Darius West

5 hours ago, FlamingCatOfDeath said:

The provinces should be thankful that the Crimson Bat isn’t intelligent, if it was it would likely become the imperial governor of particularly troubling provinces. Then again if it was intelligent it would probably set up a cattle based broo breeding facility to provide themselves with a soul supply that Doesn’t cut into the tax base.

Well, as it turns out, the Empire has been experimenting with stomach size to walktapus flesh research for feeding their troops.  Walktapi regenerate continuously, so wile they are subjected to stomach acid, they will never disappear completely, and the person consuming the walktapus flesh need never eat again thanks to chaotic regeneration, plus there is the added bonus that if they die, a walktapus will gradually spawn from their body, creating fresh headaches for the folk who killed them.

Your broo breeding program is inspired Flaming Cat of Death, and I would personally bump you up the ranks of the Imperial bureaucracy if it were ACTUALLY based on merit rather than nepotism and prostitution, but feasibly we might be able to draw upon existing research to march excess walktapi into the maw of the bat.  One hand washes the other...

On 5/30/2022 at 6:11 AM, French Desperate WindChild said:

no, just some women

facing a drama, people (any gender / sex) have a lot of different reactions

some will become violent

some will remain silent or withdraw to the clan (for a long time or not)

some will "remove" it and continue to live as usual

etc

 

so yes it is a good idea to have a woman following bab's after that

but a lot will continue to be ernaldan, the show (life) must go on

I would suspect Maran Gor would be a good choice too.  The Barren Earth.

6 hours ago, Ironwall said:

So we know the cult breakdowns of several cultures, but how many people initiate into multiple cults I doubt there's a list of specifics like how many engizi/orlanth or ernalda/chalana arroy but how often would you find a person in glorantha who is a member of multiple cults in general

Multiculting is a very expensive hobby.  Each time you become an initiate, you have to spend 10% of your income on the cult in tithes.  Obviously the dirty trick here is to become an illuminate.  Consider the excess of time and funds that becoming a Priest or Lord involves however.  Now admittedly if you reach an august rank, the temple likely covers your expenses so you won't starve, but if you have to spend 90% of your income on 1 cult, and 10% on the other, you have no beer money.  You might as well commit hara kiri at that point (jk).

1 hour ago, metcalph said:

I think it's more like Spirit Cults - in one place you have a coven dedicated to the Morning Star and in another to the Evening Star.  They have common practices and magics but there is no Star Witch or coven thereof that worships all the magics of the Stars.

I suspect that there wouldn't be such a tradition at all if there were no effective cult to it.  I suspect that you likely take a primary spirit patron, and then gain the others as associates.

On 5/31/2022 at 6:38 PM, metcalph said:

I imagine their favourite spirits are Pole Star, Morning Star and Evening Star.

They are certainly listed as 3 Spirit Deities in the Praxian traditions in Tales of the Reaching Moon 14 &15.  If we add the Twin Stars into the mix, the tradition begins to seem quite large.  I wonder if any of the other major deities of the Constellations are part of this tradition, and wonder how organized it might be.  Clearly it is a shamanic tradition, and I would expect to see all the deities marked on Prax's Spirit Wall.  The night sky is a powerful place, especially in Prax where the Sky Dome is so often clear and visible. 

On 6/1/2022 at 9:57 PM, Orlanthatemyhamster said:

So, When the Great Compromise is enacted and (all) the dead follow the Sun back to the surface world, why do some Gods stay dead?
Thinking of Baroshi from Snake Pipe Hollow, yet many others come back (Ernalda)?

This Is (this) separate from annihilation from Chaos?

Death is a direction in Glorantha.  Under the correct conditions you can walk back from Death to Life.  It is likely that before the discovery of the Death Rune, it was far easier to return from Death, which was likely merely an extreme expression of the Underworld (before time).  In some ways gods are eternal, but in others they are simply trapped in their addiction to power.

It does raise the question of whether the (Lunar pantheon)Twin Stars are part of the tradition too.

I just noticed this tradition, and while I can imagine a bit about what they are like, what is known about this shamanic tradition from actual written (dare I say "canon") sources ?

On 5/29/2022 at 5:37 AM, svensson said:

Do fetches ever manifest in the Mundane Plane?

I direct your attention to RQG page 306 Shamanic Abilities: Materialize Fetch.

On 5/29/2022 at 5:37 AM, svensson said:

Can they possess a material body?

 Same page, Possession, also, Waha (and other) Shamans can put their fetches into their mounts.

