M Helsdon

Yes. I have a few books on the Benin bronzes on order. Sadly, there appear to be no actual finds of pieces of armor, but the same is mostly so for other items of bronze armor, world wide - finds are relatively rare compared with the number of pieces there must have been in use, because it was recycled.

After working through my books (presently sitting in piles of books or disorganized on shelves) have found a fair number on Africa - but, all pretty much of the Colonial Era. I suspect that much of the Guide illustrations on Fonrit are derived in part from the Benin Bronzes, and whilst I have seen some of these, I don't have a book about them (cue search online for books). Some of the West African states had significant armies, but, there's relatively little on them available outside academic circles, and other than documentation about them by the Colonial powers, there's very little available. However, this lack of documentation is true, even for armies we tend to think of as well documented (Macedonians, Successors, yes, even the Romans). So I am pondering whether to embark on this project. European armed forces only became superior to those they encountered, when the advantage of rifles over muskets became apparent, and even then weren't a guarantee of victory. There is a bit of a disconnect, because most Gloranthan cultures are roughly equivalents of Late Bronze Age/Iron Age, and whilst bronze (and iron) working goes back a long way in West Africa, there's virtually nothing known of those earlier cultures, and it is necessary to rely upon almost modern cultures, like the Oyo and others dating to around the 12th Century onwards. Am not sure if this is a sufficient basis. Obviously Fonrit isn't a copy of a West African empire, so getting the look and feel is important. Horses weren't unknown in West Africa, and many states had cavalry described as knights by Europeans, and of course, horses are rare in Pamaltela.

I for one would like to see how much I've got severely wrong, and how much more I could have gleaned from these in writing Men of the West... I did pick up a copy of the GreGanth Atlas a while back and used it as a source for The Armies and Enemies of Dragon Pass - didn't copy the maps, but after studying it, it provided a view on the interaction of the various cultures in Peloria.

It's a few years since I saw a draft. Uz armies are basically war gangs. The only ones that seem more organized are part of the Kimantorings and those are covered in Armies & Enemies. With an official product in the works and a JC publication already present, it is a bit... crowded. Whilst I have read some books on Chinese ancient warfare, I have no knowledge of some of the genres that seem to feed into Kralorela. At the moment I am assessing Pamaltela as a possibility, though I need to check with Chaosium.

Now at silver. https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/325525/Men-of-the-West?affiliate_id=2310005

Now at silver. https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/325525/Men-of-the-West?affiliate_id=2310005

There's not really much I could add beyond what is in the Guide and the Different Worlds article. Whilst I use Chaosium material (with permission prior to publication) there's not a great deal I could add to dwarves. Well, I do. For the past eight years I was the carer for a parent, for the last three, intensively so, usually at their home for twelve or so hours a day and on call outside that. It is no coincidence that this coincides with the work on Armies & Enemies of Dragon Pass, as it kept me busy and distracted when there wasn't a need to do anything - though I was there for 'emergencies' which became increasingly common. I could sit with the laptop or sketching pad ready. I had started work on Men of the West a few weeks before they suddenly died, and resumed work on it to help with the black pit a few months later. I am now clearing their home, and my own, because I'd promised I would look after their garden and pets, but can't work on this continuously, so am deliberating another project. Again, there's the issue that available official material would be tricky to expand on. There has been an official work on the Uz in the works for some time, so like Kralorela it is not viable. Am pondering northern Pamaltela...

Am now between projects. Sadly an Eastern supplement to balance the West is unlikely, given an official Kralorela book is in the works. I did consider Fonrit, but that may not be viable topic at present.

Probably depends on what definition of henosis you follow. The one I adopted is: Union and unity with the Invisible God through self-mastery. Several techniques of henosis are practiced by different Malkioni sects. For the Hrestoli the paths involve clearing the Mind, overcoming the Self, and ascending to achieve Unity with the One who existed before Being. This ascension is opposed by many - Erasanchula, zzaburi wizards, and other forces, but once it is achieved, the state of Joy has been reached. If you explore its basis in terrestrial philosophies and religions, you'll also find a variety of methodologies, ranging from meditation to ritual, to certain types of prayer. As noted, there is undoubtedly more than one Gloranthan route to Joy. [This probably deserves its own thread.]

