Jeff

Non-existent. Ralios, Fronela, and Talastar never had Elmal in the first place. They all have Yelmalio Sun Domes going back to the Second Age or earlier.

It is worth keeping in mind that Greg and I discarded ALL of that when we wrote Sartar Kingdom of Heroes. And for RuneQuest, Doburdan is pretty much confined to Pelanda.

OK keep in mind, the Lunars did not make an effort to force the Orlanthi to worship some minor Pelandan thunder god.

I suspect the result of this is that Doburdan is recognised by his worshipers as an aspect of Orlanth. Of course, some of the most powerful hero questers in the world might oppose you.

The height of the Elmali civil conflict was 1550 to 1569, and after that it was over. Sun Dome Temple was founded in Dragon Pass in 1575. So basically it is a conflict from the 1950s and 1960s that looks just weird in retrospect.

Also, it has been 10,000 years since Orlanth killed Yelm and a LOT of beings are likely descended from Yelm. Especially fire/sky worshipers.

Something I think people whose impressions of Sartar are based primarily on the King of Dragon Pass game or the Hero Wars books don't seem to get - Sartar transformed the tribes around the Quivin Mountains. Remarkable, radical changes. He built cities, roads, and markets. He introduced coin for trade, and built temples for the other Lightbringers cults. He diffused the bright lines of tribe and clan. He welcomed foreigners, married the Feathered Horse Queen, befriended werewolves, and so on. That change continued over the following century, as Sartar established itself as a wealthy principality that commanded the most important trade route in Glorantha. Some parts of this strengthened Sartarite society ("Heortling" is a painfully anachronistic word in Sartar); others caused civil dissension and conflict. The Solar worshipers of Sartar were simply blown away by the splendour and the deep sights of Pelorian Yelm worship. These Elmali turned on their tribal leaders, fought against the Orlanth Rex cult, etc. and a few managed to initiate themselves into Yelm's secrets. This, in combination with growing Lunar Empire aggression, imperilled the Kingdom of Sartar itself. Monrogh saved us from that. Elmal was proven to be another name for the Little Sun and not of Yelm. The Sun Dome leaders allied with King Tarkalor and received their own part, where they could celebrate the Light without trouble.

Which RuneQuest books are you talking about?

I guess this can be true in YOUR Glorantha. But that's not the way things are going to appear in publications. Honestly, I find the weird ethno-chauvinism around "Elmal" (no "Heortling" would ever embrace Yelmalio as a broader name for the Sun Dome god) to be just perplexing. The Orlanthi of now have embraced many new experiences and insights over the preceding three Ages. Like any culture on a continental crossroads does.

Yelmalio was guarding humans, elves, and plenty of others in the Greater Darkness. "The Stead" is not a fixed location in the Gods World - it is a Hero Plane stand in for any community.

RQG, obviously. The White Bull campaign started in early 2020. Prior to that, I was running the Vasana-Yanioth campaign (all the the original RQ pregens come out of that campaign) from 2016 to 2020. I'm likely going to start a new campaign here in Colorado. Both started in 1625. Dragon Pass. Characters have been to Prax, New Pavis, and the Hoty Country. In the White Bull campaign, two are from Sartar, one is a Wolf Pirate, one is from Esrolia, and another from Prax. I use the campaigns to playtest stuff that is in development. Both. These campaigns refine the timeline. The White Bull campaign is epic, with a lot of big events going on. Just dive in and don't worry!

I think there is an element to this, but not because of the Esrolians. Ernalda was given the lands of Ernaldela in the God Time. Now that was basically from the Spike (Magasta's Pool) to Kero Fin, and included what is now Sartar, Kethaela, and Maniria. And maybe even Jrustela. Asrelia and Ty Kora Tek resided in Ernaldela, but Maran Gor set up right on the border of Ernaldela, at Shaker's Temple. And Babeester Gor, born in the Darkness after her mother had gone to sleep, made her home atop the Shadow Plateau. These places were established in the God Time and were all active at the Dawn.

Given that there is no mention of a Year King in the Guide to Glorantha, the Glorantha Sourcebook, the Cults Book, or the material I am assembling on the Holy Country - it is safe to say that is not something Belintar participated in.

You might find a bit more on pages 713-714. But essentially, his story is a complete tangent to this discussion, unless for some reason you are running a game set in the Broken Council.

Saird is a region. Like Dragon Pass, Safelster, the Midwest, New England, the Low Countries, Franconia, or the Inland Empire. It is roughly 190 km by 190 km, so has a common geography, a common history, but several languages and many cults. Normally any unity the region has is imposed from without (the First and Second Councils, the Kingdom of Dragon Pass, the Empire of the Wyrms Friends, and the Lunar Empire), but sometimes it is unified locally (the Kingdom of Saird, the Kynnelfing Alliance, etc.).

Of the Lightbringers gods (Orlanth, Chalana Arroy, Eurmal, Issaries, Lhankor Mhy), none accept human sacrifice, unless you consider the life of being a Trickster a very slow human sacrifice. Ernalda, Yelmalio, Yelm, Polaris, Yelorna, Ourania, Dendara, Lodril, Storm Bull, Waha, Eiritha, Asrelia, Ty Kora Tek - all refuse human sacrifice. Of the gods of Death, Maran Gor, Babeester Gor, Humakt, Gorgorma, Shargash - all accept human sacrifice. So does Hon-eel. Several other Grain Goddesses do as well. So do Valind and Ygg.

