Jeff

The Lunar New Year appears in the Glorantha Sourcebook and will also appear in the Cults Book. Given that in the Lunar Empire, the cult of Yelm is associated with the Red Goddess (and the head of the Yelm cult is the Red Emperor), the Lunar New Year ceremonies drive the Sacred Time ceremonies within the Lunar Heartlands.

The next two books out are collections of playable scenarios.

Here's what the section in the Cults book says: "Cult restrictions on particular individuals can be ignored by some Illuminates without retribution from the god. For instance, an Illuminated Kyger Litor worshiper may learn and cast the spell of Fireblade or an Illuminated Orlanth initiate may join the Seven Mothers cult, although doing so may have an impact on such Passions as Devotion. An Illuminate would still have to gain a Humakti gift or become a shaman through the usual route. However, once the Illuminate gained a Humakti gift (for instance), he could freely ignore the associated geas with no ill effects besides the disfavor of others of his cult and any loss of Honor and Devotion that comes with oath-breaking."

Correct as to both. Illuminated characters use passions normally, although they can use their Illumination skill to overcome their own Passions.

Yes.

And with that, you can take a month off. You are of course welcome to return after 30 days. But I am beginning to feel that maybe this forum is not a good fit for you.

Have whatever questions or concerns you want, but phrase them in a civilised manner. A degree of snark is fine with me but you manage to be single-handedly responsible for just about every complaint to moderators we get. As far as I can tell, it is your dickish tone and attitude, not the content of your speech, that gets the bulk of the complaints. So watch the tone and the attitude, or take a time out from here.

Just knock it off. You are welcome to make your opinions about art or tone or whatever. Many people disagree with your aesthetics but that's fine. However, you are also accusing others of being company yes men and the like. So knock that off now.

In modern Sartar, Sacred Time rites are performed on a tribal or regional basis, and not by each clan, although there are no doubt clan-specific elements.

Here's a snippet from the forthcoming Cults book which gives a good idea about what happens in Sacred Time. What matters is that you stop your normal activity and participate in the Sacred Time rites, in whatever way is possible. WHAT HAPPENS IN SACRED TIME? Source: Orlanthi Sacred Time rites Throughout all Glorantha, the Rebirth ceremonies of Sacred Time are of the utmost importance. During the two-week long ceremony, all god-worshiping people act out their sacred myths of death and rebirth. Every cult, every culture, every species has an important role to play in preserving the cosmos. Across the whole world, everyone summons their gods and spirits, and the physical plane trembles with their presence. Even the cynicism of the God Learners never tainted these critically important rites. Ever since the first Dawn, people have gathered regularly at the end of the year so that the cosmos can be reborn. They celebrate the good and the bad, the living and the dead, the actions of the gods and the heroes so that everyone contributes to the rebirth of the world once again. This is the time of celebration, of ceremony, and of difficulty and of sacrifice. The fourteen days of Sacred Time are set outside of Time. Normal activity ceases. Extraordinary activity supersedes everyday desires. The realms of mortal and gods merge, and through the consecrated actions of mortals the world is renewed and reborn. The holy actions of mortals rejuvenate the gods. On the first day, a sacred area is delineated, a circle within which the worlds come together and become one. For the next three days, all of the deities known - even enemies - are called in to witness and help, and to receive honor and sacrifice. Animals appropriate to the gods are sacrificed and their blood is sprinkled on the people and their homes, upon their tools of work and of war, to bring power to them; then the rest is poured into sacred pits to feed the goddesses and gods of the dead, and the ancestors who are there so that they too may come out for the celebrations and dance and pray. Finally on the end of the third day, the followers of Humakt cut themselves and offer their own blood to the God of War and Death, and then most of them afterwards go and take up positions of defense, to watch for any enemies who may try to slip into the rites to foul them. They strengthen the perimeter and cut it off from the outside world, and afterwards any participant who crosses outside that line will see and feel the difference between the ordinary world and the sacred world. On the fourth day, the Seven Lightbringers are honored. These seven are the saviors of the world. All seven deities come together and are worshipped. At the height of the ceremony, the seven depart on the Lightbringers Quest in a tearful and dreadful ceremony. It is a day of mourning and fear. The seven participate in secret and dangerous rites until they return a week later. On the fifth day the worshippers must call upon other gods and spirits – even some normally hostile - to help them survive. The sixth day is dedicated to Issaries, the god of communication who bears the power of the sacrifices and worship to the other world to the gods. On the seventh day, everyone except the seven involved in the Lightbringers Quest gathers together. The boldest re-enact the battle of I Fight We Won, and face the armies of Chaos alone, but together they defeat the Devil. Everyone is tested by these rituals, and this is the most dangerous part of the ceremony. Real Chaos creatures are faced, and it is not unknown for people to be killed during the rites. The next day, Chalana Arroy is worshiped without violence or animal sacrifice. Those injured the previous day are healed and those killed are revived. On the eleventh day, the Seven Lightbringers must return from the Underworld with Ernalda. It is a day of great joy and celebration. The gods and goddesses awaken to join the celebration and share in a great feast in celebration of the Lightbringers. Time begins, Chaos recedes, and the world is healed. The next two days are dedicated to the reunion of the gods and goddesses of Life, when the bodies of the world are reinhabited by their immortal parts. The celebrations are relaxed, save for those who are devoted to the deities who act during them. Most people visit the rites for at least a short while, but also go to visit their friends and give small gifts and share food and drink. The last day is sacred to Lhankor Mhy, the sage and seer, and during the night the dedicated worshippers meet in secret, then on the next day they look to the sun and prophecy for the community, and for whomever brings to them a gift appropriate to their station. Then, as night approaches, the community is led by the united priests and priestesses in a dance and many songs, to close the sacred time, and bring the world back to normalcy. When the sun sets, the rites are officially over. The Humakti guarding the perimeter cut down the barrier, and the power of fourteen days of celebration, worship, fear and love are released to the world. The next day is the Spring Equinox, the first day of the Sea Season, when the life of the world can be seen everywhere.

