M Helsdon

Now 321 pages. (Of course most of the appendices could be chopped out). Some material may be appearing in the next Wyrms Footnotes. Introduction......................................... 5 Warfare................................................ 6 Troop Types...................................... 7 Weapons and Armor......................... 9 Non-Human Weapons and Armor.... 35 Unit Organization............................ 36 Innovation...................................... 50 Regional Warfare................................ 52 Pelorian Warfare............................. 53 The Holy Country............................. 63 The Horse Nations........................... 65 Hsunchen Warfare........................... 68 Orlanthi Warfare............................. 68 Praxian Warfare.............................. 74 Other Facets of Warfare.................. 76 Tribute and Taxes............................ 85 The Battlefield.................................... 88 The Battleground............................ 88 Asymmetry..................................... 91 Articulation..................................... 91 Infantry........................................... 91 Cavalry.......................................... 102 Fliers............................................. 111 Chariots......................................... 112 Vexillae......................................... 117 Artillery......................................... 117 Magical.......................................... 118 War Dogs....................................... 119 Warships....................................... 119 Heroes.......................................... 124 Transport and Mobility...................... 125 The Campaign Year........................ 126 Roads and Warfare........................ 129 Water and Warfare........................ 135 Terrain.......................................... 137 Fortifications and Siege Warfare........ 142 Siege Weapons.............................. 142 History of Fortification................... 144 Fortifications................................. 145 Arcane Warfare................................. 159 Religion and Warfare..................... 162 Magical Warfare............................ 162 Gods of War...................................... 180 War Gods of the Lunar Empire........ 183 War Gods of Sartar and Heortland.. 189 War Gods of Esrolia........................ 192 War Gods and Spirits of Prax.......... 193 War Gods of the Horse Nations...... 194 Plates................................................ 196 Armies of Central Genertela.............. 205 Lunar Army.................................... 205 Sartar Free Army............................ 221 Independents................................ 226 Hero Wars Army Lists......................... 239 Lunar Army List.............................. 240 Sartar Free Army List...................... 259 Independents List.......................... 268 Appendices....................................... 284 Beasts of War................................ 284 Temples and Towers...................... 286 Fazzur Wideread............................ 294 The Seshnelan Army...................... 298 Weapon Use.................................. 300 Figures for Gloranthan Armies....... 301 Phalanx Commands....................... 302 Equivalent Military Ranks.............. 303 Index................................................ 307

All true; Hwarin's influence was geographically limited during the Celestial Empire, and other than Sylila (and perhaps Imther) didn't last in the other southern regions until the Lunar resurgence. But with the source of metal closed down, the Singing Road won't be carrying very much tribute. It's interesting that the only regiment Imther provided to the Provincial Army is the Kareiston’s Templars, and I can't see that remaining unless the Overseer makes other arrangement with the Temple. Probably some very interesting politicking between whoever rules in Hilltown, the Temple, and the Provincial government...

Corrected in the document. My assumptions are covered in a later subsection: Temples Temples are always significant economic and political entities and many are militarily important, raising and maintaining their own warbands and regiments. Even temples not primarily concerned with war have their units of temple guards; temples are repositories of significant wealth, and do not rely solely upon their magical defenses. As a rule, temples take a fifth to a quarter of the harvest of their tenant farmers on their lands and tithe their congregations. In Peloria some temples own large slave plantations and so profit entirely from the produce. The Sun Dome Temples also derive revenue from the mercenary companies and regiments they hire out. Those within the Provincial Kingdoms often offset this against the taxes and tributes required by the king. I have no insight to this. From 1623 Imther is in a bit of a mess, politically and economically. Do you mean Lunar Provincial Overseer? I'd forgotten that the Provincial Government was only set up in 1545.

