jajagappa

Regarding the Bad Uncles, and the Orlanthi initiation rite, see the Prince of Sartar web comic. http://www.princeofsartar.com/comic/introduction-chapter-1/ Read through the first 6 pages of chapter 1, particularly pages 4 and 5 as these are the story of I Fought We Won. http://www.princeofsartar.com/comic/4-meeting-the-second-son/ http://www.princeofsartar.com/comic/5-argrath-faces-evil/ You can also get the gist of it from the story of Hengall the Second Son in Heortling Mythology, p. 90. "Hengall gathered his weapons and followed in his father’s path. He left his kin to fight the Predark, alone. He was not heard from again until six generations had passed. There, at the edge of the world and within sight of its doom, the Second Son met with Heort the Swift and told him of his great and terrible battle - I Fought, We Won. He showed Heort his wounds. He told Heort about the secret of the Star Heart and the secret of I Fought We Won battle. Every man relives Hengall’s lonely battle during his initiation rites. As a result, there are few sagas that tell of Hengall’s quest, for his secrets are words of power and cannot be passed on lightly." And p.121 "Heort remembered that fight, and went on past the Second Son, and to the edge of the world. There he met the evil of his world, and won." Also in the story of Heort and the Unity Battle in Heortling Mythology, p.104 "But the world did not end because of the great heroism of Heort. Heort was a Vingkotling who lived in the Ice Lands. To combat the evils of chaos he searched through broken places and forbidden powers to survive, or to know why he should not. He underwent the I Fought We Won Battle wherein he personally resisted Wakboth. When he returned to the world it was warmer, less broken and Elmal was quite brighter. This began the Grey Ages. Heort saw that Wakboth was not dead from the Spike imploding. He was marching to destroy them all, the last survivors, in Dragon Pass. Heort went among the other creatures of the area, and he made peace and plans with them. They too, it seemed, were blessed by their own inspirations to resist chaos. Men, trolls, elves, dwarves, beasts and the feeble spirits and lesser gods all joined to fight Wakboth. They destroyed his army, sent the god reeling into Prax. This is the famous Unity Battle, and they chose their strongest leader, named Ezkankekko, to lead them." There's also a good essay by Greg in that work on p.122. "The martial struggle of Heort is appropriate to his role as warrior and culture hero. It is the manifestation of some raw masculine powers of violence, destruction, and general active, energetic role. In the IFWW these prove ineffective, the individual is destroyed, yet some part struggles on and, surprised, the chaos opposition is destroyed, runs away or dissipates. The subsequent reconstruction of the Hero is based on an acknowledgment of the essential masculine role (I Fought), but it encloses the Secret just learned (We Won). He rearms, then goes forth and rescues his wife from the Ice Palace, and teaches the secret to the men of his tribe." Also see Greg's article on Orlanthi initiation here which pretty well outlines the steps: http://www.glorantha.com/docs/orlanthi-initiation-rites/ They travel into the world of myth, into the broken world that is the Great Darkness Whatever gods are there, depart and the heroes are on their own They must find and follow the path of the Second Son and reach the edge of the world "The idea is to get as close to the Great Secret as possible. This is revealed through the myths of the voyage of Heort and Harmast, who walked on the trail of Second Son. Its shallow stages include: Confrontation with Ancestors Confrontation with Ancestral Enemies Confrontation with Mirror Self Confrontation with the Devouring Monster Almost everyone experiences and learns something at these. These are the external and superficial things that make the men to be members of their bloodline and clan. Then it goes deeper: Meeting with Second Son Meeting with Star Heart Confrontation with the Devil’s Face Confrontation with the Void These are the things that people experience differently. Most people get to the Second Son, who explains to them the things that lie beyond. Most people are content with that. But some will have to go farther, and they will see, perhaps touch or (more rarely) even get their own Star Heart and place it into their breasts. A rare individual sees the place where the Devil’s Face appears and most of them then retreat. Some confront the Face and survive, emboldened and empowered far beyond normal humanity. Survivors of the Void are rare, for it dissolves the soul of most who dare to look on it." Essentially, you have up to 8 stages in the quest. You probably need to reach the Confrontation with the Devil's Face to complete I Fought, We Won as a quest. Hope that helps.

