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metcalph

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metcalph last won the day on February 10

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  1. I kinda think that politics circa 1630 has been utterly changed. Perhaps a good comparison might be Roman Britain before the legions left and afterwards. Given that in 1620, the Trader Princes were being supplanted by Greymane, I don't think anybody is going to remember them circa 1630. The main change is that Harrek and his Wolf Pirates rule the seas. There's going to be loads of Wolf Pirates (think Sea People invasion) at the coastal ports, not just Yggites but also Quinpolics, Teshnans, Umathelans, Fonritans, Masloi and Teleosans. All of them are seeking to make a name for themselves and quite of few of dreams of becoming a king of someplace. Caladraland with its shitty coastline will be less vulnerable to Wolf Pirate raids than elsewhere BUT it also has the largest collection of diamonds in Glorantha. So there's no way the Wolf Pirates are going to pass this up. They will have likely seized Porthomeka and are using it as a base for sending epic armies into Caladraland. I think by 1630, the low temple will have been besieged several times and sacked once but the High Temple and its treasury lies out of reach. Given that the High King was a creature of Belintar, I really don't have much hope of its survival around 1630. The High King with his crown was probably killed in battle and his head made into a drinking cup. Power has instead become centered into the Dual Priesthoods - the civilized priests of the Volcano Twins and the savage priests of the Vent. The main army of Caladraland is not the tribal militia but ironically bribed wolf pirates and prisoners-of-war recruited into fighting for the two Priesthoods. With the demise of the High King, the local tribes are pretty much independent. They do send their best fighters to fight for the Dual Priesthoods in return for access to worship at their temples but do so largely as skirmishers and raiders. There's no sense of a larger country to fight and die for nor are they as daft to go fighting toe-to-toe with the Wolf Pirates. Also assisting the Dual Priesthood is Gemborg in return for a steady supply of oil and coal. Their aid probably comes in the form of iron weapons, and siege engines flinging disorder kegs and chained shot. Rhigos has probably been smart and paid hefty tribute to the Wolf Pirates in return for independence. They would still have gangs of Wolf Priates doing pub crwals and the like.
  2. I really don't see how the Wasp Riders could be foes to the Kitori considering their location. The only people they are said to be hostile to are the (obscure) Bee People of the Holy Country (KoS p86). And why would they need to raid the Kitori when the latter could quite easily give them beetle larva via other means?
  3. Most of the information about the Kitori comes from: There's also the Become Other runespell (Red Book of Magic p16) which for 3 points allows someone to change from troll to human (or vice versa) up to half a day. I imagine they have separate clans with the human clans worshipping Argan Argar and Ernalda and the Troll Clans worshipping Argan Argar and Kyger Litor. Judging by how the Kitori have treated their human neighbours over the centuries, their human members identify as Kitori more strongly than they would as Orlanthi. I think the human clans are paired with a shadow clan of trolls with the local Argan Argar cult providing common clan leadership. .As for how the Kitori are encountered in the field, they might have mixed contingents with human pike and troll skirmishers. They may have access to the Wasp Riders who live in their lands and whose relationship with the Kitori is unclear. The Wasp Riders would worship Gorakiki-Wasp which would be associated with Argan Argar - so are they part of the Kitori, allies or what?
  4. The demigoddess was a wife of Vingkot and a daughter of Tada. This is not normally thought to make one an heir although William the Conqueror did try a similar argument.
  5. A semi-serious post which was provoked by a recent thread about the Engrioni (wot Greg used to call the knights and the Men-of-All). Cults of Runequest: Mythology p100 states that Malkion "was Pure Reason within the Perfect City but came forth to descend into the material world". Wot Hrestol and subsequent followers were doing was to reverse that descent so that they might rise towards Pure Reason. Since the Malkion knew the entirety of the Law in teaching others of Caste, the Men-of-All hope to Ascend by combining all Castes within themselves. How this might work is increased Rightness gains per caste mastered (instead of 1, you might get 2-4) but the downside would also be larger.
  6. Can't find an online image but if you have seen Dune 2, there's an excellent shot of a gladiatorial arena in the Kingdom of Ignorance operating under the Black Sun.