The Orlanthi acknowledge that Ernalda took many gods as consorts and husbands. Orlanth, Yelm, Flamal, Yelmalio, Storm Bull, Magasta, Lodril, etc. She's the Earth Mother. Some husband-protectors are universally acknowledged (Orlanth, Flamal), others nearly universally acknowledged (Yelm, Yelmalio, Magasta), and others just locally recognised (Storm Bull, Lodril, etc.).

Ernalda is the main goddess in Sun County because they are farmers, not herders.

It is just Mob of Australia.

And here are the tribes:

Amad: The smallest and poorest tribe in Sartar, the Amad are rugged frontiersmen whose settlements are in the shadows of Dagori Inkarth. A member of the Alone city ring, the Amad are remote and isolated even by the standards of the Alone tribes. They settled this area after being exiled from Tarsh following the Battle of Grizzly Peak in 1582. Like all the northern tribes, the mother tongue of the Amad is Tarshite, not Sartarite. Population 2000. Centered on Amadhall and Amad Trail area. Bachad: The leading tribe of the Alone city ring, the Bachad are one of the smallest and poorest tribes in Sartar. They settled this area after being exiled from Tarsh following the Battle of Grizzly Peak in 1582. They control much of the agricultural land in the Hidden Valley. Like all of the northern tribes, the mother tongue of the Bachad is Tarshite, not Sartarite. Population 3000. Centered on Alone and Hidden Valley. Tres: A member of the Alone city ring, the Tres are one of the smallest and poorest tribes in Sartar. They settled this area after being exiled from Tarsh following the Battle of Grizzly Peak in 1582. The Tres are mostly pastoralists, herding sheep and cattle in the hills of the Far Place. Like all of the northern tribes, the mother tongue of the Tres is Tarshite, not Sartarite. Population: 2500. Centered on Alone and Erenia's Trail area. Alone itself has a population of about 1000 and covers 15 hectares. It is low density, many abandoned buildings. City was built for 2000-2500 people. A few locations: Solitude Street Uleria Temple Orlanth Temple (Rex) Ernalda and Maran Gor temple

I am looking at the cult writeup that will be in publication 2020. It is remarkably similar to the cult writeup from Cults of Prax. The details and facts are in the society of the Sun Dome temple in Prax, and not the cult itself. The Dragon Pass Yelmalio cult is far more connected to the rest of Dragon Pass (although still aloof and disdainful of others). Which shouldn't be surprising. The old Elmal cults realised that their god is more than just a minor sidekick of Orlanth to be squeezed out in the conflict between Orlanth and Yelm, and is the god that protected humans from Darkness, freed the humans of South Peloria from the trolls, guarded the elves and forests, and remained independent and proud despite the selfish wars of Air, Cold, and Darkness. They realised Elmal was another name for Yelmalio, the god of the Sun Dome Temples and founded their own Sun Dome Temple with the support of the Prince of Sartar. They defeated the Kitori and bound many of them to the Earth instead of Darkness. They now form an independent tribe, who defend the Light in Dragon Pass.