The Grantlands, where Borderlands/Shadows on the Borderlands largely occur, are 100 miles south of Pavis and both are part of the Zola Fel valley (aka the River of Cradles). This is a fertile part of the wastelands known as Prax. The HQ Pavis book provides some overview of the whole river valley to supplement the Pavis setting (and one scenario takes you down the whole length of the river and back). In addition to the Borderlands and Pavis books, the RQ3 supplements Sun County, Strangers in Prax, and River of Cradles all take place in this region.

Of course, if you really want to be nasty, there's nothing like a Walktapus for some fun, especially when the severed tentacles start to regrow into more walktapi.

@Mark Mohrfield "When and how did this happen?" See GRoY p.57 and its footnotes. Nemarthshar (the Red Overseer): "He was attacked by a cloud of burning traitors who pummeled him to death, and then burned the crushed remains." Footnote 188: "Those outrageous bandits were eventually defeated and enslaved by Shargash." But mythically Nemarthshar and Shargash can be overlaid. Consider GRoY p.8. and the footnotes; and then p. 12. "That which lay to the right of Yelm was called South, and the color was Green, and the Power was Strength and the Guardian was named Nemarthshar. His city was called the Bronze Camp." Nemarthshar - footnote 26: "Literally “South-Overseer-Red.” Probably “red” because the celestial palace of Shargash is red. He is on the Gods Wall at 9." "Alkoth, the City of Strength, in the near south. It was the home of Shargash." (And remember that the wall of Alkoth is Green) The South Overseer is Red. Both Nemarthshar or Shargash are red gods. The city of the South has the power of Strength and its color is Green. In a myth, one can stand in for the other. Of course, while Nemarthshar was defeated, Shargash was not. So, the ritual of Tatius will likely be strengthened by using a Shargash lord in the role (and, correspondingly, that may be a weakness in the ritual that can be exploited by the foes of Tatius).

Red Overseer of the South, Ruler of the Right Angle, Keeper of Strength. The Red Overseer is effectively replaced by Shargash, so I'd likely play him as a Shargash warrior or demon. The Right Angle could be a Mace or some other club-like weapon, perhaps giving off a magical attack (at a 'right angle'). Blue Overseer of the West, Ruler of the Plumb, Keeper of Sovereignty. Given the west's association with sorcery, I might use the plumb-bob as a sorcerous tool to force the foe to submit. The Plumb-bob suggests powers that may weigh the hero down (with duty? or magical shackles? or feelings of inferiority?). I also think of the plumb-bob as made of Lead so might have Underworld connotations. Yellow Overseer of the East, Ruler of the Ketstick, Keeper of Insight. He is also called the Beardless Measurer. He uses the Ketstick to take the 'measure' of the heroes. I like Peter's idea that this reveals hidden flaws that can be attacked through magical (mystical?) insight. White Overseer of the North, Ruler of the Compass, Keeper of Wisdom. He is also called the Long-bearded Measurer. A different type of measurer. I like the idea that he not only reasons, but uses Logic to confound the heroes. The compass suggests the creations of circles - circles that maybe confine a hero or separate the heroes or contain the hero (much like a pentagram to confine a demon). It requires either a greater logic or the illogic of the Trickster to escape the traps of the White Overseer.

There are dwarfs in the Big Rubble - always good to bring in - as well as the aldryami there. And both those Elder Races hate the trolls - you can't please all of them! Lots of chaos options besides broos. The old Shadows on the Borderlands material was a great extension for the original Borderlands. Muriah is back with several broo gangs seeking vengeance/destruction on Duke Raus. And there are deeper caverns from whence you can get Gorp, or Thanatar cultists, or Krarshtkids, or sinister Ogres or whatever other horror you want to bring in.

