metcalph

ALTAR TO A SMALL GOD Description: A small altar which is set before a clay figure. Upon the alter is a shallow depression which sacrifices are usually burned. The clay figures come in a variety of styles but usually look like the alter's maker. Cults: Associated: Zabandan, Ethilrist Friendly: Arkati Hostile: Ethilrist (seeing an altar dedicated to anybody else makes him feel small). Knowledge Cult Secret, Few, Owner Only. History: These altars are sacred to Ralian God Zabandan, the Receiver of Sacrifices, whose worship was condemned and suppressed by the God Learners. Because of their oppressors, his worshippers found friendly faces in the lands of their enemies, such as the EWF, the Kingdom of Night or the Carmanian Empire. But the magnitude of sacrifices required meant the worshippers were never very strong in distant lands and they soon died out. Procedure: Both the idol and the altar are made from clay which is soaked with the maker's blood. The altar is plain while the idol is shaped and garbed in the image of the maker. It is thereafter hailed as the Great God Zabandan and sacrificed to regularly. Power: Any one rune affinity of the maker's becomes awakened and can act as a source of rune magic. Rune points to oneself may be obtained and regained at the altar. The acquisition of rune magics is more complex requiring This World Quests. For example, to learn the Truesword would require the maker's idol being gifted with an iron sword taken in battle from a powerful enemy. The Priests of Zabandan had Commentaries on the Red Book that would allow them to duplicate much of the rune magic that was known in their time but only fragments of those remain. Value: The Altar and Idol have value only to their maker. The accoutrements of the Idol could be worth a fortune depending on the idol's accoutrements. Forgotten altars to Zabandan have value as abandoned treasure troves.

I think the Vadeli were resettled there from Pamaltela after the Kachasti War (Revealed Mythologies p15). They then revolted (in an alliance with Nida). Then settlers from Zerendel came and chased them away.

However the Seshnegi were a mixture of native Kachasti and the Brithini settlers (Froalar etc) settled during the Great Darkness). So it seems to me while Froalar and other Brithini knew Malkion as Malkion (they were personally related to him within a few generations) , the others knew him as Engr.

It's explictly described as being a belief of Zzabur in the Zzabur says (Revealed Mythologies p4. My problem with that is that it also links the changes in Malkion in the same terms which is something that a Brithini wouldn't acknowledge (Malkion went mad and died. End of Story).

I would just substitute Makan for Malkion in the above sentence and reserve the use of Malkion for the God that lived and died in the Sotmr Age and not as another name for the Invisible God. Given that Greg wrote about the Carmanian Malakinus at various stages in time (I make no statement about whether Malakinus still exissts), it seems unlikely to me that the Losklami would reject their identity as Malkioni and feel the Guide would have made a stronger statement about it if they did. The Brithini would have known the name Malkion. The Brithini had settlements in Fronela and Seshnela. Ergo Malkion was known in Fronela and Seshnela at the Dawn. Malkion is not the Demiurge - Makan is. Malkion is a God who was active inot the Golden and Storm Age s and died during the Great Darkness. While he lived. he taught of the Invisible God (ie something Greater than Himself) but did not feel the need to describe any linkage between him and the Invisible God (The Seshnegi and God Learners say he was the Invisible God made Flesh, hence their name for the Makan being derived from Malkion, the Loskalmi would deny this I think). Irensaval is a descriptive title (like Unmoved Mover or the Logos) rather than an organic name (ie the Invisible God knows itself by this name and has told people to address it as such). The Loskalmi would not say The Invisible God has sent us Prophets who told us to call him Irensavel". They would say "In our studies of the workings of the Invisible God throughout time and mythology, the best desription of him is that of a Hidden Mover. Therfore we shall refer to it by that name). Hrestol didn't have a clue who or what the Invisible God was best known as. He really didn't care either way. What he did teach was a revised version of Henosis (Mental Unity with God) and used that to work wonders. The philosophical material came much later from his disciples who were using the new spiritual tool to examine the cosmos.