Sorcery is implicitly rational, cool, intellectual, almost the application of a mathematical algorithm; Joy is its antithesis: an emotional and ecstatic release, henosis with the transcendent One awakening the ‘inner light’ of the essential soul. The variant paths to Joy all follow the same general path of Preparation, Revelation, Return, Teaching, and ultimately, Dissolution. Hrestolism and other cults of Joy reemerge now and then throughout Seshnela even in the late Third Age. One Rokari Watcher described it as a “plague of joyful madmen washing through the rural lands.” See 'Men of the West' for an exploration of Western beliefs. https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/325525/Men-of-the-West?src=hottest_filtered

What's interesting is that based on archaeological evidence, pigs were very definitely on the menu in the Near East, up to around 1000 BC, and there was then a significant decline. There's no clear reason why, but it may be due to an increase in the presence of trichinella parasites, or more likely because around that date human farming and logging was starting to impact local conditions, and pigs need water and woodland. People were increasingly exploiting the woodlands for building structures and especially ships and temples. In much of the Near East, once you chop the trees down, the ecology can't recover, which is so for most of the Mediterranean woodland zone. Pigs were therefore expensive to maintain, so became taboo. The destruction of the forests even features in the Epic of Gilgamesh, and much later the Roman Emperor Hadrian attempted to prohibit the destruction of the cedar forests in what is now Lebanon. Despite all the problems of that country, the Lebanese are now attempting to replant cedars, and one of the measures used is to ban goats, because goats are so destructive to woodland. Of course, in Glorantha, many of the forests are likely to have guardians.

[Shameless plug] Whilst it is non-canonical, Armies and Enemies of Dragon Pass goes into some detail of the cavalry types and tactics of the major Praxian tribes, derived in part by material written about the topic by Sandy Petersen. There's also detail about whilst Praxian beasts can be used to pull chariots (in Sartar etc. not Prax). As a detail, I suspect that this is an example of how the RQ rulebook can't cover everything without becoming a ten volume set.

The Brithini are going to be rational, logical, and in the case of sorcerers very egotistical, Zzabur most of all; as one of the Original Beings, he may embody the Magic Rune. The Malkioni are far more... human, in part because in the Great Darkness those on the mainland had to break their caste laws; most who didn't (except those of Arolanit and a few scattered enclaves) did not survive to see the Dawn. The Brithini are not Malkioni, because Malkion himself broke his own Laws when he left the Tower of Intellect and entered gross matter in an attempt to save his people. Zzabur rejects him. The Malkioni are now human, of numerous different cultures and beliefs, and even those like the Rokari who strive to return to the ways of the Brithini, are very different from their ancient ancestors. The Brithini view all the Malkioni on the mainland as erratic, short-lived deeply flawed creatures. Most Malkioni have fun, even those of the Rokari religion. [Have attempted to go into this in my most recent non-canonical Jonstown Compendium offering.] Arcane Lore, whilst very interesting, has to be read with care, as it is collection of various concepts and ideas, many of which aren't part of Gloranthan canon. Revealed Mythology is more useful.

Many events, before and during Time, have multiple causes: often potent magics by disparate groups, that either combine together or are 'coincidental' in generating major world-changing effects. Each group, of course, knows they were solely responsible, even if this isn't really true. So Zzabur certainly did do some significant acts, but many of the greatest he claims, were not his alone.

Nothing at present.

