Jeff

By Homeland. And there are breakdowns for: Sartar Grazelands Old tarsh Lunar Tarsh Caladraland Esrolia Heortland Rightarm Islands Dital God Forgot Bison Tribe High Llama tribe Pol-Joni Impala Tribe Sable Tribe Morokanth Rhino Tribe Zebra Tribe Unicorn Tribe Aggar Holay Vanch Imther Darjiin Doblian First Blessed Karasal Kostaddi Oraya Oronin Silver Shadow Sylila West Reaches AND For: Brown Elves Green Elves Yellow Elves Dagori Inkarth Shadow Plateau/Troll Woods Elder Wilds Halikiv Yolp Blue Moon Plateau Mistress Race (anywhere) Trollkin (anywhere)

Runegate has a shrine to Hyalor and minor temples to Orlanth Thunderous, Yelmalio, and Humakt. Redalda (Hippoi) is likely an associated cult at the major temple to Ernalda there.

She's the god of horses for the Sartarites, and not a lot more. The gendered line up of the major deities (the deities and NOT necessarily their worshipers) go a little like this: Strongly male: Orlanth, Argan Argar, Barntar, Humakt, Lhankor Mhy, Odayla, Storm Bull, Valind, Yelmalio Strongly female: Ernalda, Asrelia, Babeester Gor, Eiritha, Maran Gor, Ty Kora Tek, Vinga Not particularly strongly gendered: Chalana Arroy, Daka Fal, Engizi, Eurmal, Heler, Issaries, Uleria But of course this is riddled with exceptions. Frex, Orlanth is strongly masculine in art and story BUT has female aspect (Vinga).

I wrote the Kingdom of Heroes book over a decade ago. Since then I have written the Guide to Glorantha (which entailed looking at how the entire setting fits together), recovered all of Greg's original notes and files, been able to truly understand how things fit together AND how they were intended to. And brought Glorantha and RuneQuest back to Chaosium which let us allowed many outstanding things be resolved and restored. And as it is RuneQuest, I am now operating with a system where these numbers actually really matter and interact with the rules. And finally, I have written the full Cults book where I had to define and work out over 100 cults and how they fit together,. In short, I'm happy saying that some of the peripheral details I put into the Kingdom of Heroes book were wrong and now I can present that information not as peripheral information but as core to the book. Redalda is a minor cult in Sartar. She's a horse goddess, and might just be easier to think of as Hippoi. She's the woman riding Hippoi now. Her cult was much more important in Dawn Age Saird, but that is a long ways away from Third Age Sartar.

Sadly those numbers are wrong - and predate the really careful numbers that I did for the Guide and the Cults Book. Here are the correct numbers, which I now have by tribe, by city, and even by town: CULT NUMBERS IN SARTAR Cult Worshipers Orlanth 39,625 Ernalda 39,000 Yelmalio 5,750 Seven Mothers 5,500 Humakt 4,000 Issaries 3,500 Storm Bull 2,800 Hykim (Telmor) 2,700 Daka Fal 2,500 Chalana Arroy 2,300 Lhankor Mhy 2,300 Eurmal 1,150 Babeester Gor 1,100 Maran Gor 1,100 Other Cults (Argan Argar, Asrelia, Eiritha, Engizi, Gustbran, Heler, Hyalor, Kolat, Minlister, Odalya, Quivin, Ty Kora Tek, Uleria, Valind, Yinkin, etc.) 7,100 total

Redalda is a mask of Hippoi or Horse. HIPPOI Hippoi was born pure-white and innocent in the eternal reaches of the pure Aether, whole and powerful and proud. She was also winged and nailed and toothed. As was common in the Godtime, Hippoi travelled much, and during the Gods War, the Great Horse suffered at the hands of violence. The myths of the gradual destruction of the Great Horse are widespread. In Ralios, the Great Horse had her claws broken, in Fronela her fangs shattered, and in the far east a demon tore off her wings. In Ralios, there are tales of Galanin the Horsebreaker, whose several sons carried the skill far and wide across the world, so that many peoples learned to capture and tame the wild horse. Ernalda took pity upon Hippoi and cared for her. She let Hippoi run free across her broad lands and fed her from her bounty. In Saird, Hippoi is often closely associated with the Ernalda cult, while in Dragon Pass, the Feathered Horse Queen proved that Hippoi now serves Ernalda. She provides the Earth Goddess with the special Rune spell of Speak with Horse.

