Tindalos
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I like the idea of people dating the God Time, especially since the whole idea of a lack of time before the dawn is primarily Theyalan in concept. Others dates may differ, but they at least keep them. Plus, dating can be part of mythology, for example the Sumerian Kings' list, which has dates which make the Dara Happan reigns seem reasonable. So in my Glorantha, for many peoples, time did exist, but it was different to the time post dawn (when they agree on when that happened), and contained many errors and contradictions.
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I think the current idea is that the Morokanth cheated by finding them a loophole allowing them to graze instead of being forced to eat meat. To Praxians, meat is a burden. Not only does it mean slaying a valuable herd beast instead of protecting it. It needs to be cooked, or else the mother of plagues will send her children to claim it, and cookfires can attract attention. By comparison, Morokanth can keep larger herds, making them wealthier, and can live without fire, making them safer. To the other tribes, the Morokanth lost the covenant, and still found a way to win.
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If you don't mind fan material, there's always this write up for HeroQuest. I can't comment on the quality though, being a little biased.
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What do you mean by Metatextuality in this sense? Because the only metatextuality I can see in HeroQuest is the Beowulf Pass/Fail system section in HeroQuest 2, and things like it. And looking at fiction in the sense of game mechanics is an age old RPG tradition. In some senses, we wouldn't even have RPGs if it weren't for people looking at fantasy literature and wondering how to simulate it.
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In my Glorantha, Durulz and Keets are simply a case of convergent development. Like the many different origins for people and horses. Sure you could find some ancestral link, both being avian expressions of the man rune, so being children of Grandfather Mortal with various bird goddesses, for example. But they're not close kin. Of course, IMG ultimately, the Durulz aren't that related to ducks. Their bills have lips, rather than a plate of hardened tissue. They have true teeth rather than serrated edges, solid bones, etc. They're closer to Hadrosaurs than actual birds.
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Any evolution which does occur (such as those seen in trolls) is going to be saltation, rather than the gradualism described in modern evolutionary biology. Any changes are going to be immediate and large. For example, the Horned Trolls would just suddenly be born with their impressive horns, and you wouldn't find populations of Mistress Race Trolls developing larger and larger horns until they're a recognisably different species. A sudden change, like with punctuated equilibrium. Edit: Also of course, there's Lamarckian Evolution, as we see in the tale of Hippogriff.
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@Steve There is at least one source that mentions evolution. Trollpak had a chart showing how the many forms of troll evolved from the original Mistress Race. Of course, many cultures will be more likely to talk about things in terms of devolution. Of how animals and plants have become speciated through losing their connection to their ancient progenitors and becoming imperfect in different ways.
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In some ways it seems like Prax's flora and fauna are a patchwork, with fragments of the Green Age being drawn together by Eiritha and Waha's magic to unite survivors. Perhaps these fragments are in fact the Heard Mothers; not just animals, but also parts of the land like their mother. While the Herds themselves are the children of the Herd Mothers, they also bring plants and other animals with them. Parasites are mentioned in the guide, coming from the Maw of Mallia, along the Bleak Shore. I imagine Mallia may even be viewed as a monstrous perversion of a Herd Mother; bringing not fertile life, but parasitic and disease filled swarms, and noxious plants.
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I'm not sure this is the case. We know post-dawn events can be recreated through heroquesting (see The Quest of Eringulf Vanak Spear). It seems entirely possible that the Founding of Pavis could be heroquested in much the same way. Of course, that may be the God Learner in me perceiving the Heroplane as discrete mythological events linked in non-standard ways, describing mythical, historical, and impossible occurrences. The myths are maps between these events from one to another, and it may be that historic events when recorded as myth can plot a course through nodes in unexpected ways. Pavis exists unbuilt, built, and ruined within the heroplanes, it's just unreachable in any of those forms without the right myth. On the gripping hand, it may be that this is simply because Pavis' city was a manifestation of the ideal city of the Green Age. As part of his plan to recreate the age, he built his city to be the first city. Is the city you visit in a quest Pavis? This ideal-city? Is there a meaningful difference? Hard to say.
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That does seem to fall under the role of Gold Dwarfs. The description given of them in the art direction was: "These are the mind of Mostal. They are teachers, and maintain the continuity of dwarf society through correct project management and indoctrination. This dwarf is wise, cruel, and versed in secret lore. He is ugly and grotesque, but still presentable to humans, and wears ornate gold talismans, rings, bracelets, as well as clothes designed to impress inferior species such as humans." I imagine they're viewed by humans ignorant of mostali culture as nobility, with their ostentatious displays of wealth and instruction of the other castes. The dwarves themselves probably find this a useful fiction to perpetuate. Which is why Ginkizzie is known as the king of the Pavic dwarves.
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I see dwarves as like post-apocalyptic survivalists. They're dwelling underground in elaborate shelters, having survived the end of the world, and when they look out they see ignorant savages worshipping technology (to mostali eyes), giant cockroaches feeding off overgrown moulds and fungus (or as we would call them, animals and plants); and everything which was once great, in ruins. Exiled dwarves are thrust out into a world which disgusts them. They don't have access to purified food so everything tastes spoilt. Everything smells of blood and sweat, and feels greasy to them. And what's worse, no one else seems to notice or care.
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Don't forget the diabolic Aeolipile. An enclosed brass wheel, wherein is trapped a water spirit, who the dwarves mercilessly torture. They hold the poor creature above a raging fire, forcing the water spirit to turn the wheel, as it constantly tries to escape from the flames.
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Of course there's also raw metal as an option, like the oxhide ingots mentioned in the guide. Equal in wealth to a cow, slightly more portable than one, although far less tasty. To blow my own trumpet a bit, I've been working on a little something concerning coins, Orlanthi, and how they might have developed, which might be of interest on this subject. http://zzabursbrownbook.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/coins-of-sartar.html
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Anaxial's Roster gives their GL name as Camptosaurus elegans, and real life Camptosaurs could work quite well as a base.
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Ah good point, I hadn't realised it was a separate ability. I'd been assuming it was what was referred to with "His initiates are known to use the Death Rune to send the souls of herd beasts to the Afterlife." Although that did strike me as unusually restrictive, so I should have known better.
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Interestingly inn RuneQuest the Peaceful Cut functioned skill rather than a spell, and thus worked differently to other forms of magic. HQ:G treats it as a usage of Waha's Death Rune; but I could also see it as a spell taught to all male members of the Praxian Tradition, as a basic part of the keyword, so that people who don't have the Death Rune can use it. Of course, no Praxian would view it as sorcery. You could make similar cases for Daka Fal's Funeral Rite and Lhankor Mhy's Head Smashing Ritual as they only do one very specific thing; were taught to members of the cult (the Head Smashing Ritual even being taught to outsiders!), and functioned in a completely different way to spirit or divine magic.