You can absolutely play in Pavis with the combination of HQG and the HQ Pavis book alone. The Classic Pavis/Big Rubble will give you all the Big Rubble to explore though, and for the campaign you are envisioning, I'd definitely add that. As for the Sartar books... Sartar: Kingdom of Heroes will give you the following not in the books above: the full Clan Generator - very useful if your players like creating clan background stories and if your player's heroes are of the Orlanthi clans in Pavis the cults of Storm Bull, Chalana Arroy the healer, Elmal, and Yinkin - the first two are both present in Pavis, particularly the Storm Bull. and three epic-scope scenarios that you can mine for stories, ideas, and quests into the Underworld Sartar Companion will give you: significant Sartar locations - the Old Wind Temple and the New Lunar Temple are both useful destinations for Pavis-based campaigns while the others would be much farther afield the Sartar Encounters - ~50 pages of great, descriptive encounters - almost all are usable in Pavis/Prax settings in some form or another the cults of Argan Argar, Babeester Gor, Kolat, Eurmal, Heler, and Odayla - the latter two aren't useful in Pavis (no rain, no forest hunters), but all the rest could be usable as player cults or to flesh out NPCs. Kolat provides some good examples of spirit traditions. 6 scenarios and a quest outline which again could be mined for stories, ideas, etc.

I agree with SDLeary that it is worthwhile to get both for the reasons stated. The HQ Pavis books gives you descriptive reference for the identified locations vs. a name in the Classic Book. Example: HQ Pavis book R-89 Training. Scharman’s Academy. Recruiters. Ingilli Guardsmen. Scharman Ingilli established this place for socializing and engaging in intellectual pursuits. Here young men and their wise elders gather to discuss lore and business, as well as the affairs affecting the riverfolk. Varanos the Tall, the Lhankor Mhy sage, can often be found here. Corresponding entry: Classic book R-89 Training. Scharman’s Academy. Recruiters Ingilli Guardsmen. The HQ Pavis book gives you detailed encounters vs. a generic description. Example: HQ Pavis book (Guard) Lothran Baldi is from the Heran clan of the Kheldon tribe. His family were crafters in Swenstown but after Starbrow’s Rebellion they lost everything and moved to Pavis. Lothran’s father is a day-laborer in Oldtown; Lothran became a mercenary bodyguard, selling his sword as a guard or mercenary for hire. His prize possession is his fine bronze sword, Free Man. Corresponding entry: Classic book (just a short general description, which is in the HQ Pavis book too) Guard - A private bodyguard for a merchant or other authority of the town. If with his patron, his goal is to keep his employer safe. If alone, he may be fractious and interested in a good fight for the sake of fighting. Could be from almost any culture or cult. The HQ Pavis book also has a nice set of scenarios (which fit in nicely as continuations of scenarios from Classic Pavis & Big Rubble book). They provide additional setting and character info if you don't want to use the actual scenarios. The HQ Pavis book also provides a bit more on settings and encounters in the surrounding lands as well. But for all the Big Rubble settings, you'd want to get the Classic Pavis book. And there's plenty of good settings there! Hope that helps!

It should read: "If the hero loses the exchange, the number of Resolution Points lodged against her/him decreases by 1" You're working to keep damage against you minimized so you gain on defense and largely give up your attack. My players have found it very useful when fighting a far superior foe. One or two will use a Defensive Response to keep the foe engaged and facing the multiple opponent penalty, and subsequent characters get the benefit of the lowered resistance level for their actions. Doesn't guarantee that they won't still take a beating in the process though!

Yes, you can add on the Old School RQ Source Pack to your pledge. IIRC it is $50 for hardcopy, $25 for pdf of the same. You get all 5 items for that.