The Kachasti settlers of Fronela in the Storm Age knew Malkion. The various Dawn Age kingdoms of Nenanduft and Isefwal knew Malkion and worshipped Irensaval as a result of a visit by Hrestol. The early Kingdom of Loskalm knew Malkion and worshipped Irensavel. The God Learner Kingdom of Frontem knew Malkion, worshipped Makan and suppressed the worship of Irensaval. The restored Kingdom of Loskalm knew Malkion, hated Makan and worshipped Irensaval.

Regarding the Onion Dome, I find it helpful to borrow the explanation for the architectural feature rather than posit the Jonatings as Russians. ie they represent Candles, they are meant to pierce Heaven so that the blessings of the Sky fall out etc.

He appears in Revealed Mythologies p25 when talking about Brithos. As for the original question, Malkioni was a God who lived and died in the Gods War. He is a fond memory among the Malkioni long after his death. The Invisible God is a God beyond all Gods who always is and will be. Makan is the Invisible God in Malkion's image, reasoning just like Malkion was in the God Time so the Invisble God must be. He is a Seshnelan belief, well-understood before the Jrustelan diaspora and promulgated by the Middle Sea Empire with varying degrees of success around the world (ie The Loskalmi love Malkion, hate Makan and worship Irensavel the Hidden Mover, their name for the Invisible God). So is Engr the name of Malkion among the Brithini? No. Brithos is a fairly recent settlement by the Zzaburi and would have been little more than a name picked from by the natives be they Kachasti or Vadeli. The Brithini IMO have always known the Invisible God as the Invisible God and further elaborations of its properties as witless wafflings.

Teshnan Waveblade Description: A wavy-bladed sword. Cults: Associated: Somash, Sshorg Friendly: River Cults Knowledge: Automatic, Common History: These blades were first made in Storm Age Teshnos, representing the serpentine might of Sshorg. They were used by Foot-soldiers then as the nobles of the Zaranistangi preferred to remain true to the Red Sword that Tolat had given them. Soravatoor is the Hero who changed this. He declared that the waves was but the undulations of the Sky River. Armed with this truth, he fought the Zaranistangi in battle and defeated them. Since then, the blades have become the favourite weapon of the Nobles of Teshnos. They are found further west as a chance trophy of some Praxian raider or, most curiously, retrieved from the mud surrounding Corflu. Procedure: Any redsmith with sufficient practice could make a passable waveblade. Only the smiths of Teshnos have had the sufficient practice to make such swards to date. Powers: A waveblade counts as an elemental weapon for both fire and water for the purposes of Runic Inspiration (RuneQuest Glorantha p227) Value: A waveblade had little value other than a functional surio and so would rarely sell for more than 60 Lunars in Prax and Dragon Pass. Among the Teshnans they are status weapons among the nobility and the possession of one by an outsider is enough to mark him as a thief or a murderer,

God Forgotten Spell Ascender A blank crystal inscribed with a rune with other surrounding runes providing ancillary benefit. The crystal is usually set in some other device such as the pommel of a sword, a wand or a necklace. Ascenders associated with the Death Rune are the most common. Cults Associated: God Forgot. Friendly: Aeolian Hostile: Other Malkioni ("Magical Walking Sticks?!? The very idea!") Knowledge: Few, Common History: The origin of these devices lie in a simple philosophical exercise to derive the principles of Sorcery from spirit and rune magics. One day, Reiruof wondered if sorcery could be derived from spirit magic and also from rune magic, then could rune magic be derived from spirit magic? The results were anti-climatic but they led to the construction of the Spell Ascenders that would allow ascend certain spirit magic spells into their rune magic equivalents. They are usually found in the hands of the leading warriors of God Forgot to give them an edge in conflict although important people among the Bandori are gifted these as a sign of friendship. Procedure: The spell Ascenders are made from The principle of the runes construction is fairly basic but tedious and only certain crafters in God Forgot spend their time making them. Powers: Each Spell Ascender is associated with a specific rune. Casting a spirit magic spell through the Ascender transforms it into a near-equivalent Rune Magic Spell. Thus: Befuddle - Moon - Madness Bladesharp - Death - Truesword Demoralize - Darkness - Fear Disruption - Disorder - Shattering Heal - Any - Heal wound. Protection - Any - Shield Ascended spells are cast as per rune spells in terms of chance of success and rune point cost (which is usually to a specific rune rather than a God). Some spell combinations are impossible or only rumoured such as the Spell Ascender/Fireblade combination which was possibly made up to insult a visiting Seshnegi noble. Value: Worth 1000 Lunars to one who knows them and how to use them.

