metcalph

It's far too west to have been reached by the EWF. Perhaps the God Learners used it as a reservation in which the Ryzelites were subjects of magical anti-draconic spells? Not to kill them outright but to see which magics might be most potent against the EWF.

The two island groups to the west of Genertela are the remains of Brithos (Old Trade and the Red Vadeli Isles) and the Vadeli Isles (now two different islands). I don't know what that Island in the middle of the Banthe Ocean is. It might be Whalebone Island but modern maps put that close to the Genertelan mainland. The cover of Arcane Lore which covers the same territory shows no island but has a different map for Luathela. WF 4 (p13) has the same island and labels it Last Stop. I think Dormal landed there. The Island between Kralorela and Vithela could also be Kylerela which is mentioned in WF #4 as "usually been floating on this ocean". The two island groups in what is now Kumanku is interesting but may have been discarded.

My favourite detail from the recently re-released Wyrms Footnotes. It shows the Agimori living in Maslo, Laskalia, Teshnos, Teleos (mislabelled) as well as Prax in the Dawn Age. It's the Agimori rather than the Doraddi (who are south of the Pamaltelan mountains). The Agimori of Pamaltela still survive along the Zuama Valley of Laskal (according to the Guide Fonrit chapter). I guess the Green Elves must have driven them out off the Maslo region. The Agimori of Teleos live where the Orange People are now. They are not mentioned but then the Teleono don't even remember the foreigners who lived among them when the Closing struck so that's not really a problem.

The EWF did not act like a ponzi scheme. A ponzi scheme collpases of its own accord. The EWF took several knocks and still kept on fighting until internal enemies destroyed it from within. The EWF was massively unequal (moreso than many bronze age civilizations) but that is not the definition of a ponzi or pyramid scheme.

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My own opinion is that they were Pure Horse People who ended up among the Hendriki in the Imperial Age. Seeking ancestors to make themselves acceptable to their new neighbours, they took up the worship of Beren and al. Thus at the start of the human resettlement, they were thoroughly accultured Orlanthi with a funny history. Other interpretations are possible and routes are possible, mind you.

Draconic Sorcery - First off learn the Dragonewt (or Dragonpower) Rune as per other runic knowledges. For the unilluminated, this can't be used for direct magic in the manner of other runes. What the sroceror does instead is to cast several rituals that resmble meditations on specific hexagrams of the I Ching. Successful completion of these rituals increases the chance of illumination. Now I don't think Draconic Sorcery can be used to cast big spells as standard sorcery already does this and there's little point in drawing up special spells that only have the same effect as standard spells. So I feel they must be manipulations of the True Dragons for some effect.

For Draconic Magic with humans, I'd say first become Draconic Illuminated. Then sacrifice for Draconic Powers using Rune Points. If draconists are shamanically inclined then they could have draconic powers has shamanic gifts. I'm still wondering how it would work with sorcery. Dragonewts don't obey these rules because they are intrinsically weird.

He was rude and I fail to see how my first response was "not helpful" even going so far as to quote the relevant section of the RQ Companion that you suggested he look at. But when someone asks to explain the Ignorants after previously talking about Herespur, one gets the feeling of being jerked around for amusement.

What references have you read? Where are you getting the Blood Sun name from? What I said was fairly basic information in the Guide but you haven't read that.

I give up,

I'm not sure I see what your problem is. I get an Aztec vibe. Greg intended an Aztec vibe (ToTRM #7 letters). As for the Cryptic Verses of the Yellow Calender, I assume the mention of the Blood Sun therein are actually references of the Red Moon and the Lunar Empire. Shargash is related to the Solar Storm IMO (or to be more technical, both are seen as Gods of the same planet).

Yelmalio is not an associate of the cult of Yelm in the core rules.

Yelmalions think the Hill of Gold was a good thing for the same reason that Christians think the Crucifixion was a good thing. Yelmalio isn't going to change to please the likes of people who think he should have good magic.

That's what the gifts and geases for. Edit: Yelmalio's magics sucks compared to others because he lost the good magics when he lost his heat.

Even since Cults of Prax the Cults have been unequal for PCs. Waha is only allowed one point of healing which hampers his worshippers in a fight (which was worse in RQ2 since they didn't have easy access to Heal Wound). Cults are intentionally unequal and that they are unsuitable for PCs is not a problem..

He is however an excellent soldier cult (and has been described as such since Cults of Prax) that does wicked phalanxes. That a hoplite does not do well fighting by himself makes Yelmalio an inferior cult for PCs but it does not make him a useless cult for gloranthans. After all a hoplite fighting in a phalanx will have a longer life expectancy than most PCs.

You want a competitive Elmali? Go to the Penyans and ask to worship Jolaty. It will hurt but then you can kick arse from Pelorian to Vormain.

The Hyalorings of Nivorah are horse-riders (cf Fortunate Succession p85 where Vuranostum is listed as a Horse Emperor). The Chariot Emperors come from what is now the Elf Sea, up the Arcos River and into Dara Happa from the north (Jenarong and his offspring are depicted as chariot riders).

There's nothing to stop ex-PHP from worshipping Beren as an Ancestor *after* they have settled among the Hendriki.

Pure Horse Tribe in the Wastelands. All that's needed is three clans moving from Prax to Kethaela sometime in the Imperial Age (before the tribe itself was destroyed). Edit: Or Part of Pure Horse Army invading Dragon Pass as part of the True Golden Horde makes a hard turn left in order to survive and ends up among the Hendriki.

Vile slander. They are initiates.

The main quest is the Seven Steps of the Goddess (HeroQuest Glorantha p182).in which the Lunar seeks to emulate the stages of the goddess through life in order to become illuminated.

They use elephants according to the Guide. They were conquered by Sheng and so would know of mounted warriors. However elephants are clearly better.

You can have austerities with practically any magic cf Yelmalio's geases. That it gives of a mystical vibe doesn't mean we have to crate a magic system out of whole cloth for it as I explained in the post you are responding to. I made the Venform school animism because that is what Greg wrote about them in myth of Venform in Revealed Mythologies.