On 5/29/2022 at 5:37 AM, svensson said:

Is a fetch an ally of its own free will or a controlled spirit?

Fetches are unique, but they are products of their Shaman.  They generally have less free will than Allied Spirits as a result, but nothing is fixed in stone.

On 5/29/2022 at 5:37 AM, svensson said:

If there is a significant difference between a fetch and a spirit, what is it?

Shamans are always in the Mortal realm and the Spirit Realm, and are creatures of two realms.  The Fetch is the portion of the Shaman that is on the Spirit Plane when the Shaman is on the Mortal Realm, and when the Shaman goes into the Spirit Realm, then the Fetch minds the body in the Mortal realm.  They are binary and inextricably bound to each other. 

Spirits are not like Fetches.  Spirits exist only in the spirit realm, and that is why they are mainly invisible.  Spirits are not dead, and don't go towards Death the way dead sentient mortals do.  

23 hours ago, AndreJarosch said:

- Earth Witch
- Jakaleel the Witch
- Onelisin "Cat Witch"
- Cragspider the Fire Witch 

Don't forget Praxian Star Witches. 🙂

On 5/18/2022 at 5:29 AM, icebrand said:

How do animal nomads raid anyway? 

The Conduct of Raids

“If you ever hear a fool complain he has too many beasts to care for, raid him to ease his burden.”

Raiding for livestock is a major part of life  in Prax, and the main method for men to achieve acclaim and promote their fortunes within their tribe and clan.  A skilled raider proves themselves in cunning, daring, and skill, which are all the traits one needs to be seen as a Praxian leader, and the beasts they seize will add to their wealth, which leaders also need.

It is the duty of the Khan of a clan to call raids.  While braves sometimes go on raids without permission, this is a danger to the clan and a challenge to the Khan’s authority and generally warrants punishment of all the raiders involved.  At worst, raiding an ally can bring shame and danger upon a clan.  Successful raids that displease the Khan may still invoke the seizure of all the animals stolen, but Khans are seldom so quick to punish such initiative for fear that they will be seen as jealous or threatened by a subordinate.  A wise subordinate will likely gift their Khan post fact.  Sometimes illicit raiding will please a Khan however, and will receive an accolade tempered with only a minor reminder that raiding without permission is not advisable.  To fail in a raid is often to die or be captured and enslaved or ransomed, and hence it is generally its own punishment to raid unsuccessfully and fail.

            All decisions about raids are based upon the information gathered by scouts about the deposition of enemy forces.  It is generally scouts who break the protocol about having permission to raid, as they are the ones who see an immediate opportunity to raid successfully most often.  For this reason, the dangerous job of scouting is a prized one by those who are most brave, as it is often the most profitable for those with the initiative to seize an opportunity.

            When a Khan calls a raid, he may elect to go himself, but generally he will delegate the honor to someone who has his trust as an experienced raider.  This individual in turn has responsibility to delegate who is his order of command for the raid.  It is an honor to be the leader of a raid, but it is also a lesser honor to be chosen as a participant, as it offers each member of the raiding party an opportunity to distinguish themselves with acts of bravery by counting coup in various forms.

            Typically, raiding will require the raiding party to choose one of seven tactics.  The first and most popular tactic is that the raiding party adopts the attitude of scouts, hiding in defilade and observing their targets until they see an opportunity to catch their enemies unawares and steal their beasts.  This potentially minimizes the chance for a fight between those guarding the herd and those stealing the animals.  All clans know this tactic, and so they regularly patrol areas where enemy raiders are likely to be hiding.   This tactic is favored by foot clans like the morokanth, younger braves, and chaos creatures.

            The second tactic is generally favored by the tribes with heavier beasts such as bisons and rhinos, which is to ride directly at those guarding the beasts and actively seek confrontation with the guards of the herd, hoping to defeat and scatter them.  This is a very all-or-nothing tactic, and risks life and limb, but potentially will allow for the theft of many more animals, as there will be no guards left to stop you, as they are dead or fled (or captured).

            The third tactic is one of maneuver, and is favored by those who seek to avoid direct conflict, such as the pygmy clans of the Impalas, Ostriches and Bolo Lizards.  It involves using multiple small groups in combination to harry the guards from multiple directions at once, while scattering or even stampeding the herd they defend away from their protection.  This tactic favors missile weapons and speed.  Slower mounts will fail if they try this.