  7. In RW terms, this would be known as negative equity. Clearly Vargast has made some bad decisions in his past.
  8. The biggest and best border control method for Tarsh is the Glowline. I dunno if intrusions into the glowline can be magically sensed but there could be a detachment of Lunar magicians at the Temple of the Reaching Moon using their spirits to watch the border. They would also have Moonboats to provide troops at short notice. The formal points of entry into Tarsh from the south would be lightly guarded, not because the Lunars have nothing to fear but because they can retaliate effectively. Beyond the Glowline, the Lunars simply have not bothered. The land is largely conceded to their neighbours such as the Shaker Temple and the Grazers. Constructing a foward defence or forts and customs points in those lands is more trouble than it is worth. They may have a consulate in North Post to allow prospective visitors to purchase a magical totem for trouble free passage beyond the glowline. But in terms of the Bush Range, the Shaker Temple or the Red Dragon Valley, it's largely "Don't Care".
  9. I suppose if you want to keep something from the Wolf Pirates, they might feel entitled to a reduction in the ransom offered and then go after you to retrieve the item that you took.
  10. Until the Solar Book comes out, we have to make do with inferences from the Prosopedia. EHILM: Doubled Fire Runes. p33 "Among the Orlanthi of Ralios and Fronela, Ehilm is the Sun God". GALANIN: Doubled Fire Runes. Beast. p42 "(T)he Sun Horse, who carries the solar disk Ehilm across the Sky Dome" I would suggest that Ehilm's cult is Solar worship mounted to the cult of Galanin. Most worshippers are simply initiates of Galanin with horse-riding magics. The rune levels among them can become initiates of Ehilm with access to his fiery magics. They wouldn't have Sunspear (as that seems to be a Dara Happan thing) FWIW something else that I noticed: GAMARA: No runes given. "She is depicted as a horse pulling a chariot with the solar disk" p43. YU-KARGZANT: Fire. Life. Death p141 "Yu-kargzant is depicted as a solar disk surmounted atop a golden horse." It seems to me that the Pure Hose People were influenced by the God Learners when they were allies in Prax and that's how they made the transition from their God is the Sun Disk drawn by a chariot to their God is a Sun Disk atop a Horse. The Life/Death duality in the Grazeland cult might be the result of their adoption by Ironhoof
  11. In terms of religion: Delela has more beast cults (like Yinkin, Storm Bull and Odayla). There would also be some Draconic mystery cults floating about the region (perhaps known as Drolgard - King of Sartar p123). Instead of Yelmalio, they would worship Ehilm (although there is a Yelmalion temple near Karia p397). Lankst would be more influenced by lowlanders although they would avoid Arkati mystery cults and Wizards. Their religious practices might be closer to what the God Learners taught rather than what the Heortlings follow. Naskorion are Orlanthi heavily influenced by Darkness. Argan Argar is prominent here and Arkat lurks behind the local Zorak Zoran cult.
  12. Both Lankst and Delela speak Theyalan languages (Guide p387 and p393) and be related to Stormspeech. The standard assumption is that they speak dialects in the same Ralian language family. If you are feeling adventuros, you could have the Lanksti speak a dialect of Talastari (since most of their settlers would have come from there) while Delela would speak a language closer to Old Pavic (to reflect its EWF-friendly history). The Lankst would have a lot of Safelstran lingo while the Deleans would be influenced by the Husnchen.
  13. There's two waves. The first wave was from the Vingkotlings in the Storm Age who liberated the locals from the Dwarves. They are now the Safelstrans. The second wave was historical during the World Council period and settled both the north and west. They are now the people of Lankst and Delela. There's been speculation that the Lankst and Delelans have differences between themselves but I think that's largely from the natives they loved among.
  14. The only thing that makes me pause is that the cover piccie of the Lunar Book has not been released yet...
  15. There isn't. The best way to handle it IMO would be get the Dragonewt Magic from the RuneQuest Glorantha: Bestiary p42 to P43 and use them to as Runespells. Yes, the Dragonewts don't use Runepoints in their rune magics, Yes some Dragonewt spell effects last a lot longer than 15 minutes, but the human version of their magic would use both because they are using inferior spiritual senses. The runic affinity in the Dragonewt Rune would be one's Spoken or Written Auld Wyrmish*. Beaked Warrior magics require a minimum of 25% Auld Wyrmish to learn or cast. Tailed Priest magics require 50%. Full Priestly magic requires 75% and Draconic Illumination (which is based on the number of times you've spoken to a dragon). *Spoken Draconic Magic is simple enough. Written Magic requires the Magicians to make the required writing either on the ground or magically summoned lines of force (a la Doctor Strange). There's also magical surgery but Draconic Magicians need that like another hole in the head.
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