Might as well make this a triad! This is a slightly updated piece that originally appeared in NLG #1 and is part of the report of Galacrustus on the eastern wilds of Imther. Gordaval [GOR-dah-val] - Lord of the Chase, the Hunter, son of Orlanth and Norian. Lord of hounds runs prey down Lord of knots ties them taut Lord of game gains great fame Lord of beasts brings our feast Gordaval is an acknowledged figure in every Imtherian clan, but his stories differ in each. The most common tales say that Gordaval (also called Gordio) was a child god saved from the darkness by Orlanth or Khelmal (though certain stories claim it was Arahar, and some say he was one of the sons of Orlanth). Subsequently, Norian, the Lady of the Wild, taught Gordaval how to hunt and trap and live by his wiles during the Darkness. Gordaval ensures that all men and animals can find and catch food. He also ensures that the spirits of slain animals are released so that they may travel along the Knotted Trail to the Underworld. Gordaval is sometimes called the guardian of youth. He is usually depicted as a young man in hunting garb with a bow, a javelin, and a trap. The Knots of Gordaval The Master Hunters of Gordaval know the secrets of powerful, magical knots. The better known knots include: The Blood Nip: this knot automatically stops the bleeding from any wound it is placed around. The Flail Knot: this knot is placed upon a short piece of rope twined around three other ropes and transforms the joined ropes into a magic flail which can strip away magical armor. The Spirit Cord: a knot made of wiregrass, milkweed, and the silk of the Four-eyed Moth. When properly released, it can bind any spirit, great or small, including the fiery Oakfed spirit and the swirling Kolating spirit. The Stasis Hitch: this knot is placed around a rock or tree. It will not slide or release from that rock or tree except by a voice command known only to the knot maker. The Way Knot: another knot that is placed upon trees and other markers. When certain words are continuously chanted, the knots glow faintly and guide pathfinders towards the next Way Knot.