The material below is in part derived from material previously posted by Jeff and Harald, and inspired by a book on the logistics of the Assyrian Army... May seem like a very dry topic, but armies have to be fed and paid, and tribute and tax caravans are potential targets for 'adventurers' after the Liberation of Sartar... [Other sections detail the Orlanthi system, and Cities and Temples.] Tribute and Taxes Whilst armies in the field can enrich themselves with plunder and loot, this is rarely a means of financing and equipping a professional army. Instead, soldiers and mercenaries are paid for their service, by means of taxes and tribute, and booty is treated as supplementary income. In Solar (and Lunar) societies, soldiers are granted land upon retirement; in Storm societies (and the Sun Dome Templars), professional warriors are generally supported by the land granted to them by their liege, worked by tenant farmers or members of their own family. Lunar Provincial Kingdoms Each of the Provincial Kingdoms of the Lunar Empire is expected to provide a yearly tribute to the Provincial Overseer at Mirin’s Cross. To pay this tribute, the Provincial Kings often impose forced collections, such as an extra tenth of the harvest, or a tax on land, herds, and other goods. A similar system operates in each of the Lunar Satrapies, with a tithe in crops and herds, and taxes. Each satrapy includes tribute collection centers. Permanent and temporary toll collection points may also be set up on roads, and at river crossings to impose transit taxes on traders and travelers. On a smaller scale, tribute gatherers collect tribute from peripheral and client states. Until 1625 the Grazelands provided horses (mostly destined for the Provincial Army), and the tribes of Sartar, cattle. Much of the tribute collected is in the form of herd animals; these booty columns require an escort. Tax collectors have numerous opportunities to enrich themselves. A tribute caravan is escorted by an armed retinue, but as the Hero Wars progress, professional soldiers drawn from the Provincial Army are utilized. At one time the rulers of each kingdom were expected to present themselves and their tribute to the court of the Overseer, but in recent Wanes their envoys and other emissaries travel with the tribute caravans to Mirin’s Cross. These are either officials such as eorls, or senior Etyries merchants. The tribute supports the offices of the Provincial Government: Procurement and Disbursement which collects taxes; the Provincial Army; the Guide for the Lunar Way. Each office is staffed by Buseri scribes. The Office of Procurement and Disbursement is then responsible for collecting and collating the tribute and taxes sent downriver to the imperial heartland. It also distributes material to the other offices. The Provincial Army, commanded by the Imperial Provincial General, uses its share of tribute to support the army. Foodstuffs are stored in depots; horses are distributed to cavalry regiments; metals are stored or worked into weapons and armor to fill the arsenals; coin is used to pay the scribes, artisans and other free workers. Each Provincial Kingdom is expected to recruit, equip and pay the troops it contributes to the Provincial Army. The exact system varies, with some regiments being raised and maintained by cities or temples, and some effectively being hired mercenaries. When they are deployed, the Office of the Provincial Army takes responsibility for their wages and other logistical requirements. The same is true for imperial regiments serving with the Provincial Army. Traditionally, this changeover occurs when they march through the gates of Mirin’s Cross. Provincial Kingdom Tribute Route to Mirin’s Cross Aggar Coin, Maize, Metalwork, Pottery, Wheat, Wine From Eneal by barge on the Forantin and Oslir rivers. Holay Coin, Maize, Slaves, Wheat, Wine From Filichet via the Daughter’s Road. Imther Bronze, Cheese, Coin, Copper, Furs From Hillfort via the Singing Road to Jillaro and then by the Daughter’s Road or by barge on the Oslir. Tarsh Coin, Maize, Manufactured Goods, Silver, Slaves, Wheat From Furthest by barge on the Oslir river. Vanch Coin, Gems, Herbs, Leather, Wool From Bikhy by road to the Singing Road to Jillaro and then by the Daughter’s Road or by barge on the Oslir. As the Seventh Wane comes to a close, the flow of tribute is interrupted by turmoil in several of the Provincial Kingdoms: Aggar has been in civil war since 1620, reducing the flow of tribute; the supply of metal from Imther ended in 1623, and other tribute is reduced by upheaval in the kingdom; the successful rebellion in Sartar in 1625 reduces the level of tribute from Tarsh (especially curtailing the slave trade from Sartar and Prax), with agricultural tribute also decreasing as a result of the civil war in Tarsh from 1627 as the king loses control of Kordros Island, the breadbasket of his kingdom. This unrest makes the transport of tribute increasingly hazardous, diverting additional military resources to protect it.

There's an ongoing civil war in Tarsh, upcoming issues with the Wolf Pirates, and the build-up towards the Battle of Heroes...

In Dragon Pass, outside the Glowline, the death rate seems to have been around a sixth of the population: from starvation, cold, and as a result of raids which either kill directly, or indirectly when survivors are left to starve. The death rate will fall heaviest upon the young and the old, with the survivors reliant upon stores of food and firewood. In Prax, beasts won't bear young, and the herds will struggle to find food, searching for fodder, much as they do in winter, and finding some, but it is not replenished when there is no end to winter, so it's necessary to constantly move searching for more. Tribes will have to cull their herds when things become desperate, but before that they are going to raid settlements for their stores, and then attempt to raid the herds of other tribes: warfare and raiding are likely to become intense and endemic? With the headwaters of the Zola Fel trapped by ice dams, the flow is going to slow to a trickle and then stop. The river drains to the sea, even as its surface freezes, leaving patches of ice and scattered pools of stagnant water under a layer of ice. The river finally stops flowing. Oasis and settlement wells become critical resources, until they fail. Starving beasts start to die from thirst unless they eat snow. The living and the dead mingle, and shamans are kept busy identifying and dividing the two. Entire clans die but don't know they are dead. Given the treacherous conditions under the Windstop, travel is going to be vastly more difficult. Temperatures drop: snow is going to fall in Prax, and it's not going to melt very much, if at all, and is going to make what fodder remains difficult to find. In these conditions, whilst there may not be more than a foot or two of frozen snow on the ground (not very deep compared with the snowfall in Dragon Pass), it is going to make travel difficult and hazardous. Anyone migrating out of the zone of the Windstop is going to take much longer than usual to travel the necessary distance. Additional: leaving the zone of the Windstop won't be easy: the perimeter is bounded by hurricane strength winds that gradually weaken as you get further away. These winds are going to carry loose grit from the Wastelands, creating a severe stinging wall of sand and grit, which is abruptly dropped as the winds die on the boundary. Animals (and people) will find it hard to get through, as this endures for many miles outside.