Ernaldela is a VERY old name. Older than Peloria or Dara Happa. From the Wisconsin or the Belt Buckle Era.

It is wrong. Ernaldela is the land of Ernalda - which happens to coincide with the lands south of Kero Fin down to the Spike. Saird is north of there. But I am certain First Age Dara Happans assumed Ernalda comes from Saird.

So from a Sartarite Orlanthi perspective, the Sun Domes are those Solar mercenaries that live between Sartar and Volsaxiland. They fight as mercenaries, generally hold themselves aloof from most festivals, except to show up at the big Ernalda ceremonies. Some are friends, some are enemies, but generally we are neutral towards them. Trust them when they agree to do something for you, but don't assume they will do the right thing unless they have already agreed to it (which usually means paying them).

Making Gods, from King of Sartar. Also hinted at throughout the History of Dragon Pass materials.

Yes. Had Monrogh not had his vision, the Elmali would have broken the Kingdom of Sartar, been destroyed themselves in feud and vengeance, and the Lunar Empire would have conquered Sartar probably in the 1570s if not soon.

Yes. Massively so. Things that might only consist of a single adventuring party got written up as if it was some important or significant cult. Ulanin is not particularly important in Sartar, but he has a local shrine. If you ever read Pausanias Description of Greece, you get all sorts of details on local cults and heroes that are are unimportant or even unknown elsewhere in Greece, but HERE are their shrines. So for example: [2.16.6] In the ruins of Mycenae is a fountain called Persea; there are also underground chambers of Atreus and his children, in which were stored their treasures. There is the grave of Atreus, along with the graves of such as returned with Agamemnon from Troy, and were murdered by Aegisthus after he had given them a banquet. As for the tomb of Cassandra, it is claimed by the Lacedaemonians who dwell around Amyclae. Agamemnon has his tomb, and so has Eurymedon the charioteer, while another is shared by Teledamus and Pelops, twin sons, they say, of Cassandra, [2.16.7] whom while yet babies Aegisthus slew after their parents. Electra has her tomb, for Orestes married her to Pylades. Hellanicus adds that the children of Pylades by Electra were Medon and Strophius. Clytemnestra and Aegisthus were buried at some little distance from the wall. They were thought unworthy of a place within it, where lay Agamemnon himself and those who were murdered with him. And that's the tomb of Atreus. No other mention elsewhere, but in the ruins of Mycenae are a bunch of ancient tombs of those famous heroes.

They aren't a triarchy anymore (that got busted up about two centuries ago) and are usually just called Colymar, or Runegate clans. Some Lonisi or Enhyli might recall old stories about the "Hyaloring Triaty" - but the Taraling have no connection to that. The main legacy of the original settlers is a nice big Yelmalio the Horse temple, continuing horse worship, and horsey elements in their architecture. Horse worship is in the background with a lot of Orlanthi, even if they aren't noted for being great horsemen like the Pol-Joni or Pure Horse People. Think Hayagriva, the horses used in divination according Tacitus or at Arkona on Rügen, and so on. A wealthy Orlanthi cavalry warrior might well be a lay member of Yelmalio for the horsey-ness (plus the cheap training in Ride probably pays for itself pretty quickly).

Elmal is Yelmalio. Pretty much every person in the 1550s agreed. I don't know how often I need to repeat this, but let me try again. By the 1540s, the Elmal cult in Sartar was spiritually disintegrated under the influence of the Lunar Heartlands and the Yelm cult. Yelm IS the Sun. There's just no way around that - the Yelm cult can prove that, have massive resources for proving it, know the mythic pathways of the Sun a thousand times better than any Orlanthi sun worshiper, and so on. And so many Elmali embraced Yelm. These Elmali waged war against their clans and tribes, murdered a Prince of Sartar, etc. Really bad stuff that nearly destroyed Sartar. This is all straight out of King of Sartar by the way. Monrogh righted all of that, by showing that Elmal is just a name for YELMALIO. Who is not Yelm. Who has his own myths and paths that Yelm does not know. Who persevered in the Darkness and was never extinguished (unlike Yelm). Monrogh could prove this and you could experience this as well. This wasn't some syncretic religious argument - you would start the ceremonies to Elmal and Monrogh would show you how to go further into the rites and have the clouds cleared, the haze removed, and see the brilliant true light. This went fast - by the 1560s there was a Yelmalio cult in Sartar that fought the trolls, supported the House of Sartar, supported the rights of the Earth Temples - you name it. The name Elmal was by then a byword for treason, murder, and kinstrife. So now, the Yelmalio cult is how Sartarites worship the Light. Yelmalio is a frenemy of Orlanth, which is not uncommon in polytheistic pantheons. But the Orlanth cult supports Yelmalio, and Orlanth Rex has built him fine temples (include the Sun Dome temple). And that basically is the end of the story.

Gustbran is worshiped in Peloria as Gustbran the Workfire. He's the patron of the kiln and the forge.