Darius West

Here are some suggestions: A ceremonial destination for magisaur shamanic initiations. The home of a species of singing toad that teaches the Harmonize spirit magic spell A Chalana Arroy (sorcerous) Veterinary station marker from Old City days. It served as a place to corral sick animals so AoE healing spells would work on them. A somewhat forgotten Foundchild/Brother Dog shrine, now in disuse, but occasionally re-activated by Praxian tribes when hiding in the Rubble. It once marked the shopfront of a place that sold premium "Bespoke bred" animals for Rune levels to bind their allied spirits into, called Falinar's Finest Familiars. It was an old corner marker for a long since defunct market spell, and was once a place to buy live and dead poultry and birds. The other markers are long since smashed or utterly defaced. It is a trap of sorts, that causes Eiritha beasts to fall into a deep slumber, allowing them to be butchered more easily. It comes from Robcradle days, and was used by Godlearners working on balls of tails. It marks a place where dragonewts come to dress up in animal skins and dance odd glissading minuets with ribbons, leather cords, and ropes, using the plinth as a maypole. The ritual is used to help guide the spirits of dragonewts who have become dinosaurs back onto the Dragon Path (if you must know).

Our cerebrum often correct such spelling mistakes automatically. They're a proof-reader's nightmare.

Look at what happened at TSR when they started down the whole "canon" trip. It's a dead end.

This is an interesting question. I would suggest the following... In essence there would be no Praxians as we know them, because there would have been no need for Waha's Covenant. Instead there would be herds of intelligent animals and giants roaming the landscape for a start. Next up, think about how huge a part the cult of Pamalt plays in Pamaltelan society. He is a masculine earth deity and the head of a pantheon, and is effectively the demi-urge of his continent. This means that it is likely that a live Genert would be more important than Yelm, Orlanth, or the Invisible God. I would also imagine that Genert is a father of Earth Giants, like Tada, and so the Giants would be a far more fertile and active species, and would likely not be using the Zola Fel to send cradles to the underworld to grow up. It is also likely that the Aldryami would be more important, as their forests would not have been fed to Oakfed. It is also likely that Genert as an Earth cult would have the Battle Axe as their cult weapon, meaning that there would be an axe god instead of an axe goddess. It is quite possible that Maran Gor and Barbeester Gor would be very different cults, never having needed to exist as the military arm of Earth worship. Maran for example might be more like Cronisper or Gorgorma, a goddess of reaping the harvest, and an Earth Witch like Hecate perhaps, and possibly still a "seducer of dragons", and maybe a Mother Winter goddess, married to Valind. Barbeester might be more of a "Barbee", who is responsible for chastity, fertility control, and perhaps something of an Artemis character. It is interesting to consider the fate of the trolls in this situation. Possibly we may even have seen Korasting or Kyger Litor taking Genert as a husband to better adjust to their new world? Of course much is predicated on the idea that the Earth could fight Chaos in a way that Genert failed at in the mythology. We must assume that Genert was not a very good strategist and not very knowledgeable about the uses of death or chaos in the present milieu, which is why he died; he failed to adapt. Pamalt by comparison has Comprehension, that allows him to increase his knowledge skills by 5% per point, and that includes Battle. Genert died fighting Wakboth, whereas Stormbull fought and defeated Wakboth, so we have the berserker model for how it could be done, on the otherhand, perhaps greater knowledge and better use of forces might also have turned the chaos horde? So either Genert needs to be much tougher, or much wiser imo.

Elite Issaries caravan guards from Afadjann?

There is a huge difference between a Humakti duel and single combat. In single combat the only rule is that nobody outside the 2 combatants is allowed to interfere, and it normally takes place on a battlefield or during a skirmish. Duels by the code of Humakt are far more negotiated affairs. People often forget that Humakti don't come back from death... Ever...

"Pol Joni" comes from Nadsat, the language of "A Clockwork Orange".

My take on the matter is this... Issaries is one of the more heavily "God-Learned" of the cults. So much so that its name is actually a contraction of "Emissaries", hence the obvious joke: P1: Who they? P2: Emissaries. P1: 'Em issaries huh? Issaries... Strangers have odd words. P2: (sigh) Yup. This means that in many ways the role of Herald Goodword, as a sub-cult and extension of Goldentongue, is likely to be very old and highly integrated, culturally into pretty much every ex-Jrusteli colony where Issaries is still worshipped. Heralds IRL were not around in the bronze age, but given that Glorantha's Second Age was avowedly renaissance to industrial technology, and very Western, it makes sense for heralds to exist, even if they are an apparent anachronism. As to how accepted Heralds are, well, they provide a specialized but useful service for warring parties. They would be especially handy when negotiating ransoms and truces, and I suspect Herald Goodword would likely have an association with Humakt, due to the Humakti propensity for detecting assassins and stopping ambushes, and potentially acting as guards and protecting the peace. Whichever civilization meets heralds, most will understand that messengers are useful and hence should be treated with hospitality, as they represent the fact that the enemy is seeking terms of some sort, and winning or losing, that is an interesting opportunity.