Some time ago, Hervé had privately asked me about any bits about Imther that weren't published in my short-lived New Lolon Gospel fanzine. This is one such bit that was originally planned for the never finished New Lolon Gospel 3, updated to align with the Guide and new thoughts and revelations about Imther. Aegisthus Sevenfinger - military commander of Amber Fort (mouth of the Gap River by the Elf Sea) Aegisthus is an Imtherian native who joined the Lunar Provincial Corps and is the first person new arrivals generally meet and he has put forth an effort to make all feel welcome and to provide work for all newcomers. He is practical and efficient, but seems to have a natural dislike towards merchants, particularly Bulverius Ambereye. Traits: Honest, Just, Valorous, Suspicious (of merchants). Passions: Loyalty (Lunar Empire), Honor. Interests: Military Engineering, Weapons. The Words of Aegisthus Sevenfinger to new arrivals at Amber Fort, 1617 ST. "Greetings! And welcome to Amber Fort, which, though far beyond the Glowline, still bathes in the light of the Red Moon and receives her blessings. I am Aegisthus Sevenfinger commander of Amber Fort until further notice per orders of Sir Petrusius, commander of Soldier’s Ferry and the Elf Sea March. As you are all new to Amber Fort, you undoubtedly have many questions about life here. I hope to answer these as best as I can, though for certain matters other individuals can instruct you better. Q: Where are we? A: Amber Fort is located a mile up the Gap River from the mouth where it empties into the Elf Sea, or Amber Sea. The primitive Balazarings, who you may encounter, call it the West River, rather a poor choice of names since it is the easternmost river of Imther. You’ll hear of a second site, Amber or Yellow Mouth, located at the mouth of the river itself. We are a good two days from the nearest fort at Soldier's Ferry if it hasn’t rained, and far beyond the aid of the Lunar Army or any other soldiers. Don’t count on any merchant to get you out of the storm’s path. We aim to be self-sufficient before the start of the next Darkseason, and all men and women will pull their weight or find themselves working as a dog for the local clans. Q: What’s at each site? A: The primary fortification is here at Amber Fort around Bare Hill. We have a solid defensive perimeter consisting of: outer earthworks, a ditch, and an inner wooden palisade. Beside the river is a boat work and launch site. Within the palisade is a stone storage building, a long house for the current patrol that Sir Petrusius sent down here, a long house for new arrivals like you, and a latrine. Others have built their own stead halls. Construction of a watch tower has commenced. My word is that we must continue to develop our defenses and structures if we are to survive. The site at Amber Mouth consists of the so-called “Trader's Quarters”, two long houses, and a statue to the Conquering Daughter. The merchant Bulverius dreams of a grand temple to Etyries, but they can’t even build a defensive perimeter because they’re in a swamp. My word is that if you encounter foes, you must retreat back to the fort. Q: Who lives at Amber Fort? A: Amber Fort now houses two squads of the Native Holay Corps, rotated through on a seasonal basis. After the fort completes its first season, it is hoped that resident warriors will handle all defensive matters. In addition, veterans of the Lunar army have come here to settle, as well as Imtherian refugees—former clansmen seeking a new home. The merchant at Amber Mouth is Bulverius Ambereye. There is also a godtalker of the Conquering Daughter there. My word is until matters are settled further, that I or my designate keeps peace and justice at the fort, and that Bulverius does likewise at Amber Mouth. Q: Who lives nearby? A: The Bearwalkers of the Haylfang clan are closest, and they are a mean and surly bunch. If you think spouting about the word of the King of Imther or Queen of Holay will get you somewhere with them, guess again. Best to stay on Alakarma’s Path if you should travel from Soldier’s Ferry to Cold Water Crossing – they’ll keep the rights of hospitality there, but if you step off the trail, they’ll hunt you down as like as not. And once you’re past them, you’re in the hunting ground of the Zith clan. Their new champion is devoted to Death itself – not one to mess around with. If you curse the Forfang, though, they may look favorably on you and let you pass. Once you get to the Heltver lands you’ll find friendlier folk who’ll offer water, blanket, and cheese to you. My word is that you keep to your own business and not going stirring up the storm. There are at least two clans of the native Balazarings who have visited the fort--those of the Summer Wind and those of the Greybelly Hare. The first has been generally friendly, while the latter has been more hostile. It has been rumored that a Turtle clan is also travelling here. Our proximity to a couple of their clan sites expose us far more to these spirit folk and their shamans than would be preferred. My word is that caution and suspicion should prevail in all dealings with these folk. Q: What dangers lurk upon the waters? A: We have encountered large water dragons along the shore of the Amber Sea. We have seen large worms far to sea. We have heard rumor of frog people who carry barbed spears. My word is that caution must be taken whenever travelling by boat. Q: What is there to do here? A: There is much work to be done. New long houses and hearths must be created. Food must be gathered from the land and the river to keep us fed. Land must be cleared and crops planted so that we may survive the dark seasons. Defensive works must be established. Vigils must be kept against the savage natives, their spirit-wielding shamans, and hostile demigods. Trade goods must be gained and prepared for their journey west. My word is that there is plenty of work for all. Q: What gods protect this fort? A: The Conquering Daughter has blessed this fort and has established a temple at the river mouth. The Scimitar of Yanafal Tarnils has bound this fort with oaths to protect it from our foes. The Imtherian deities Khelmal and Nealda seek the spirits of the land to aid and nurture us. My word is that the Red Goddess watches all our works and sends us comfort and protectors. Q: What gods oppose this fort? A: Valindum, demon lord of winter, has assailed us once already. We expect his return at the end of the year. The River Goddess, whom the natives call Espalende, has washed away and smashed three boats this Seaseason. She is said to be a fickle demigod. The Amber Sea, which some name Arkos or Azar, breeds the hostile sea serpents that can reach the Monsterstop. He often allies with the storm lords. We watch for signs of his work. My word is that we must be vigilant and strengthen our gods so that our foes are weakened. Q: Who can we see about other matters? A: For matters of law or work, you may see me. For matters of trade, you may see Bulverius. For matters of the spirit, you may seek out the priestess of the Conquering Daughter. My word is that answers to all questions can be found. I await your further questions."

