Jeff

Joerg often pronounces things as "established fact" when they are naught but his supposition. There's lots of variety in tribal make-up, and stability is not always the main goal. The scale on my recent map is correct. It is part of the project of directly working off Greg's Master Map, at exactly the same scale and which is the fulcrum of all Gloranthan maps. Things often got moved around a few kilometres here and there to fit on the Guide maps. Just like if you look at many atlases, they place the dot for cities not "exactly" in the right place, depending on the scale of the map. And Alone is not next to the Solfint. There are, of course, numerous marginal streams and creeks not on the map. Alone was placed where it was because of divinations, agreements with dragonewts, and other factors,

Humakt doesn't know any peaceful use for iron. For that matter, nor does Mostal.

I'd trust the practical knowledge of Gustbran or Humakt over the theoretical knowledge of LM if my life depended on it. LM might be able to recite lots of stuff about the history of iron-making, who stole iron from the dwarves, etc. But Humakt knows how to make a sword.

The Humakti know the secret of working iron - but not as an intellectual thing - as a craft, a process, a tangible metaphor. LM knows it like they know anything - something written down in a book. The number of LM smiths is vanishingly small (Craft is not a Sage Skill, nor something they get from their associates) - the number of LM ironsmiths in all of Glorantha is a tiny fraction of that.

Martin - your approach is right. Iron is rare in Glorantha, and uses different techniques for each stage of construction from Glorantha. In Dragon Pass, it is worked mainly by the dwarfs (and to a lesser extent, the Humakt cult). Some smiths (especially player characters) might have learned Craft Iron from someone who stole the secrets from the dwarfs, which can be a good story hook.

Iron is a strange and terrible thing. If you just want to smith, have a reason how you (or more likely your master) learned (or more likely stole) the secrets of ironsmithing from the dwarves. That's Third Eye Blue in a nutshell. Or just join the cult of Humakt.

Another form of debt slavery is borrowing cattle or other livestock in exchange for service. Until the cattle loan is repaid you must perform the service. Still another is selling the service of yourself and your family in exchange for guaranteed food - something that probably happened a lot in 1621-1623.

The norm for most Gloranthan societies is to have some non-free people. Lots of different explanations for it, but basically is either a Golden Age myth of how do we order society or a Lesser Darkness myth of how do we deal with defeated outsiders. The Hendreiki were unusual in that they had a "Cult of Freedom" which forbids slave-owning. That's part of what kept Hendrik and his followers alive during the Gbaji Wars and is a defining story for many of the Hendriki peoples (including those who followed Colymar into Dragon Pass). But they also have their own ways of dealing with prisoners of war who are not ransomed by their temple or kinfolk. And other Sartarites don't have the same tradition. So in Sartar about 10% of the population are unfree and 16% are semi-free. More in some areas, less in others.

If you are a bog-standard red smith, you work in bronze not iron. Orlanth knows how to Enchant Iron, but not how to craft iron. Humakt does have the secrets of working iron (as well as bronze). So your best bet to learn the secrets of iron is to go to the Humakt Temple.

Happens all the time. Think about it this way - every Orlanthi community in the late Third Age traces its lineage back as far as it can. Most Sartarites, when they want to tell thousand-year old stories, look at the Second Age Hendreiki as their heroic "ancestors" - sort of like Hellenistic Greeks looking at the deeds of Bronze Age Mycenaeans as sources of legitimacy and lineage. But those lineages are rarely if ever unbroken, and Orlanth and Ernalda are often easier to contact than distant purported ancestors. Communities might say that they have slaves because they always have had slaves, but a Daka Fal shaman might summon a distant ancestor that says they always owned slaves. The clan questionnaire is a way of determining how a community currently views its past - every community is a combination of cults and groups, many of which are new or have different importances from a century ago. The Orlmarth clan in 1626 might answer that questionnaire differently from the Black Spear clan of 1326 which might answer it differently from the Orshanti clan of 1026.

Dark Earth is not a Runic element, but the Jrusteli God Learners made a distinction between Fertile Earth (Ernalda, Voria, Grain Goddesses, etc.) and Malign Earth (Babeester Gor, Maran Gor, etc.). Interestingly the folk that know the Earth secrets the best make no such distinction within the Earth, instead modifying Earth with either Life or Death (or other Power Runes). I'll go with the Esrolian God Learners on this one. Darkness is often found beneath the Earth. But many deities associated with the Earth are not Earth deities, and many Earth deities friendly with the Darkness are not Darkness deities. So although Asrelia lives deep within the Earth and is friendly with the Darkness (but wait, she is also friendly with the Fire Beneath the Earth!), she is not in possession of the Darkness Rune and has no magic that requires that rune. Even Ty Kora Tek is not a Darkness deity. Kyger Litor is not terribly fertile - her daughter Korasting is. The dark trolls give birth to dark trolls infrequently, and to Mistress Race Trolls not at all. The vast armies of Mistress Race and dark trolls that once dominated the Surface World in the Lesser Darkness are but fractions of their original numbers.

