagappa’s Due and the shades of the dead.