Ancestor worship is widespread in rural and urban cultures; the Guide states: Ancestor worship is popular in many Pelorian families. The same is true in many other areas, so a merchant clan in Nochet might well venerate their ancestors, with a small shamanic ancestor cult. It would be a very small family cult, based on blood-kinship.

Glorantha is similar to the Bronze Age world of the East Mediterranean and Near East of the Iliad and Odyssey. We, and the people who listened to those stories know that there's a Dark Age coming with a massive societal collapse, when nearly all the kingdoms and Empires of that age will be swept away, but the inhabitants of the myths don't know that, even if their tales presage the beginnings of the end of their world. The Greek Myths are set in a deteriorating cosmos, where mankind is destroyed or diminished at the end of each age: Gold, Silver, Bronze and most recently Iron, and Glorantha has a similar entropic decline, as the 'magic goes away'. Any educated Gloranthan is aware of this to some degree - it's fundamental to their myths, but does this affect their everyday lives? No, unless they enact rites and rituals intended to preserve the world every Sacred Time. But then, throughout our history, almost every culture has known that it is only one famine away from disaster, something we tend to forget, but we have other doomsday scenarios as terrible as any god's wrath. And then there are the Outside Context Problems never experienced or imagined that might turn up with potentially fatal consequences. The inhabitants of Thera never expected their pleasant and rich lives to end so explosively, because they didn't know they were living on one of the world's most destructive and dangerous volcanos... So Gloranthans live on the precipice of disaster, but that's just a fact of life. And it's always been so.

Decided that too much was lost in the previous version...

Only the heroic Melo Yelo can bring salvation to the Land of the Sun...

The fear of dragons is both a reaction to the past, when Dragon Pass and a region to the north where the human population was almost totally wiped out, and to the present, both because of the presence of True Dragons, and the physical evidence of their destructive powers in the half melted ruins that still litter the landscape.

Well, good luck! It just needs one stopover oasis to fail, for an expedition to be lost. I have the impression that large portions of the Wastes are not unlike the Taklamakan Desert - the name of which is often given the popular translation: Once you go in, you'll never come out....

Each horse and mule will eat approximately 20-25 lbs. of food (though some horse breeds require another 5 lbs. depending on size) and require between 8-20 gallons of water a day (a gallon of water weighs 8.36 lbs). Each mule can carry approximately 160-300 lbs. (Using old style units). In the Wastes, you'd probably do better using sables instead of mules as they can sometimes graze there, when mules probably cannot. The logistics of the expedition look a mite... tight, though of course you can treat pack-animals as meat-on-the-hoof. Even so...

All minor deities. A mortal who has assumed semi-divine status. May or may not have died in the process The offspring of a god and a human (the Red Goddess had a human component). Either a minor deity or a mortal who has become one (apparently reborn several times). It works.

Demigod seems the preferred modern term (even in Classical mythology, the term can refer to a minor deity, a mortal who is the offspring of a god and a human, or a hero who has attained divine status after death).

Whilst it may no longer be canonical, the Dragon Pass - A Gazetteer of Kerofinela mentions Saruvan's Hills, quarried to build many royal projects, including the walls of Wilmskirk, Boldhome, and many royal roads. Some guy called Joerg was involved in the book. From another source, paraphrased: Clearwine lies within ancient walls built by a God Time demigod, so like many settlements in Dragon Pass it is ancient with many eras of construction, destruction, and rebuilding.

My take on Whitewall...

Perhaps you see what you want to see... Personally, I can quite clearly see the resemblance to Bronze Age fortified citadels/cities. From Osprey and Peter Connolly, including the building of Mycenae... ;-)

Something I've been working on for the past 18 months or so. Non-canonical, non-official, just using publically available sources, augmented by my knowledge of Bronze/Early Iron Age warfare.

Hmm, quite Mycenaean/Near East Bronze Age. It's good to see some defensive gateways at last, with dedicated kill boxes.

The Guide states: The Basmoli [of Pamaltela]... are nomadic hunters who travel with lion prides and can themselves transform into lions.

As others have noted, Glorantha is ancient, but its age can't be measured in ordinary temporal time, because before the first Dawn, chronology has no absolute measurement. Instead before Time, Glorantha had existed through many Ages, mostly defined by major events, but with a duration that cannot be accurately described. Those people who claim to have chronological records extending make far into the past cannot really compare them with the sequential linear time since the Dawn. The Dara Happan chronology is no doubt a construct, derived from their Sacred Number, which is 'ten'. In reality, Glorantha might be millions of years old, as there is mention of coal and oil in places, but the concept of years is utterly flawed. So there have been Ages, and the rise and fall of entire intelligent species, cultures, civilizations, some remembered, some forgotten save for obscure ruins and artifacts, and modern Gloranthan humans live in a post apocalyptic world, with only a limited knowledge and understanding of the cosmos before Time. At the Dawn, the number of human survivors was small and scattered as remnants of earlier cultures. Since then, human populations have exploded across the world, despite the cataclysms that end each Age in Time.

Possibly Mistress Race trolls, Uzuz.