metcalph

They didn't trade in Vadeli techniques - they used Vadeli magical insights, which is a slightly different thing altogether.

Things I would like to have a better idea about: Jeff has been clear that the Vadeli use only sorcery. So how exactly did they "pretend" to be Gods? I imagine as they were worshipped, the magic points expended was channeled to fuel their spells. Was there anything more to that? The Vadeli could always be lying their faces off but that would have been something a truth spell would have shown. Seseine and Echeklihos are both worshipped in Fonrit. How exactly do the two get along? I suppose I'll have to wait for the Lunar Book next year for the beginnings of an answer. I had thought of Ompalam as having some twisted austerity magics. Sort of like the Shamanic Abilities in the RQ rules. The idea being that the more intensely you devote yourself to Ompalam, the more gifts you get*. Thus the society is not reinofrced on their ability to command others (although that helps) but on the desire of the worshippers to acquire better magic in return for their dedication to their master. Ompalam won't provide any other magics so an intermediary like the Master's ancestor provides the magics instead. *If a slave sacrifice characteristics, would that go towards the Master? Food for thought.

I'm not sure blaming the Vadeli for Pamaltelan slavery actually works. Slavery in the sense of capturing outsiders and making them work for you was known in the Golden Age which is kinda before Vadel set foot in Pamaltela. I think the Vadeli legacy is a lot subtler than saying the Vadeli created Ompalam, which isn't quite what Revealed Mythologies or the Guide say.

The Dragon that the magician will become, transcending Time and Space.

The Doraddi are free to believe bad things about Tishamto because it's not part of their ancestral mythology. The surviving descendants of Tishamto after being conquered by the Artmali migrated under Afati-Tal to Laskal. They are called the New Artmali then but that could be an intended parallel with the New Christians of Spain (ie Jews and Muslims) and they might have been forced to wear Blue Paint (as per the Entekosiad). Meanwhile the Doraddi ancestors are wandering around destroying the Artmali Empire with the Firefall. Tishamto in the Fonritan eyes may or may not have been a slave state. Its conquest and subsequent destruction are what is important to them and not what it was like before. It was good and then Bad Things happened and their ancestors were forced to do even more Bad Things. It is the start of a mythical cycle which explains to the Fonritans why things are so shit. Its always been like this - the only way ahead is to do unto others before they do the same unto you. But Lhankor Mhy/Buserian, Humakt and Ernalda are also worshipped within the Lunar Empire so I'm not actually sure this is a Big Difference between the Seven Mothers and the Glorious Ones.

In RQ3 Gods of Glorantha, the Cults of Immanent Mastery and Godunya did have Rune Levels with access to reusable rune magic. But they aren't conventional rune cults and so wouldn't have all the conventional benefits (neither cult had common rune spells, allied spirits, increased POW gain etc in the shortform writeup).

Hardcover now available for Oz.

p88 in the Argan Argar Atlas on the south LHS.

My guess as to Ompalam's hostile depiction is that the Vadeli have revealed the horrible undeniable secret about him (ie chaos) and the Fonritans have been coping poorly with this ever since. Tentacle, for example, might be an attempt at providing a non-chaotic justification for cosmic slavery. But the old ways of Ompalam still endure and Fonrit is still speeding towards a chasm.

Predecessor Chaos God. Mentioned in the Guide p555 (A Fonritan Prophecy) and elsewhere. Seems to be a Fonritan God since the only in-gloranthan reference we have (other than God Learner) is Fonritan.

I just assume they trade such goods to the civilized world at large. Thus even in Sog City, you would get copper from Dragon Pass, Dye from Kralorela, Glass from Teshnos (more highfalutin' that the Ralian garbage), Incense from Teleos etc at the local markets.

Dijaar and his Five Friends are shown on the map as being active circa 940 ST. source: https://wellofdaliath.chaosium.com/the-decline-and-fall-of-the-ewf/

Or because those are Pelorian Goddesses where they never ventured.

Had the Prosopedia for a week now and there's a lot of interesting tibits under the surface. Some of thiese may just be imaginery on my behalf. Alakoring wears the Iron Crown. First time, I've seen this in print despite the Iron Crown existing as a far back as Griffin Mountain. It still seems that he's not the subject of the Iron Crown epic for that hero was killed in a horse nomad ambush while Alakoring was hit by an elven HIMARS. Artmal no longer has the Fate Rune. This could be that he's recently been freed. Balazar is depicted as a Golden Spearman. This might be that the Cult of the Golden Spearman that the Elmali brought to Aldachur (WF #15 p41) was Balazar. Beatpot's revolt seems to be the same revolt that Duke Raus got sent to Prax for. The writeup kinda gives him a Yevgeny Prigozhin vibe (cook...worked his way up into a position of trust.. gets relatively mild treatment). Ethilrist's history appears to have changed back to the second age. I kinda get the same vibe about the descriptions of the Glorious Ones and the New Gods as if they had the same mythical basis. Food for thought.

The subject is the map in the Guide p469. Goon Orta's castle does not correspond to one of the unlabelled trade centers.

Fronela: Sog City. Seshnela: Nolos Ralios: Kustria, Estal and Syran (guesstimate) Maniria: Handra. Kethaela: Nochet. Dragon Pass: Furthest and Boldhome. Peloria: Elz Ast, Raibanth and Mirin's Cross (Raibanth could have been Good Shore but that's not large enough for a major trade center IMO). Palbar. Kralorela: Lur Nop and Jangi-Shar. Teshnos: Dosakayo. Jrustela: Crandress. Teleos: Iskisdar. Umathea: Garzanz, Arvanor, Nikosdras and Tortirica. Fonrit: Garguna, Dindanko, Tondiji, Kormani, Dunmanaba, Goan and Delerenkos (possibly). Maslo: Westela and Charth (according to the text, this is rarely visited by othsiders. Yanchi is more probable). Eastern Isles: Champaya, Mirivarea, Dalanamadury and Lugash.

A possibility is that the the town grew out of a worker's camp to build the arch ordered by some bygone Count or another. But the necessary stone never arrived (perhaps the coins for the quarry got diverted? Who knows). So scribes at the Sun Dome temple might be under the impression there's an arch there but the locals are baffled when you ask them about it.

"Got" might be more accurate. Krarsht's Sense Law was based on the Cults of Terror conception of her as the anti-Storm Bull which was kinda silly.

But the Vadeli actually ally with the Mostali in the Hero Wars (Guide p502, sidebar).

Shipping not available in Oz. *Grump*

Unfortunately the Vadeli have special magic which makes them invisible to Dwarven revenge. Moreover the Gods War has seen several collaborations between the Mostali and the Vadeli against other Malkioni (and that was *after* the Vadeli stole from the dwarves and caused them to mistrust all humans).

Available here: https://www.chaosium.com/the-guide-to-glorantha-slipcase-set/

Gresham's law - the bad currency drives out the good. Guilders will be hoarded while Lunars will be freely spent in order to be rid of. Besides coining a lot of silver coins for the new regime will take time.

Given that Elassi the Stifler cut off an ear rather than an eye, I would say yes.

Except the Cult of Silence still exists.