Prompted by Hervé Carteau's note in the G+ forum, I posted the following fragment in G+ from my reworked Imther reflecting GtG and other input from Jeff and others over the years. I figure it might be more easily accessed here. As it is the area of Imther closest to Balazar, it may be of interest to those running Griffin Mountain-derived campaigns, particularly around Elkoi and the Elf Sea. Amber Fort is situated at the mouth of the Gap River (known to Balazarings as the West River - clearly a complete misnomer from the Imtherian and Lunar standpoint). Most of the clans in the eastern wilds of Imther are descendants of Orlanthi who refused to accept the Lunar Way and followed ancient traditions of withdrawing into the wilds to wait for the Day When the Winds Return. 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: Crescent-Come, Stasis, Dark, 7/46 The bad weather continues to make the roads, aside from Hwarin’s Singing Trail, all but impassable; and merchants venturing along the latter report attacks by particularly hostile spirits of darkness. With such news from the roads, it was difficult to even find a carrier for this report and impossible to find any caravan venturing out! So I remain here at Hwarin’s temple where her most reverend priestess, Rasefala, has seen fit to open the temple archives to me. I had not realized the Jannisor collection was so extensive! Did you realize that despite so many stories of this great hero, that it’s impossible to discern amongst which tribe or clan he was actually born? With this note you will find my survey of the eastern wilds, or as much as I could actually obtain given the hostility shown to all strangers! Thankfully, the merchant Appchus, a garrulous old trader who claimed Jillaro as his place of birth and bemoaned the current state of Imther, accompanied me for much of the journey. He is certainly well-versed and knows all the greetings of Alakarma, Khelmal, and Orlanth, and many of the knots of Gordaval; necessary he claimed if we wished to keep the clansmen peaceable. And, yes, the region is still under the stormy grip of Orlanth, though the clans seem to spend all their time squabbling with each other – as I heard from many of them: “no one can make me do anything!” Yours, Galacrustus. Eastern Wilds Clans Size: possibly 10,000 Clans: 13 Holy Sites: Old Oak, Skald’s Rock, Selkow’s First Tor, Wind Ridge Tor Beyond the Daltach lands stretches vast forest clear to the Elf Sea. It is a harsh, rugged, and broken land with wild untamed rivers, fields of tumbled stones said to be the broken limbs of ancient giants, and sharp rocky ridgelines. The clans here favor Orlanth, the Lady of the Wild, and their unruly children and kin. Once a great hero named Selkow formed a tribe here, and one clan still claims his name and his hills for their own, but the tribe is long gone and the current clans have formed from the dregs and refugees of other lands who fled here over the last wanes. They live by the barbarous Orlanthi mottoes: “No one can make me do anything” and “Violence is always an option”; and their blood feuds carry on from generation to generation. Amber Fort "The Amber Clan", "The New Clan", "The Sea Clan", Chief: Bulverius Ambereye The Etyries merchant Bulverius sought for many years to gain a great trade venture. After many ill-conceived schemes he finally convinced the Lunar Provincial Administration to grant him land upon the Elf Sea at the mouth of the Gap River at the close of the Civil War in Imther. He brought with him Lunar army veterans looking for plots of land, disgruntled refugees from the Civil War lurking in both Imther and Vanch, and an assortment of craftsmen, workers, and slaves culled from Saird. A great cache of amber has brought quick success to this wilderness outpost, as well as the envy and dislike of nearby Imtherian clans and Votanki tribesmen. The inhabitants have embarked upon a ritual to establish a wyter and form a new clan. Haylfang "The Dawn Clan", "The Bearwalker Clan" Chief: Old Vangorl Velorlanthsson Haylfang Vangonsson brought the Secret of the Bear, the Heart of Zardur, and the Horn of Last Mead to the Three Rivers land. Haylfang sought Velhara and gave her the Five Great Trophies to claim the place of his clan in the rugged wilds. His son, Umbarth, proved he was of the Bear when he slew the Moon Sakkar and took the great fangs for his own and placed them in the Great Hall. His grandson, Grorth, proved he was of the Bear when he ripped apart the Tentacled Salmon that could swim on land and run in the water, and reclaimed the Gap Ferry. His great-grandson, Torsoth the Grim, gained the Coonskin Cap and the Tooth of Wisdom and courted Orsahla of the Wild. With her aid, the clan fought the demon steeds and the Fire hordes who sought to burn down the wild lands and slay all the beasts, whether divine or spirit or essence. The great Bearwalkers are still feared by all the clans of the wild.

And if you're running HQG like myself, if he had the Earthwarm feat, I'd just identify whether he's trying to keep the crops from freezing, or trying to encourage foraging traskars to move along, or inflict pain on the attacking Tusk Riders, and adjust Difficulty accordingly.

