metcalph

I admit I am reinterpreting the old text to fit in what is known about Safelster today as opposed to when the text was written. A key part in my observation was that the Arkati make a big deal about opposing Chaos yet they live in Ralios... which hardly has any major infestations (Karia has just woken up within the past decade or two whereas the Arkati have been around for a millenium). A way of reconciling the absolutism of the Cults of Terror might be this. The Arkati are following a branch of Neo-Platonism (Iamblichus IIRC) in which they substitute Henosis (mental unity with the One Mind that is central to other Malkioni wizards - mentioned in RQG p384 in learning new runes) with mental unity with the pagan gods. The only Gods they avoid are the Lords of Terror hence their prohibition*. It also gives other Malkioni schools a good reason to call the Arkati heretics when they tolerate worship of pagan gods within their own society. But we have to wait for the Invisible God book... *Setting Arkat the Devil aside who probably is even more complicated.

It was a random encounter in Griffin Mountain. Please don't be afraid to start new threads in the future.

Their condemnation of chaos comes not from unthinking instinct but through a rational appreciation of the dangers. Although they hate chaos, they hate Gbaji even more and focus their attentions of eliminating his worship. However this leads to problems. There is no widely accepted definition of who worships Gbaji and as a result the first solution they arrive at is the Arkati of the other cities are Gbajites (they can and do make exceptions). The second is that they hate Gbaji so much and Chaos not that much (because of illumination, see) that a few Arkati find working with Chaos to use against servants of Gbaji to be morally acceptable.

You may want your army as effective as they can be. Quite a few real world armies have been staffed by officers who chose to field increasingly poor quality troops for a variety of sad and depressing reasons. If you are training horse archers and putting time and money in the training then they won't be trained in Kuschile Horse Archery. If you prefer to steal the money for which you have been given for those troops or you need new horse archers right now because Sheng just slaughtered your old ones, then Kuschile Horse Archery is just the thing for you!

Wyrms Footnotes #15 has an article on the Upland Marsh but really he's kinda like the Crimson Bat or the Horrors of Dorastor - too powerful to be used in a Boss Fight.

There are no *dragonewts* in Pamaltela. Pamaltelan Dinosaurs (excluding Slon) are mentioned in the Guide in Tarien and Jolar. For example Molibasku p582, Tarien Regional Activity p610, Sligo River p615

There were healing baths in the vicinity of the White Sea which Umath attended and was ambushed by Shargash. However the source is IIRC Thunder Rebels.

Moladehas or Mouladehas? Mouladehas is found on pages 3, 47, 87 and index Moladehas is found on page 33 and index.

On page 40, the Elf Story has two subheadings "The First Plantings" and "The Second Plantings". On page 41, it's just "The Third Planting". Consider making the third heading a plural.

She's implicitly included as one of the Grain Goddesses detailed on p9.

The current version *is* the old version. Esrola as the Middle Sister was something introduced in Storm Tribe: the Cults of Sartar.

Not sure whether this is an error but Gorgorma has runes of earth, moon and death p51.

Suggest replacing Dragon Pass with Apple Lane. Dunno where the Rockwoods Temple is.

p125 in a discussion of the Rune Lord, there are too paths listed - Bearwalker and Champion. I suggest that the highlighted word be replaced with either Odaylan or Champion to avoid confusion with the Bearwalker's path of the previous paragraph.

Mythology is due out in October and Moon is the first in 2024. https://www.chaosium.com/blogreleasing-october-mythology-book-for-the-cults-of-runequest-series/

Halfhalodos the Nonwise (the Founder of the Temple of United Eurmal) was persuaded by some of his subjects to buy some Zistorite Prayer Wheels going cheap that could be trained to generate gibberish which when feed to his subjects would reverse their insanity. Unfortunately the first bit of gibberish only made them say something so profoundly blasphemous that the Cosmos immediately destroyed the God Learners.

He wouldn't be the first god to disown his loser dad in favour of a more illustrious ancestor. Just saying.

Speaking of the Cult of Orlanth, there's something quite unusual. In a discussion of the Crown Test (CoR:Lightbringers p22), there is this: I've a feeling this was meant to be (or originally was) the Elmali Priest along the lines of King of Sartar. But since Elmal has been unpersoned (which is why I don't think this is an error), a more hilarious option seems to have been chosen. Kinda adds a time pressure on the Crown Tests.

I think Zzabur cast the Closing because the Middle Sea Empire had attacked Brithos. They had done it once before and who's to say they won't do it again? Sure relations with the Empire are fine and dandy at the moment but Zzabur always takes the longest view.