Let's start with some details about the area. The following gives you a pretty good feel for what is near Alone, and how alone it actually is.

Of course the little Sun Dome community removed for centuries from Dragon Pass and Peloria is an outlier.

The Yelmalio cult itself is not particularly misogynistic. Men and women can become initiates, Light Servants, Light Priests, and Light Sons. Men are not allowed to disguise themselves as women, but women are allowed to disguise themselves as men. Ernalda, not Dendara, is an associated cult. I don't think the main cult is any more or less misogynistic than the Elmal subcult. The cult does have a deserved reputation for being aloof and tends to view outsiders as unclean. Its policy of offering sanctuary to any who seek it is a huge source of resent and distrust. Then again, the cult is willing to hire out its cultists to fight in the wars of others (although always at a price).

The Westerners do not conceive of sexual orientation as a social identity - caste is one's identity, not sexual practice. It is normal for Western men to have emotional and physical relationships with each other, particularly between older and younger men. Women are necessary to continue lineages, but women also occupy an awkward category - are they a fifth caste or do they belong to their father's caste? The New Hrestoli view women as members of their father's caste but practice pederasty between men and boys (which results in far more boys being prepared to become Men-of-All than girls). The Rokari hold that women belong to their father's caste and that their primary responsibility is as a wife and mother. Male to male relationships are common in the noble and warrior castes, but men are also expected to have wives and children. As for women, women to women relationships are not uncommon. As long as they do not interfere with their caste or familial responsibilities, they are likely ignored (or even mildly celebrated in poetry). I suspect amongst the New Hrestoli relationships between older and younger women are a common parallel to male pederasty. There are also opposite sex pederastic relationships, but that may be considered more problematic and dangerously selfish..

Apostate is not really the right world. "Failures" is probably better. The Brithini know that the Brithini Way is difficult. But those who strictly adhere to the Brithini Way without deviation or compromise remain ageless. Those who slip, compromise, or otherwise deviate in the slightest, age. I imagine many Brithini see other humans as rapidly aging, erratic failures. You can watch them deviate and age, deviate and age, and it all goes by so quickly. The Talar of Arolanit is some 3000 years old. He witnessed the Dawn, the Sunstop, and the Closing. The Rokari are at best like children playing dress-up. At worst, they are revolting animals. No matter their efforts, they cannot walk the Brithini path, and their half-hearted hypocritical attempts to do so are between pathetic and ridiculous. From the other direction, imagine how the Malkioni feel about the Brithini. Ageless, emotionless, and engaged in endless pointless ritual that bear no relationship to the world and its needs. Sure they are ageless, but their rules are impossible to comprehend, let alone follow.

I've done a load of material on Alone and the surrounding areas. I'll post some notes when I get a chance.

Yelmalio was at times an ally of Orlanth, sometimes an enemy. Rurik ranted at Biturian because he was performing a heroquest which relates to when Orlanth stole Ernalda away. Despite that (and the Hill of Gold), Yelmalio also notably cooperated with Orlanth and even protected the Vingkotlings and other mortals in the Darkness. Yelmalio's relationships are complex.

SUBCULTS A subcult is a smaller and often local version of a cult, which worships a local variant of the deity, a minor god subservient to the deity, an ancient hero, family ancestors, or an obscure spirit surviving from the God Time. Such deities are always worshiped as aspects of, or otherwise in association with a greater deity. The lesser deity obtains its glory and existence from the larger cult. The subcult has no existence independent of the larger cult. Major cults always include subcults; some cults like Orlanth have subcults of minor deities and spirits and/or dead heroes. These entities depend completely upon the central deity for existence: they are not worshiped outside the cult. Some, like Orlanth, have over a dozen commonly recognized subcults. A subcult provides access to additional Rune spells, spirit magic, skills, or powers to initiates of the greater cult who also worship through the subcult.

It's a time and learning thing. Teaching a Worker sorcery is stupid. First you need to teach them literacy, then elements of philosophy, etc. But you need a labourer, a farm-hand, a crafter - not a wizard. Alternatively you could teach them "self-contained" spells that idiosyncratically use the Runes and Techniques in ways that do not help in understanding. Sure that exists, but it is beneath notice as we cannot build off them - and thus the time spent to learn them is "lost". Dormal's Open Seas rite is one of these. But there are plenty of others out there, I am sure. Much better to just ask your local zzaburi to bless whatever needs blessing or work whatever magic is needed. Rely on specialists!