Well, the Yggites certainly sail and captain ships, and they worship Ygg, a Storm God, though apparently many later turn to Orlanth. Hmm, both the Prince of Sartar comic and HeroQuest Glorantha show Esrolian ships, both triremes and biremes, with Esrolian crews, though doubtless most of their oarsmen are Islanders, and they undoubtedly carry Dormal worshippers. Unlike smaller rivers, some of the rivers of Glorantha are enormous, virtually long narrow seas. If you have sailed on the lower Nile or a similar river, you get a very different impression to sailing on an ordinary river. As my cousin's in-laws said, when walking along a river in England 'that's not a river - it's a stream!' and if you have seen the Yamuna, a mere tributary of the Ganges, you will appreciate the difference. The Oslir, the Janube, the Lower Tanier are very wide, for much of their flow, a mile or two wide, no choke-holds, and sailed by vessels not similar to sea craft, including penteconters. The Tigris has always been more demanding than the Euphrates for river traffic, but there was considerable traffic even in Assyrian times, and of course, the Assyrians claimed to have conquered Cyprus, using Phoenician ships. However, even the Euphrates isn't the Janube... I wouldn't be so sure... I'm sorry - I don't understand what you are saying here. Hmm, the Esrolians seem to be very much into the sea trade, including warships and merchant vessels. Based on the sources, they also supply officers and marines. I suspect you are underestimating the cultural impact of the great rivers, especially in Peloria, Fronela, Ralios, and Seshnela. I suspect that the problem arises from your narrow interpretation of The Orlanthi are <take any naval raiding culture engaging in cattle herding and non-irrigation farming> without ships. Mycenean, Sea People, Saxon, Viking, Slav, Baltic, Barbary Corsair, Kilikians, Scoti, Veneti... Whilst there are elements of these cultures in the subset of Orlanthi cultures found in Dragon Pass, it excludes others, such as the Thracians, Dacians, Hittites (though they also claimed to have ruled at least part of Cyprus - without a sea-going tradition), the Celtiberians, etc. No Gloranthan culture maps exactly onto any terrestrial culture.

In the non-canonical JC 'Men of the West' mention is made of how the Mammoth War Society of Seshnela treasures the ivory relics of its Martial Beast, and how it has to procure mammoth hides and tusks from merchants...

Just been sketching Gloranthan graffiti, and mentioned to the recipient that I'd used a pad and ink, and was asked what application Ink is... I suddenly feel very old, but then I draw using tech that isn't that different to that used by an Ancient Egyptian scribe.

Well, it's now Copper on DriveThruRPG. Am a little surprised as the West is probably a niche of a niche. Not certain there will be another in this series, as for other regions my available information is basically the Guide and perhaps one or two of the Stafford Library books, so less easy to work in, without copying. In comparison, the center of Genertela had masses of sources, and the West, whilst less developed, isn't short of 'seed' material. Other regions, for my purposes, far less so.

Well, the Esrolians are Orlanthi: they have ships, some of the largest humans have before the Waertagi come back. Some of the Janube valley Orlanthi probably have ships. The Orlanthi of southern Peloria have ships, on the Oslir. The Orlanthi of Ralios have ships on the Upper Tanier. The Umathelans have ships. Some of those use ships for trading, war, and probably raiding.

I wonder if the usage came in when the term Theyalans started to be used, which in-world is a God Learner term, and it wouldn't be used by 'those who worship the Pantheon of Orlanth and the Lightbringers' because they don't seem to worship Theya themselves?

Wyrms Footnotes 15 is perhaps the best source. https://www.chaosium.com/wyrms-footnotes-15-pdf/

There are a number of makes of potentially useful figures. Personally, I see Parthian and Sassanid cataphracts as a reasonably close fit, and there are a number of manufacturers. Sarmatians, Bactrians, as well.

Zzabur wrote the Blue, Red, and Brown Books, among others.

I don't believe there were constant thunderstorms, just constant battering winds that just stop at the interface, as the currents of air will converge and get compressed together, so wind speeds will increase the closer you get to the boundary. Gloranthan physics isn't the same as terrestrial physics, but thunderstorms need warm air to rise and cool, and that isn't what is happening, though it might in places as cold and warm air mixes; instead the winds aren't rising up, they just vanish.