While the rules say you can't use any missile at touch range, that certainly isn't the case IRL. It is all a case of who acts first in a round imo. Consider, if you take the rules as written, then a character cannot use a pistol to commit suicide, which should be the primary use of a sidearm in CoC (jk). If a PC with a gun acts before the person who wants to grapple them, I would let them shoot, and at point blank. If the PC with the gun acts second, then they are grappling and if they shoot, they are as likely to hit themselves as their enemy. If the enemy who is in touch range doesn't attack them, then the PC can shoot with point blank bonus. In terms of a long barreled weapon, the extra length does make them harder to aim at closer ranges, so remove the point blank bonus. Anyhow, that's my 2 cents.

I don't recall if the men of Brithos were involved in the First Council. I don't think they were though. So the likelihood of elves (from Brithos), who are more stay-at-home than humans to get involved seems even more unlikely. I think the reach of the First Council was more geographically limited, and its reach only increased under Nysalor as he wanted to missionize everybody. We know Arkat was illuminated by elves, but to presume that those elves were illuminated by Nysalori, when those self-same Nysalori hadn't even managed to successfully missionize the Brithini port cities yet, seems like a stretch to me. It seems a great deal more plausible that the Brithini Elves already had their own indigenous tradition of illumination.

You are right of course. Wherever possible a nuclear clean-up robot would need to replace electronics with alternative systems like micro hydraulics or rod logic I think. I am surprised that more thought hasn't gone into the development of systems of this sort. The main problem with electricity from nuclear reactors is that the entire industry was predicated on the desire to produce nuclear weapons during the cold war. The actual energy production was a secondary concern at best. Due to this, in many ways the entire nuclear energy industry is still, 30 years later, at something of a technical infancy with respect to putting energy production first. The largest step forwards has been the development of thorium reactors, which are far safer in terms of accidents and in terms of security against terrorism. Tepco had been resting on its laurels since before we were born.

It may be helpful to refer to some literary examples... IMO, your classic example of a failed passion roll comes not from western literature, but from India's Hindu text, the Bhagavad Gita. In it, Arjuna is this splendid warrior archer who is cast down before a battle between his family and his cousins that threatens to haul down their entire civilization, and Arjuna can see that neither side truly benefits from the conflict and it is but an accident of birth that determines which side he is on. His chariot driver and friend Krishna comes and has a good long chat with him (which is considered the apogee of Hindu Philosophy) that helps break him out of his melancholy, and gives him back the sense of purpose he needs to do his duty. Arguably Hamlet and King Lear have used their Love (Family) passions without being able to succeed in their missions. Lady Macbeth is haunted by betraying her Loyalty (Lord) passion. It is possible that Othello has been intrigued into taking a large penalty on his Love (Wife) which causes him to fumble his passion. An invoked passion means that the character isn't thinking straight to begin with. The goals which motivate their life have become cloudy, occluded, and their pent up emotional energy lacks a clear path of release. The character becomes frustrated, confused. Trapped in apparent contradictions, they are unable to reason. Suddenly honor seems like the merest preening pretense, or your lord/wife/family seems to be merely using you, or your memory of a child of your enemies and all those sermons in church about loving thine enemies and forgiveness make you doubt your hatred. This creates an existential crisis that results in a huge tantrum, or emotional paralysis, where the character loses all faith in the things they held to be true and needs some "alone time" to figure out who they are and what their values are. If denied this, they may well act extremely unpredictably, including attacking their friends.

Ransoms... Turning prisoners of war into kidnap victims... then trying to civilize the process so the kidnap victim doesn't come after you seeking revenge when they are payed out. Well, it is a hell of a lot better than what happens to the poor bloody infantry if they get captured. They will either get hanged or sold into serfdom.