Cults of Prax... This is the work that really brought Glorantha to life for me.

Definitely not! Lodril is the god of the common man, and of course the loyal servant.

I think Duke Raus actually came from Kostaddi, somewhere below the Hungry Plateau, which would make Lodril a good choice.

Here's some rough thoughts: Since the Esvulari and Rokari dwell outside of Nochet, I suspect they bring their dead to either the Temple of Aeol or the new temple to the Invisible God. There the respective zzaburi conduct the appropriate rites to free the dead and send them on to the Otherworld. Such dead are not tied to the Antones Estate nor do they linger and participate in the Nochet 'days of the Dead'. At times, the Antones Estate has extended to and probably even through part of Meldektown. Wards protect the houses and temples. The meldeks may gather in the temples to protect them from the dead. Those Esvulari and Rokari who die within Nochet and are not retrieved for proper funeral rites are probably condemned/cursed to march with the other dead. Surely a great punishment for those who fail to live in harmony with Aeol and/or the Invisible God! Perhaps they grieve their fate? Or seek out those who may help free them from the curse? I do not believe the Kralori have any mandarin or minor exarch in Nochet. I like MOB's suggestion: "A dying Kralori in Nochet will do whatever they can to expire away from the city..." Other cultures present: Teshnans (probably give the dead to the fires of Calyz - whether this 'frees' them or not, I don't know); Fonritians (I'm sure they are appropriately shackled or enslaved to serve with the dead of Nochet!); Handrans and Ralians (probably encounter the same or similar fates as Heortlings); and of course the Vadeli. There's probably all sorts of interesting rumors about their dead! I like to think there is a rumor that the Vadeli dead never appear because the Vadeli eat them, body and soul!

As Baulderstone noted, there isn't a right or wrong answer. But you'll want to figure out how you want to balance difficulty as they grow in ability (and whether they are growing equally as a group or only certain heroes).

I know that the dead arrive in different forms in Nochet on those days of the Ancestors. You'll see: walking corpses, ghosts, parades of seemingly living people - a mix of all three (and more). So, yes expect mummified bodies, skeletons, and smoky ghosts of Orlanthi to arrive. Will the dead of foreigners come? I haven't discussed with Jeff or MOB yet, but I'm inclined to say 'yes'! Seems like a MGF type of thing - very unexpected the first time, very shocking for newcomers, etc. And would suggest some very odd behavior by those dead as well. E.g. the Kralori ancestors complaining that they are separated from their kin, and demanding to be brought back to Kralorela. As for the Malkioni, I think they employ their zzaburi on these days to ward Meldektown from the incursions of the dead and send them back to their graves. Picturing something like All Hallow's Eve or Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain with the dead flooding out of the Antones Estate and the fearful meldeks offering their prayers to the zzaburi to ward the area and drive them back, perhaps with ringing of bells, lighting torches, turning prayer wheels, etc.