As an aside, I would. IMO this is one of the best fight scenes ever and I love it when RQ fights go this way:

Nothing beyond what is already in the rules. Combat is a different type of activity than the rest - it can (and often does) result in the death of characters. You want combat to feel gritty because it is should be frightening. In my opinion it is also not something that should be thrown in every session. For most activities, the usual set of augments plus opposed roles is in my experience perfectly enough. Afterwards, the GM comes up with what that result means and moves on (which is actually a lot how things worked in HQ). Separating violence out from other sorts of ability usage helps mark violence as something "else". Sure it is exhilarating to swing that sword, but there is not an insignificant likelihood that you are going to get harmed or even killed. I find that when combat is the same as everything else, the result is counter to what the designers expected - people use violence all the time. This is something I noticed often in HQ games and also that players coming out of HQ to RQ tended to have the same problems as players coming out of D&D to RQ had - that they charged into every combat willy-nilly. But again this is really off topic.

I don't particularly think that Questworlds would do a better or worse job than RuneQuest does for a community based campaign - in fact my own (very extensive) experience is that it doesn't. RuneQuest has a gritty and dangerous combat engine that encourages many players to look for another way of reaching their goals without necessarily resorting to violence. I have had more Dance-offs, Sing-offs, passions contests, Oratorical battles and the like in RQG than in HW/HQG. That threat of danger to the adventurers is a Sword of Damocles that encourages other ways. And so in most of my groups, Ernalda is popular, as is Issaries, Lhankor Mhy, and Chalana Arroy. Turns out fighting against Tusk Riders the spell Command Pig is as useful as Thunderbolt and much less costly. Pathwatch is a superbly useful spell, as are Lhankor Mhy's investigative magic. But this is pretty off-topic now.

Over current history, Sarostip Cold-Eye likely casts the greatest shadow over the tribe. A member of the High Council, leader of the Humakt Regiment and member of the Household of Death, and killer of Prince Temertain, he's like a demigod character from the Mahabharata ("my sworn cousin is king of a tribe and a thousand warriors come with her"). He could easily have been king, but instead walked the edge of the sword, earning great respect (and fear). His cousin Amalda is king in her own right, but worshipful of Sarostip. The tribe surrendered to Fazzur Wideread as Starbrow's Rebellion collapsed and she remained loyal to her father's oath. As a result, the tribe was neutral during the Lunar Occupation, not aiding the empire but not opposing it either. The tribe received two clans from the Colymar after Starbrow's Rebellion, which is a source of bad blood between the tribes, exacerbated by the long running feud between the Varmanid and Orleving clans. That's probably exactly what the clever Gordius Silverus intended.

This thread is getting way off target. If you all want to talk about how to create complex social mechanics or about the role of combat in RPGs, please create a new thread.

The terms "active" and "passive" get thrown around in this discussion so many different ways, I can no longer follow it. Ernalda is the Earth Goddess, and much of her activity involves bringing new life into the world, choosing useful consorts, and being the mother-ruler of the Earth deities and spirits. She is not a fighting god, being one of the forces of life in the Gods War, but she has plenty of children, relatives, and lovers who will do her fighting for her - not the least being Aldrya, Babeester Gor, and Maran Gor. Babeester Gor and Maran Gor are often seen as aspects of Ernalda, like Parvati and Kali and Durga. Orlanth is the Storm God, and much of his activity involves rushing around the world with violence and thunder. Orlanth destroys, Ernalda restores. That's the cycle - like Shiva and Shakti/Parvati, Yin and Yang, and so on. Sometimes the Orlanthi call this active/passive and gender these forces masculine/feminine, but of course like anything mythological, things are not so clear-cut.

Fire/Sky is largely viewed as masculine by the Sartarites. Yelm, Yelmalio, Tolat, Mastakos, Polestar, Mule - all masculine. Moskalf, Artia - female. Twin Stars, male and female. Lodril, Aurelion, Oakfed, Gustbran - male. Caladra, Mahome - female. Hippoi is female, but Hyalor is male.

Yes.

Well the God Learners were normally pretty spot-on with their Mythical Synthesis. And Ernalda and Dendara are SO close. They both share the same Yelm magical association, their priestesses can participate in each other's ceremonies etc. And so the God Learners tried to get Ernalda and Dendara to acknowledge that they are the same deity by another name (like they had done countless times before - Shargash and Tolat, Lodril and countless other volcano gods, Yelm and Ehilm, etc.). And that failed. There is a core of Dendara that is incompatible with being Ernalda and vice versa. Now the meta-game thing is that in the oldest manuscripts, Ernalda was an aspect of Dendara, and Orlanth Rex was an acknowledged husband of Dendara. This got changed pretty early, as Greg decided it was important that Yelm and Dendara acknowledge each other as spouses, BUT Ernalda can call Yelm and Orlanth (and several others) as husbands. And so the goddesses became separate although magically they are nearly identical.