Plate of Heads A large silver plate with one or more severed heads resting atop them. The plates are usually inscribed with the name of the Plate's maker and the blessing that he or she seeks from Seseine. Cults: Associated: Seseine. Friendly: Thanatar (They just like the concept) Enemy: Non-Chaotic Cults. Knowledge: Cult Secret, Few History: The origins of the first plate has been lost and the Priestesses of Seseine have better things to do than find out. It has been long known in Fonrit and has recently appeared in Genertela in two places: Nochet, where Fonritan sailors and travellers are often seen, and the Lunar Empire has part of a custom introduced by Send Valu, a demigoddess from Dorastor. Procedure: A silver plate is made and inscribed with the blessing to be desired. The ritually prepared head of one or more enemies of the plate's maker is then placed on the plate. The plate and head is then consecrated to Seseine with the cost of 3 points of POW. To avoid damage to the plate, it is usually then sealed up behind a wall or donated to the nearest temple of Seseine. Powers: The plate confers an increase of +30% in the requested skill per head so long as the plate and heads remain intact. The plate's maker is thereafter tainted by chaos. Value: The silver in the plate is worth about 500 Lunars. The value of the plate to the maker is priceless.

The Wheel of Hemkarba A shallow jade disc surrounded by a mechanism of six concentric geared rings. The rings have a pattern of short and long dashes at regular intervals. The rings are manipulated to form a pattern of eight exotic runes around the jade dish. The rings move freely until one arrangement is found, which is apparently dependant on the particular magic in the area. Cults Associated: Godunya Friendly: The Eunuchs of the Closed Hill. Hostile: Lhankor Mhy, Mandarins Knowledge Few, Cult Secret History Godunya developed this when he lived in Dragon Pass to teach the backward natives there truth from error and wisdom from lies. Its open study is discouraged within Kralorela for the wisdom of Hemkarba (their name for the EWF) is coarsely unsuited for the refined moral temperament on the Kralori. Should students persist in their study, the local Mandarins are all too happy to arrange for their studies to be completed in the Imperial palace of the Closed Hill, a fortune which few find themselves strong enough to decline. The appearance of a wheel in the Holy Country after the Opening caused great consternation among the Lhankorings of that land as they recognized its similarity to their revered Alien Combination Machine, a prized tool of their God. A great disputation was then had over which was invented first, which resolved nothing. An observation by Carvak Zirvan of God Forgot, about the similarity of both to the Prayer Wheels of the bygone Machine City was probably dismissed much quicker than it should have been. Procedure: The wheels are made by master crafters within the Closed Hill. They are given as gifts by travelling eunuchs to scholars interested in the wisdom of Hemkarba in exchange for favours to be performed at a later date. A comment that one could find ten in any student dormitory has earned the speaker a whipping. Powers Thw full powers of the Wheel within Kralorela are large. Its usefulness in Dragon Pass has been to render Draconic Energies intelligible to the wisdom of Lhankor Mhy (ince the hexagrams have been simply deciphered to their Theyalan equivalent). The effect is to add a multiplier of INT (to a maximum of x4) in the creating New Spells Table (RuneQuest Glorantha p390) when Draconic Magics are intended to be created. Price The cost of materials and labour in making the Wheel has been estimated at 2000 L. The real cost in Kralorela is both political and personal. The cost of using one in Dragon Pass has been the open contempt of the Lhankoring Sages for "Kralori Blasphemy".

Safelstran religion is based on RW neo-platonist theurgy - the worship of the Gods to become Illuminated. Hence their religious leaders are not sorcerers and watchers like the Seshnegi but Priests and Rune Lords who also practice various occult exercises in secret. This apostasy has earned them the condemnation and ridcule from more orthodox Malkioni.