There's a few factors I've been using to determine when to use Extended vs. Simple Contests, and how to set Difficulty. 1) Is this a key moment of tension and drama? If Yes, then use Extended Contest. An opening scene often requires some drama to engage the characters, whether combat, social, or otherwise, which I would do as an Extended Contest. Examples: The sacred clan Harvest Festival is suddenly under attack by Fire Demons. Or, Dyrrkind seeks to sway to the clan and the Ring at the Clan Moot to his goal of a sacred quest. I play this as a Hard or Very Hard event depending on the tone you want to set for the session (i.e. will this be a complicating action or a disaster that must be overcome?). There is usually a point at the center of the session, the climax of the rising action, that needs an Extended Contest. Examples: on a quest in the spirit world, the heroes are blocked by Hard Earth, who will not let them pass and their attempts to negotiate a way by go horribly wrong with a Fumbled simple contest - they are then dragged into Hard Earth's deep caverns and their champion must earn a victory for them to move on. Usually I play this as a significant obstacle, therefore a Quite Hard or Very Hard event (and, yes, I've added an interim difficulty between Hard and Very Hard as I felt I needed that level). The final scene should always be an Extended Contest (or a sequence of Extended Contests). Example: The heroes have reached the high cave in the Cinder Pits where the Fire Demons have imprisoned the Ash Creek Lady. They must defeat this Hellfire demon in order to free her and it's going to be a tough and memorable fight. However, to get to the high cave, they needed to climb up the Starfire Ridge - that's a Group Simple contest - the key was to get up to the cave and have the final battle not to have some extended climbing contest there that would dilute from the final. Depending on ability levels, etc, but at least a Quite Hard and often a Very Hard challenge that requires use of Hero Points to achieve the final goal. 2) Do the heroes seem to want an extended contest here? Sometimes there is another event which the heroes particularly want to engage in. Example: Aren wants to get information from the Tarshite mercenary and engages in a game contest. Or, Hendrick engages in a song contest with Korolvanth the Troublesome Poet. Extended contest here creates some additional interest and unexpected outcomes. These are usually of Moderate or High difficulty (rarely higher). 3) Is there an additional reason for an extended contest? Maybe there's some additional tension needed between the main events. Maybe you want a dramatic pursuit leading to a key battle. If so, then go with an extended contest. If it's a lead-in to another main event, keep the difficulty at Moderate or Hard. If it's an isolated point, maybe bargaining with a merchant or sage to get some key piece of knowledge, then go with Low if they should achieve it, Moderate if it's up for grabs, or High if they've got to earn it or the opposition isn't readily overcome. Example: Harrik the Sage discovered spear points from the Fire Demon attack after the foes were driven off. They had strange markings on them - not Heortling script. He engaged in an extended contest, drawing on his Truth rune magic to aid him, to try to decipher the script. He succeeded and was able to discern that each mark was a letter and that the letters spelled out certain words and that this was probably Dara Happan script. He couldn't read the words to ascertain meaning, but gathered that much. 4) Should this just be a Group simple contest? If none of the above apply, you can consider a group simple contest. It gets everyone engaged and has a feel of the group pulling together, yet doesn't require an extended contest at a point where it doesn't matter. See example above of climbing the cliff face to reach the cave. I often use this for things like basic rituals like calling upon the wyter (or just recently in my campaign, a ritual calling a spirit back to its place in the mundane world from where it was trapped). As a lead-in to an extended contest, I'd likely use Moderate difficulty. On its own, particularly a somewhat unfamiliar activity like an improvised ritual, I'd likely use Hard difficulty. Setting Difficulty levels Besides the rough guides above, I follow what I might term a test of 'reasonableness' to identify what Difficulty level to use. Is it something familiar? If yes, then probably a Low difficulty. Is it something that might be known or a foe that's likely weaker or multiple weaker foes? If yes, then probably a Moderate difficulty. Is this something that won't be known or a foe that is beyond their abilities? If yes, then at least Very Hard, and could be Nearly Impossible. Otherwise, I usually go with a choice between Moderate (~2/3 chance of resistance being successful) and Hard (95% chance of resistance being successful). You could apply Pass/Fail Cycle for this, but I usually ask myself something like this: is it interesting if they fail here? If not, then use Moderate. If yes, because it may create an interesting complication, then use Hard. Hope that helps (and if you want to see examples, my campaign if PbF, so everything is online).

No problem. Luckily they were all sitting on the active shelf rather than up in boxes in the attic!

Solely for nostalgia purposes and convenient pdf's while working on new Glorantha material. I ran RQ2/RQ3 hybrid for years, but my style and interest have moved well beyond it. I'm happily running HQG campaign and writing for HQG now.

They probably had a spear throwing contest. Pamalt won.

Plus you can still find Bison and Sable herds wandering through Balazar and the Elder Wilds. Of course, the Bison Riders of Vanch were naturally corrupted and transformed by the Vanchites over the years so while you can find odd remnants there, they bear no resemblance to what they originally were. I suspect in Sylila that the bison riders were largely absorbed into the local Orlanthi culture and probably made up a large percent of Storm Bull followers over time.