            The fourth tactic is the night attack.  This is notoriously hard to co-ordinate, and has many apparent drawbacks.  Visibility is poor, communication must be done by shouting, and enemies may mimic and confuse you, and everyone will be tired.  Finally, there is a good chance that the animals you want to steal will become lost in the darkness, and will eventually wander back to their herd on their own before morning.  The best night raiders are the Sable Tribe, who use the light of the full moon to help them see and operate, as well as helping to overpower their lunar magic.  Morokanths favor the night attack.

            The fifth tactic is known as a dirty tactic, as it involves using a dust storm to cover one’s attack.  The aim is to ride in during a dust storm when most of your enemy will be taking cover, and take as many beasts as you can.  This is more difficult than it sounds, as most animals will not want to move during a dust storm, and must be given considerable incentive to do so.  This tactic is really only possible during Earth and Dark seasons when the Bull Wind whips Prax and the Wastes.

            The sixth tactic is to use disguise.  You dress in the manner of your enemies, you ride their beasts, and you mimic the way their tribe speaks if necessary.  You seek to pass yourself off as being of their people.  This allows you considerable latitude to make off with their animals if they don’t suspect you.  Sometimes it is enough to pass yourselves off as messengers or emissaries.  It is also not unknown for actual emissaries who have been rebuffed, and conclude that there is no further hope for the negotiations, simply stealing animals on their way out of a camp.

            The seventh tactic is the "womens’ tactic".  It involves finding ways to lure the members of the enemy herd away.  This can involve tactics such as heading upwind of a herd and releasing cut green grass onto the wind, so the smell of better fodder will draw the herd.  Sometimes it can involve the rune spell Speak with Herd Beast, and an effort to convince the herd that you have something better to offer them.  On the other hand, it is hard to get close enough to a herd to do this without attracting the anger of any nearby guards.

            In essence there are almost infinite variations on these seven tactics, and Praxian boys begin their education in them from the day they start to speak.  A lot of male discussion is about ways to improve one’s chances of a certain kind of raid, or how to defeat such a raid with greater ease.

The next section is called:         

The Raiding and Seizure of Oases

“When you lose your access to water, you live as a slave to water.”

On 9/23/2021 at 4:54 AM, JonL said:

Behold, Katiperi setting out on her grocery store milk run hero quest.

I myself routinely summon Yog Sothoth to help with grocery shopping.

13 hours ago, Dogboy said:

On one hand, I understand it: These gods all refer to one entity. But on the other, the cults themselves are very indivudal things. For Jeff, I say you homogenise as much as you need to get the books out, but I also know that there is a lot that these cults won't agree on.

I may overstate these things a bit for dramatic effect (and comedy value).  I think what we are dealing with could be called the MASKS OF YELMALIO (taking a leaf out of CoC).  Is this actually the same deity?  I don't think so.  On the other hand, Time didn't used to exist, so causality is a mess Before Time.  I am not so blind as to pretend that they are not highly similar deities, I just think Glorantha is richer when we include diversity.  In this case, I would suggest modifying the cult write-up for Yelmalio a bit to incorporate the differences in the single cult write-up.

19 hours ago, metcalph said:

Not really.  There was a Shaman's Alliance that opposed the Pol Joni but Sartar made everything right.  This seems to have made the Pol Joni paying respects to the Paps at which point they cease to be Quivini and start to being Praxians.

Edit: It's occurred to me that taking place in 1489 would have made it almost 30 years after the fall of Sheng Seleris.  The Shaman Alliance were operating against a background of being bossed around by the Pentans not so long ago and may not have been quite so xenophobic.

Given that Sheng was so recently tossed out, it is actually surprising that the Praxians weren't on a complete rampage against horse folk when you think about it.  There can be little doubt that an alliance by Praxians would have destroyed the Pol Joni.  You also have to question whether horse folk can ever really start being Praxians, but apparently the Pol Joni managed it thanks to Sartar's negotiating skills.  I stand by my earlier statement that Praxians have a very nuanced and opportunistic horse prejudice, not outright fanaticism. 

On 10/18/2020 at 4:38 PM, metcalph said:

The outside steps of the Temple of New Pavis look like a likely place for old people to trip and fall.  Just saying...

Someone should heroquest to provide the Pavis cult with associated cult status for Ohs (goddess of safety) and access to the Rune Spell "Ease of Access".

16 minutes ago, PhilHibbs said:

Yes, but Praxians hate horses with a vengeance and so it isn't practical to keep horses there.