Yes. Hopefully this coming year.

NANDAN This daughter of Ernalda was born with a male form. She enables women who are biologically male to give birth and thus be eligible to become priestesses. She provides Pregnancy. Many Earth cults have a strong gender connection. Ernalda is explicitly the goddess of women, and although men are often initiates of Ernalda, only women who have given birth can be priestesses. That's a magical insight needed for the deeper mysteries of Ernalda. Maran Gor permits men to become Dancing Women, but only if they have been castrated. Babeester Gor does not permit men to initiate into her cult at all (although they can be Lay Members). That's just how it works. Orlanth is easier. Men and women can initiate to Orlanth, although men greatly predominate. There is an all-female subcult, which forms a warrior women subculture in Dragon Pass, but membership in it is not necessary for women to become Orlanth Rune Masters (although many women join the Vinga route as it provides resources and support for its members). Other cults are strongly gendered - Eiritha, Ourania, Ty Kora Tek, Waha, and Yelorna all come to mind. Others - including Asrelia, Yelmalio, Lodril, Storm Bull - are not, although one gender or another may predominate amongst the membership.

I have no idea what she is talking about. Queen Leika is described as a Wind Lord of Vinga Adventurous in the GM Pack materials and Vasana is described as becoming a Wind Lord of Orlanth in RQG. When we wrote the Guide to Glorantha, Greg and I decided to make it clear that the Bat arrived at Whitewall in 1620 rather than 1619 (Guide page 241). It worked better with how he thought the overall Lunar campaign (and fit Lunar internal politics better).

Yelmalio was also victorious on many occasions. He defeated trolls, defeated Orlanth, and fought back against Chaos,

Yelmalio was not ever-victorious.. Among those he swore to protect was Ernalda the Earth Mother. Orlanth stole Ernalda from Yelmalio, so Yelmalio struck the Three Blows of Anger, killing three air deities, but he never regained Ernalda. Could be something right out of the Mahabharata or the Tain.

This really has wandered a long way away from Yelmalio.

Claudia and I are really enjoying it. We've been watching it in several episode bursts, but really loving it.

Coming by Christmas Eve - The Smoking Ruins and Other Tales - a collection of scenarios and background material set in the South Wilds of Dragon Pass. Available in PDF (with the print edition coming later). Includes: The South Wilds The Wild Temple The Smoking Ruin (a multi-session scenario by Chris Klug of James Bond 007 and Dragonquest fame) The Lost Valley and Urvantan's Tower (the triumphant return of Steve Perrin!) The Grove of Green Rock Over 190 pages of Gloranthan gold! Available by Christmas Eve!

Sheng does not represent a "return to Jenarong rites" any more than Genghis Khan represents a return to Scythian rites. Sheng Seleris sought to return much of Peloria to open grassland for his nomads. The half-people of Peloria were largely beneath his contempt. Some cities were spared - particularly those with an important religious role. But in other places, the population were simply slaughtered outright. Sheng's source of "legitimacy" in Peloria was only his ruthless exploitation of his power. But he never passed the ten tests, nor did any of his lieutenants.

And watch this space before Christmas!

I should have been clearer - the problem is the idea that there is conflict between the Lunar cults and the Solar cults in the modern Lunar Empire. Yes, the Dara Happan Tripolis rebelled against Monsoon in the late 1200s as part of Jannisor's War. But that was in the early period of the Lunar Empire - think like the First Fitna during the early Islamic Empire.

I think part of the problem is that on the forums people have focused on GRoY which is a compilation of texts from 14 centuries ago to understand the Yelm cult. But FS is actually the more useful text to understand how the Dara Happan Empire became the Lunar Empire. In the Eighth Wane, Plentonius is known to pedants and mythic investigators, but it reflects the perspective of the First Age Dara Happan Empire. The Lunar Empire of the Eighth Wane is the True Empire, with the Red Goddess having restored the Light of the Sun. Moonson rules as the Emperor and is blessed by Yelm. In short, one can see the Empire as the Empire of Sun and Moon. Or the Empire of the Sky. The Red Moon, Yelm the Sun, Shargash, Polaris, Dayzatar, Ourania - all are celestial deities. Of course, its enemies all know it as the "Lunar Empire".

RQ Cult long form.

Yanafal Tarnils is fully written up in the Cults Book.