Jeff

Keets? Those are just tall tales from sailors that travel to the far-off East Isles. Along with tales of people whose ears cover their entire bodies, people who have lived on their sailing ships since the Closing and cannot come within earshot of land, bat-winged people, and a race of headless people like Maidstone Archers but with only two arms.

Peloria suffered from storm gods, trolls, the glacier, and then from Chaos which ravaged and destroyed everything that was left. All were awful, and often get rolled into together. But after Chaos, there really was nothing left but Alkothi and horse nomads.

Main books I am working on are Cults (layout and graphic design), Sartar (art), GM book (with lots of Heroquest related stuff), Prax, and gathering material on the Holy Country and the Lunar Empire.

The reason I did not put it there is that it is unnecessary in order to make the rules mechanics function. Which is what their function is in the rules.

The difference between 90 and 120 is very significant. Remember, that if a 120 is against a 90 we drop the amount the higher skill is over 100 from both adversaries. So now it is 100 versus 70. Sure the 100 fails on a 96-00, but the 70 fails on 71-00. Within a few exchanges we should get a success from the higher and a failure from the lower, which can be lethal! And no, monomaniacal obsessives are not likely the sort of people that become heroes. They ended up being very skilled Johnny One Songs, and rarely have the magical edges (Rune spells, spirits, heroquesting boons, etc.) that more rounded characters are capable of getting.

Remember that outside of Karasal, Oronin, and Silver Shadows satrapies, she really does not have a cult. In Karasal and Oronin she is pretty significant - in those satrapies her cult is about the same size as Oslira, Polaris, and Yelm, but significantly smaller than say Dendara. In places like Sylila, Darjiin, Kostaddi, or the Lunar Provinces she doesn't have a cult.

Entekos shows up several times in the Cults Book as an associate of Yelm and Dendara: ENTEKOS Entekos is the goddess of still, quiet air. Unlike her brothers, she calmly joined Yelm’s dominion. She is called upon to restrain the gods of thunder, rain, and winter. She is also called the Goddess of Calm, the White Planet, Lady of the Summer Air, the Goddess of the Middle Air, and Mother of Moons. She is called Molanni by the Orlanthi. She gives Yelm her spell of Decrease Wind. ------- Entekos, the Pelandan goddess of quiet Air, has always been a major figure in Pelanda, but is a relatively minor figure in the rest of the Lunar Heartlands. Dendara and Entekos are always associated with each other. Entekos is called Molanni by the Orlanthi. In Pelanda, Entekos is the Atmospheric Goddess, the High Goddess of Virtue, and the planet Dendara. In Dara Happa, Entekos is a minor goddess, a house-servant of Yelm, almost nothing more; while Dendara is the Emperor’s Wife, the planet, and the Goddess of Women. Entekos gives Dendara her spells of Decrease Wind.

Not at this point, as the book is about to enter final layout. Pamalt was included because he has lots of ties to other cults and helps show the cosmological differences between Genertela (where Genert the Earth King died) and Pamaltela (where the Earth King survived). I am pretty pleased by the final list. Cults like the Invisible God, Godunya, Ompalam, Seseine, Idovanus, Charmain, the Jernotian Ring, Biselenslib, Tholm, Pavis, Flintnail, and Zola Fel all are better placed in other vehicles. I went around and around about including Entekos (aka Molanni), but ultimately decided against it.

Again this is a problem with looking at Dragon Pass from sources that largely predate the Feathered Horse Queen or Sartar. In the 1450s, the Pure Horse People were staring at extinction. Tarsh had built up its own cavalry force and no longer needed the Pure Horse People - even worse, they were importing Praxian mercenaries! The local Orlanthi farmers who had been forced to raise grain for the Pure Horse People needed only ally with Tarsh and could be rid of the Pure Horse People. Worse yet, the Sun Lords of the Yelm cult couldn't see this and insisted that the Earth priestesses remained subservient in the traditional "Dendara role". One of the Earth priestesses descended into the womb of the Earth in search of secrets. The Feathered Horse Queen is who emerged. She placed the farmers under her personal protection and defeated the Sun Lords in magical contests, forcing the Stallion King to submit and pledge obedience. She issued the Marriage Contest to find allies and it was Sartar the Prince who proved his worth. Sartar built trade posts with temples to the Lightbringers, issued coins, and facilitated trade through the Grazelands. The trade posts became towns where crafters congregated. In short, the Grazelands were radically transformed by the Feathered Horse Queen AND by Sartar into something new. Horse breeder and farmer found a way to coexist through the person of the Feathered Horse Queen. The trading posts brought wealth - but also scribes, merchants, crafters, healers, mercenaries, and the rest of the accoutrements of civilization. The Pure Horse People certainly tell stories about how they are Yelm's chosen and the spiritually elect and all that jazz. But it was the Feathered Horse Queen that allowed them to survive. And everyone knows that.