Ideally speaking, religious  Praxians are supposed to hate horses, but a more honest observation suggests Praxians hate horses when it suits their purposes.  Have the Praxians massed to kill the Pol Joni? No.  They don't like their horses much, but they haven't made a point of forming an inter-tribal alliance to annihilate the Horse bastards.  Weirdly enough, the Praxians and the Pol Joni all join the White Bulls to kill the Lunars.  Praxian hostility to horses is a very nuanced prejudice, and some Khans "don't even notice horses" when it suits them, while on another day when there is an advantage will kill all the horses they can find.  All riding a zebra achieves is removing one recourse to bigotry and hostility from Praxians.

Grrr...!

Why does everyone want to destroy Light deity diversity?  Damn your eyes Monrogh and your hegemonizing swarm mentality! This is pure Godlearner Syncretism ! Kargzant and Elmal are NOT Yelmalio.  I mean what about their associated cults and subcults?  Does Yelmalio get the Thunder Brothers because he is also Elmal?  Does Kargzant get the Thunder Brothers because he is also Elmal?  Does Kargzant get Orlanth?  These deities are simply not the same person, and this idea of an over-arching Yelmalio is Godlearnerism.

On 5/24/2022 at 5:44 AM, Richard S. said:

I read it something like "koo-SHEEL" or "koo-SHEEL-ae"

I read it as Koo-shy-L.  (Toe-may-toe/Toe-mart-toe).

Who thinks Zzabur will make a return?

My understanding is that he is trapped in an esoteric paradox, but I can't remember the details.

19 hours ago, svensson said:

falangist 

The more correct English usage is Phalangite (fah-lan-jite with j as soft g not y) for a member of a phalanx.  A falangist is a term generally reserved for elements of the pro-Franco Spanish Falange during the Spanish Civil War and has fascist associations.  I know its easy to be prejudiced, but not all Yelmalios...😃

On 5/21/2022 at 3:12 PM, Elcid321 said:

Hi everyone, as the title says, Are there non-chaotic Telmori?

You see, one of my players, a follower of foundchild, on his travels looking to learn more hunting magic, has met for the first time the Telmori, and he's now interested in joining them and learning their secrets. So, i know that as chaotic beings, once they are met by someone with sense chaos (stormbull), they are getting killed, but i don't want them to die that easy (yet) so i got thinking there might be some tribe or clan of non-chaotic telmori out there. Do any of you think that might be possible?

I can see kinky Hsunchen adoption ceremonies in your player's future.  Warn him that if he lies with the furries he may rise with the fleas, however.😄 

On 5/22/2022 at 2:05 PM, The_Wombat said:

So now I am envisioning the peoples of Carmania have a system of serfdom that expires, one where you must work the land (or some other task) until a certain age, at which time you "graduate" out of serfdom and become a free individual.  Younger folk have little to no freedom; elders have greater freedoms.

As the Ferengi Ruless of Acquisition tell us... Exploitation starts at home.😉 (Who better to exploit than your kids? Until they reach maturity they are essentially serfs)

What you are suggesting here is pretty much the basis for overpopulation pressures in Olden Days Europe.  If you have more kids, you have more free labor to work the fields.

In short, this is a very plausible system.  Mean, but very plausible.

While I cannot always vouch for the image quality, I run a collection of RQ Glorantha maps on pinterest.  The actual Dorastor Land of Doom map is not among them, sadly.  Here are links to what I do have:

Dorastor map

CoT Dorastor Map

If anyone does have links to the real DLoD map, I would love to include it.

On 5/18/2022 at 2:06 AM, icebrand said:

Now, i assume since harrek is a thing, Jon Pol Joni can be a thing too right? 

Jon Pol Joni reads like the "John dies at the End" chapters written from Johns perspective in the sequels.😁

I personally don't see either Harrek, Androgeus or Jar-Eel as being Mary Sues.  They are ridiculously powerful, and they must be, because they are super-heroes, and not of the relatively low powered categories.  They aren't Green Arrows, they're Superman caliber.

That being said, Harrek has problems and personality flaws which don't fit with a Mary Sue.  Harrek is a Gloranthan Conan, only tougher than Conan,  Harrek is a berserker who can't often solve problems without recourse to violence.  In many ways he's a one-trick pony, and that ain't no Mary Sue.  Sure, he fought a bear deity in spirit combat and won, but there is evidence to suggest that the White bear may have somewhat allowed that to happen.

Jar-Eel is far more of a Mary Sue imo.  She is a child of privilege, born with every advantage, who seems to glide effortlessly through life up until the Hero Wars whacks her upside the head and destroys her world.

On 5/19/2022 at 3:04 AM, davecake said:

And they are among the various units of the SMU described in the Glorantha Sourcebook. We know their origin story, the form of their wyter, etc. 

That's great.  I will have to obtain a copy.