Yeah, well I have done a lot of thought about Dendara specifically since I wrote the Guide. She has the same runes as Ernalda. Indeed she is so similar to Ernalda that the God Learners were absolutely convinced that they are the same deity.

We have ZERO interest in releasing a pdf of the Cults or any other book without the art. The art is a key part of the book. I don't mind selling a limited numbers of draft manuscripts at a special convention, but that's about it.

This is not my view at all. Eurmal is recognised by the Orlanthi as an important god, and his followers are protected - as long as they remain within their proscribed role. The one exception is when a public scapegoat is needed - then Eurmal is blamed and the Clown is outlawed or driven out of town. When a Trickster swears loyalty to an Orlanth cultist, they gain additional protection (and the Orlanthi becomes liable for the acts of that Trickster), but are subject to that Orlanthi. SOCIAL/POLITICAL POSITION AND POWER In Orlanthi society, Tricksters form a sort of clown society. They are contrarians, jesters, and satirists, who can violate social constraints freely. These clowns both show what is wrong with the way things are and also how to do ordinary things the wrong way. Paradoxically, by violating these norms and taboos, they help define acceptable boundaries. In other societies, Tricksters are typically outlawed. No one would be caught dead seeking a trickster for social support, advice, or political power. Even among their own kind, famous or powerful tricksters are likelier to be the butts of practical jokes than objects of respect. Any influence possessed by the Trickster cult derives from actions and pranks aimed at satirizing or mocking foolish or ridiculous acts on the part of rulers. Tricksters are not trusted by anyone. They are not well liked and are tolerated only when necessary (as in Orlanth’s case). Tricksters are ill mannered, gluttonous, and selfish in every way. No sane society supports such misfits. CLOWNS A social oddity and convenience for the Orlanthi, Clowns are Tricksters and, as such, can get away with almost any social disruption and trouble because of the useful functions they provide through showing what is serious, absurd, baffling, or wrong, fearful or comical about life and the cosmos. The Orlanthi recognize this as powerful magic that both disrupts and helps to maintain the cosmos. Another function of the Clown is that of public scapegoat, for whenever there is some official cause to find a person at fault the Clowns are the ones chosen. They may be outlawed, driven out of town, or (rarely) killed. Until they are used as scapegoats, Clowns can violate sacred laws freely while they carry out their ritual roles. However, Clowns are required to dress in special costume to enjoy this protection. Some initiates paint their body with black and white stripes, cover themselves with mud or filth, wear false phalluses, or simply wear their clothing backwards and inside out. Clowns sometimes appear—usually without invitation—at the ceremonies of other Orlanthi cults and mock them along with other attendees. At other public ceremonies, clowns may dance out of step, sing out of tune, and imitate cult and other societal leaders. They beg food, throw food away, or are gluttons. They even use magical regalia in inappropriate ways, engage in foolish, silly, or even obscene side-shows, often with respected members of the community.

There is a Yelm Imperator cult, but it lacks the magical power to command worshipers. All of his subjects must give complete submission but that's enforced through social power or cult spirits.

Her cult doesn't have that power. Even the Yelm cult doesn't have that power. And the Orlanth cult didn't have that power until the late Second Age when Alakoring Rex found a way to command priests and summon his worshipers. And that was likely only possible in the crucible of magical exploration and experimentation we call the EWF.

Art takes a long time man.

You have a tendency to bring up long-dormant threads Alex. As an aside, the RQG Ernalda cult is one of the more popular player cults in my experience, and far more popular than the horrible domestic Ernalda cults in Thunder Rebels.

OK, unless this thread returns to its topic, I am going to lock it down.

Here is perhaps a far more objective and accurate description: "Another important rebellion was in the north of Sartar, and was important because it was intratribal rather than between tribes. In 1606, many priests of the cult of Orlanth began agitating for violent expulsion of the Lunars. However, there were already established Lunar families in those tribes, and there arose lawsuits and feuds which disrupted all the north for five years. In 1611, many tribal assemblies broke up into civil disputes, and the same year in Storm Season the city of Alda-Chur was torn asunder by rival Orlanth and Lunar antagonists in a conflict called the Righteous Wind Rebellion. Harvar Ironfist, a noble of the Vantaros tribe, seized the opportunity and made himself Prince of the Far Point after his wind walking bodyguards destroyed the main Orlanthi opposition in a vicious battle in the Storm Temple. All the tribes quickly purged their ranks of the agitators, and a flood of new refugees fled southwards."

Correct. Greg was fundamentally dissatisfied with the approach taken with that manuscript. I playtested it as well, and shared Greg's dissatisfaction. It was an interesting and worthwhile exercise, but I agree with Greg that it was not the direction to go.