Key to understanding the Grazelands is that these three groups are interdependent and unified by the person of the Feathered Horse Queen. The farmers and townsfolk could easily destroy the horse herders - the Feathered Horse Queen protects the horse herders as much as she protects the farmers and townsfolk, and she finds a way that all three groups can co-exist to their mutual benefit.

I expanded on my post and then put it on Facebook. Here's the expanded post: A few notes on the Grazelands Let's keep in mind quick how the Grazeland functions in the present age (rather than how the Yelm cult likes to tell stories about the good old days). There are about 40,000 people living in the Grazelands, divided into three groups: agriculturalists, horse herders, and townsfolk. All land is "owned" by the Feathered Horse Queen who resolves all disputes between the groups, interacts with outsiders, and unites the nation. The groups are in a symbiotic relationships - the agriculturalists provide grain, fruits, vegetables, and "lesser meats", the townsfolk provide crafted goods, and the horse herders provide military protection and animal products from their herds. The horses benefit from this - the horse herders raise them and tend them, the farmers provide them with additional fodder, and the townsfolk trade part of the herds to outsiders in exchange for goods and coin which benefits everyone. These groups are actually pretty small - there are about 18,000 farmers, 18,000 horse herders, and about 4,000 townsfolk. The area is geographically not all that big, only about a 1000 square kilometres, which actually means that the Grazelands are about as populated as the settled parts of Sartar. Ernalda, not Dendara, is the Earth Goddess. She is the spouse of Yelm AND Orlanth, and unites horse herder and farmers together. Her cult is the largest in the Grazelands - as large as Orlanth and Yelm's combined! The Ernalda cult is led by the Feathered Horse Queen. When the Pure Horse People and the Orlanthi farmers seemed destined to destroy the Grazelands, a priestesses descended into the womb of the Earth and returned with the secrets and power of Ernalda the Earth Mother, whose favors both Yelm and Orlanth must contest for. The other Lightbringers are also important - more than half of all townsfolk follow one of the Lightbringers. And Humakt is also important as the primary War God.

Let's keep in mind quick how the Grazeland functions in the present age (rather than how the Yelm cult likes to tell stories about the good old days). There are about 40,000 people living in the Grazelands, divided into three groups: agriculturalists, horse herders, and townsfolk. All land is "owned" by the Feathered Horse Queen who resolves all disputes between the groups, interacts with outsiders, and unites the nation. The groups are in a symbiotic relationships - the agriculturalists provide grain, fruits, vegetables, and "lesser meats", the townsfolk provide crafted goods, and the horse herders provide military protection and animal products from their herds. The horses benefit from this - the horse herders raise them and tend them, the farmers provide them with additional fodder, and the townsfolk trade part of the herds to outsiders in exchange for goods and coin which benefits everyone. These groups are actually pretty small - there are about 18,000 farmers, 18,000 horse herders, and about 4,000 townsfolk. The area is geographically not all that big, only about a 1000 square kilometres, which actually means that the Grazelands are about as populated as the settled parts of Sartar.

Clay Mostali are inferior mostali in the same way that humans are inferior to their demigod ancestors. I suspect Clay Mostali have stories of existing long before any of what we'd recognize as humans showed up. Or do you think that beings like Murharzarm (son of Yelm and Dendara), Vingkot (son of Orlanth and Janerra Alone), or Malkion (son of Aerlit and Warera) were just like ordinary humans in Time?

The area around Mt. Passant is very settled and densely populated, possibly some of the most densely settled areas in the Holy County outside of Esrolia at an average of 80 people per square kilometer. That's about half the population density of North Esrolia and 8 times the density of Sartar! Imagine this area as something like the medieval Low Countries, not in the sense that it is reclaimed from the ocean, but that it is entirely settled. Between the Uncertain Woods and the Cliffs, the land is settled and orderly, with villages about 5 km from each other. The climate is warmer than Sartar and there are orchards of olives, grapes, and wheat fields. The main threat is the occasional storm that rages down from the Storm Mountains.

Again, let's think about cult numbers here. There are about 150,000 people in Esvular. That's the area around Mount Passant - the area between the Minthos River and Bandoriland. It is a very settled farming land, the most densely populated in Heortland. Even there, most people - almost 60% - follow Orlanth and Ernalda. A little over 21% of the population - about 21,000 adults - in Esvular are properly Aeolian. That's about two-thirds of all the Aeolians in Heortland. After the Invisible God, the next biggest cult in Esvular is Choralinthor, followed up by Issaries and Humakt. Of the minor cults in Esvular, there are of course the other Lightbringers (there is an important temple to Lhankor Mhy west of Mt. Passant), there is Gustbran for potters and bronze workers, and there are more Argan Argar cultists than in all of Sartar.