The Zistorite wonders were peculiar to the Machine City. None magical technology could have been propagated but it's important to remember: technology is a worker's job and spells is a wizard's job. A wizard who interests himself in technology is failing his obligations as a wizard to master sorcery. Thus there's no incentive for a wizard to study technology and set up factories elsewhere within the Middle Sea Empire. A worker could but he's only a commoner and hence unlikely to gain the ear of the nobility. As for the wider Middle Sea Empire involvement:

p122 "God Learner University of Yaraday" - Should be Yoranday.

I don't think the Emperors were worshipped as they were kinda more secular rulers. The magic that the God Learners had exacted from their citizens were funneled to their wizards to use. The Wizards spent a fair bit of that magic on their rulers (spells both protective and pangyrical) but most of the magic was used for their own researches and spells. Their caste duty that they must obey their nobles kept them in check even if it made them carry out otherwise silly projects.

Middle Sea Empire weapons were more like Manhattan projects than research a better type of Fireball. Most of their weapons were developed against the Dragons and they seem to have been successful in that the EWF was fought to a near standstill. Once the Dragons in a given theatre were neutralized via a cat-and-mouse game of crafted spells, the regular troops could then deal with the opposing army. As for mention, the God Learners had Zistor tear down the walls of Esrolia (King of Sartar p80), a big fire missile which destroys half a city (sent by a merchant guild! - History of the Heortling Peoples p81) and the Two Year Winter (Fortunate Succession p36). There were probably others but records from that time are scant (destruction of the Machine City, Sinking of Slontos etc)

A map by Jeff ( https://wellofdaliath.chaosium.com/the-middle-sea-empire/ ) shows the extent of Jrusteli control over the Eastern Isles. They reached as far as the Boil in the South and the extent of their reach in the north was probably the Andin and Arandinni Isles. They never controlled Hanfarador but the Pearl Islands were definitely within their control (an Emperor is cited as having tried a diet from there). I kinda think that the centres of God Learner power were the Jabbi Isles (where the Valkarians still are) and the Pearl Isles. The Valkarians were resistant to the God learns and probably escaped lasting damage from their downfall. The Pearl Isles seem much reduced in population and prestige compared to Hanfarador and so I think the Eastern seas Empire targeted them for retribution from which they still have to recover. The alleged superiority of the Mokatan ships is primarily Waertagi cope trying to explain why their ships weren't doing so well against the, Their ships were normal although I do think they had some boil-crossers to launch naval raids. People attempted to reach Vormain proper several times but were all killed off. I think Travellers could make their way around the Hinter Isles and chat with the exiles (so long as they didn't ask anything about Vormain proper). Vormain was IMO in a too hard basket for now as the Eastern seas Empire was still active. To control pirates, I think both the Middle Sea Empire and the New Dragons Ring spent their time sending Kaiju into Vormain proper (MSE from the Jabbi Isles, NDR from Desolation Isle) as a low cost alternative to a full-scale invasion.

The burning down the woods of Vralos was done in 654 ST when the God Learners were far from organized (the Abiding Book was only written nine years before and the Seshnegi are still to be conquered by the Dark Empire). The only resources available were Seshnegi migrants who had been there for sixty years and the First Migrants who had been there for another century before. So the destruction was really done by local wizards who unleashed big spells against the centres of elvish power and men with axes took care of the rest. As for Errinoru's interactions, we only have a single document from the Middle Sea Empire p50-p51. There's a single invasion - the battle of Talking Beach - in which they were driven off. Some years later Errinoru sends a raiding fleet down the (Pamaltelan) coast aided by the Triolini. They destroyed about four cities before they engaged with a God Learner Fleet and drove it off. Errinoru sends his ship down Magasta's Pool before remerging in Kahar's Sea. He then visits Fethlon and south and western Genertela before returning home. The events outlined in this document differ radically from Errinoru's history in the Guide (he circumnavigates first then goes down the pool before landing from the Sky) as it is undoubtedly an early outline. While the Battle of Talking Beach probably happened, its implied date in the document (before 734 ST) is kinda too early for the God Learners to be launching a massive invasion miles away from their nearest lands. The Dark Empire has not yet been destroyed, Kralorela has still to be captured and the Lopers are still causing trouble in Maniria. Even if it was the Umathelans, the geographical argument would still apply. So the dating of all this is up in the air. As for the strange insect - it might be the God Learners (unlikely IMO as their empire was being smashed apart by the Closing), Trolls (again unlikely as the Jungle Trolls are friendly and the Tarmo too distant), the Dwarves (unlikely as they don't work with insects) or Pamalt (who was blamed in the original Gods of Glorantha for halting the spread of the Jungle). It could even be internal elvish politics.