Saints are still there (Guide p51) but in a heavily reduced capacity. Most Aeolians would know that Orlanth is a God, not a Saint or Ascended Master (think of the difference between Zeus and Plato). If you want an exotic form of Orlanth, then it would be better to use Aerlit, who is found in Seshnela and is, ancestral to a dynasty of Kings there, (although there is also a Coalat). Have his worshippers be a deviant warrior order who were brought eastward by Rikard the Tigerhearted. Worlath is mentioned only in Umathela, suggesting that Orlanth is known by that name there.

Your sole intention has been to cause up trouble by making up a supposed duel. Your claims of innocence are as fraudulent as your original post.

It's less than pleasant to see sotakss make up lies about me.

There may be a more prosiac explanation. In Dragon Past 1 (WF #15 p53), the Praxians led a mysterious expedition to Dorastor in between which they are visiting Aggar before returning home in 1611, I think the Morokanth there (say about 500 or so) were members of that expedition and have just found these lands to be interesting enough (lack of humans) to avoid returning home.

Looking at the Bestiary (didn't think to check it the first time around), there's also Giants (at the fringes), Morokanth (!!), Tusk Riders and Wind Children that could be found in the area. It seems to be the furthest extent of the Morokanth so there must be something they are up to there.

There's mention about how the trolls of Halikiv could get over the mountains (Glorantha Sourcebook Map p165) so the ground could be a disputed hunting ground between the Ormsgoners and Halikiv. After all, there's no Sun Dome Temple to check the Darkness there. Also the woods would be thick with Hydras. The big secretthat I can think of is that it was the place where the EWF found the Great Dragon (Guide p133 and p135) so there would be plenty of EWF ruins there associated with the Great Dragon with the intention of making it bigger. Nowadays these would be sealed over by Blue Moon curses and spirits so beware!

Joerg, this really isn't the place for deep gloranthan discussion of putting forward your theories as facts. If there's no textual evidence, leave it out on the RQ forums.

They were always Orlanthi. Although the Westerners considered them Hsunchen, that has been described as fallacious.

The current owner of Truth is Dayzatar. As to what Lhankor's main runes are, take it to the glorantha discussion. I'm really not interested in exegesis of on-line documents to promote some contrary version of Lhankor Mhy. Lhankor Mhy teaches sorcery. It is not an optional part of him taught by a cult hero but a core part of his identity, I've already stated my position about the prevalence of sorcery among Lhankor Mhy worshippers - engage with that rather than waste time with trivia. Where is this reference to Lhankorings being persecuted because they know sorcery? He's one of the Lightbringers! His magic is by definition Good (largely because it's useless but still!) The RuneQuest Runes state differently as referred to by the mention of Torvald's fragments being in the temples. I fail to see how you can go from there to only a minority of Holy Country libraries.

I used the words expected and ideal rather than mandatory.. There is any number of reasons why a starting Lhankoring would not have knowledge of sorcery. That does not alter the expectation that he should learn sorcery to truly know Lhankor Mhy rather than it being an option.

Now you are just being dishonest and inflammatorily so. I am not going to engage with you further seeing that you are on another trip to meltdown city.

p389 of the RuneQuest Rules. To get away from this, people have resorted to saying this applies only if they learn sorcery. Which is not stated in the text. Again a fairly clear mention of being taught sorcery. To get around it, you have to again mentally insert qualifications that are nowhere present in the text. People have used the last sentence to infer that the teaching of sorceyr to cult initiates is optional. All that it means is that the cult does not teach sorcery to lay members. Pretty much most temples of Lhankor Mhy have a copy of Torvald's Fragments from which they teach spells. Rather clear cut to me. Now I dislike the Sorcery is optional interpretation of Lhankor Mhy and provided the more nuanced Sorcery is an ideal earlier in this thread .which preserves the split nature of Lhankoring magics, which the RAW only interpretation suggests. Please discuss that rather that persist in making false statements about what I said.