About half the population of the Grazelands are farmers and town dwellers. They worship among others - Ernalda, Orlanth Thunderous/Barntar, Chalana Arroy, Eurmal, Issaries, Lhankor Mhy, Humkt, the Seven Mothers, and so on. Sound familiar? That's because they are Orlanthi. They raise grain, cattle, pigs, sheep, and other livestock, craft metal, etc. and pay a share of everything to the Feathered Horse Queen and provide her Humakti bodyguard. The other half of the population are horse herders - the Pure Horse People or Grazeland Pony Breeders. They worship among others Yelm and Ernalda, and worship the Feathered Horse Queen as their goddess-queen. They herd horses and nothing else. They do not farm, dig in the earth, or provide manual labor for the towns. They receive tribute in the form of food and crafted goods from the towns and farms, likely actually just a part of the Feathered Horse Queen's share, although it may actually appear more as a transaction from the perspective of the towns folk. The Pure Horse People raise their herds, fight for the Feathered Horse Queen, and serve as the best cavalry in Dragon Pass. They can eat what they want, as long as they did not pollute themselves by herding cattle or other livestock.

OK, there's maybe 100 or so wagoneers in Sun County. They mainly carry grain upriver to New Pavis - initially to feed the Lunar garrison, now to feed Argrath's army. They likely came with the Lunar conquest in 1610 and have become a feature in Sun County.

In fact, the title Yelmalio (Little Yelm or Son of the Sun) was used by various cults since the Dawn.

Yelmalio was already a title.

Death appears early in stories. And there is no human culture that has an unbroken chain of events leading to that event.

Mistress Race trolls are older than any of those as they resided in Wonderhome long before Yelm came. From time to time I find it useful to repost this timeline: Present year 162710 years ago - Lunar Empire invades Hendrikiland25 years ago - Boldhome falls to the Lunar Empire50 years ago - Battle of Grizzly Peak100 years ago - Apotheosis of Sartar300 years ago - Belintar unites Holy Country500 years ago - the Dragonkill War (1120)1000 years ago- the Kingdom of Dragon Pass. After this came the EWF.1500 years ago - the Second Council. The Theyalans dominate Genertela and war with the Pelorian horse people.2000 years ago - I Fought, We Won, and the Unity Battle. After this, came the Heortling kingdom, which lasted about 800 years (until Gbaji destroyed it).2500 years ago - The Chaos Age, which lasted until the Unity Battle.3000 years ago - the Ice Age5000 years ago - the Vingkotlings10,000 years ago - Orlanth kills YelmCompare this to a Greek at the time of Alexander (330 BC)10 years ago - Philip founds Philippopolis 25 years ago - the Sacred War50 years ago - Battle of Leuctra (371 BC)100 years ago - start of the Peloponnesian War300 years ago - fall of the Neo-Assyrian Empire500 years ago - the neo-Assyrian Empire1000 years ago - the Trojan War1500 years ago - height of Babylon2000 years ago - Sargon and the Akkadian Empire2500 years ago - Gilgamesh is king of Uruk3000 years ago - Menes units Egypt (first dynasty)5000 years ago - Neolithic cities like Catal Huyuk and Jericho10,000 years ago - beginning of Neolithic age So if we look at this, trolls aldryrami, and mostali are all far older than when Orlanth killed Yelm. The Dara Happans said they were even older, but of course they would, wouldn't they? Other Pelorian groups don't claim that, and I doubt the Lunars do.

All of the Elder Races claim to be before humans (remember Grandfather Mortal was more than just humanity). Most human myths agree.

From time to time, we get comments or feedback that we jokingly call “SimGlorantha”. That’s when people look at the RuneQuest game mechanics - not as the mechanics for a roleplaying game with a group of player characters and intended to aid the GM manager the player characters’ interactions with the setting (that’s the intended use of the RQ rules) - but as the mechanics for a clockwork universe that really doesn’t need player characters or gamemasters or even a game. I assume the idea is to marvel at the clockwork universe in action and see “how Glorantha works” - but then there is disappointment that the RQ mechanics don’t do that. Or worse - they are different in one context than another (paying no attention to the fact that in a game these might be radically different interactions). Of course, that’s not the intended use of mechanics for a roleplaying game. They are there to facilitate the player characters interactions with the setting. And comments that don’t reflect the intended use of the mechanics are kind of pointless for us. Actually less than pointless - they are weird distractions. Like warning labels in the US warning you that bullets or arrows are not to be eaten or ingested or not to stick your head in the oven when it is on. So please restrict any comments to things that fall within the intended use of the game. Typos, numerical errors, etc. are all fine - but concerns about whether the tools for players making improvements on a piece of land or a dwelling are scalable as an economic model are not things we consider error-trapping.

I agree fully. Sartar the Founder brought experimentation with the mythical realm back to the Orlanthi of Dragon Pass.

The could be a dwarf ruin almost anywhere in Dragon Pass given the proximity to Greatway and Dwarf Mine. And it is anyone's guess whether it really is abandoned by the dwarfs, or just temporarily without maintenance.