In short, no, land cannot be bought in the Feudal era. Land is a Holy Trust, placed in the hands of the Monarch as the representative of God on Earth, and apportioned to his followers according to their merit and their birthright as the King in his wisdom sees fit. Land ownership is a matter of inheritance. Land however can be conquered. Occasionally nobles who fall into financial hardships must "sell" land, but this is inevitably forfeit to their creditors, and is often subject to compulsory re-acquisition by the crown in return for hard cash to the creditor via the royal privilege managed through the cities. This is a shameful occasion and generally a matter for the Exchequer to handle quietly, as it demonstrates the fragility of the institutions of Feudalism, and thus undermines the public trust and weal. If new lands are conquered, then there is a good chance that the King will apportion new land to his followers. Typically Kings kept the cities as their domains across Europe, though some were the property of the Church, and occasionally the estates of lesser nobles than kings. Now a high noble like a Duke will probably have plenty of land, and as such will have knights who own manors that sit on 300-400 acres, and a few Vassals who own multiple Manors. An important part of the feudal mindset which operates over who gets what land is the notion of Sub-Enfeudation. This is the process whereby various nobles, starting with the King, take on vassals. A lord owes protection to his vassals, but also holds the power of law and feudal duty over them. A vassal is expected to pay certain special and occasional taxes to their lord (such as getting him out of debt), but primarily owes them loyalty and military service. Most nobles within this system get their land from their lord, but their lord has a lord, and so forth up to the king. Should a knight fail to present for war when called, they are expected to pay a tax called scutage, which provides a sum fit to hire a mercenary knight to take their place for the campaigning season. Failure to either show up for the war or pay scutage constitutes a failure of feudal duty, and can see the Lord strip his vassal of his land in extreme conditions. This potentially means that a new manor house is available for a lord to apportion to a new vassal. Anyone can potentially reward another person with land that they own, but they cannot sell it. People of non-noble birth who are given land are generally viewed as "parvenues" (interlopers on noble privilege) by the existing nobility, and are bastardized appallingly. The second generation are not treated this way, and it is considered that if the lineage of a parvenue has survived, that they are then accepted. It is also perfectly acceptable for a father to provide for his offspring by giving each a manor house as an inheritance. This is especially important to daughters as it serves as the major part of their dowry, and cannot be taken from them by their husband even if their marriage fails. The husband in such an arrangement technically has access to the funds, but the wife has legal oversight, and can choose to separate her estate (with church approval), from an unreliable husband. The chances of this increase dramatically if the wife chooses to become a nun and promise her land to the church once she dies. Land is not viewed as a commodity in the Medieval Mind. It cannot be bought and sold. It is a holy thing, gifted by God to Man. It can only be "bought" with bloodshed, as it must be won, in this time as it was in the times of King David.

Ya don't say... (Probably best not to play broos then, huh?)

The use of compound interest doesn't start until Leonardo Bonacci, called Fibonacci in 1202AD. Within Pendragon, this means that it shouldn't start until Phase 3 of the Boy King Timeline (After 525). Prior to 1202, there is generally an agreement to pay a flat sum i.e. Borrow 10£ today and pay back 12£ within a year and a day. Failure to do so will mean the loan gets churned over. Say you paid 6£. The 2£ is the interest (non-compounding) and so that is paid. That means the player has still reduced their loan by half, and now owes 6£+1£(interest). Originally all usury (financial lending practices) was considered a sin within Christianity due to a misunderstanding of the lesson of the scourging of the temple from the Bible. Thus a Christian could lend a friend money, but would never expect a penny of interest for it. This proved to be crippling to the medieval economy, and thus the practice was mitigated to a "Christian rate of interest" (which was under 20%). Most lending became the province of urban Jewry, who routinely charged very high interest rates, but generally not more than 50%. Compound interest is a marvelous way of hiding exactly how much interest a borrower is paying, and that is the main reason for its success. Most people are unaware that an interest rate of 7% will see them crudely paying back double what they borrowed over the life of their loan, for example (unless they can pay it off in a lump sum, which often seems "outrageously high" especially with exit fees, but normally isn't). The usury laws were eventually confounded by the Medicis of Florence, who gamed the system. Most of the coins of Europe had been debased by the monarchies who had re-minted silver with increasing lead content. There were a few currencies like the Thaler (from which we get the term "Dollar) of Austria that had not been debased. The Medicis would offer a loan in a debased currency, but demand repayment of the loan in a reliable high value currency like the Thaler. At this point the Catholic Church threw their hands up in disgust and simply stopped trying to regulate usury, as the Medicis had broken no laws, and were in fact serving as a huge economic impetus by freeing up finances in Europe, ushering in the Renaissance etc.

Nyarlathotep: "Yesss... Yesss ! Apparently you are destined to be eaten by Yog Sothoth. Here are some visions to help you get there."

Her skin is quite pale. I hope she packed some SPF 50+.

This could have been a huge help at the Fukushima, if Tepco hadn't opted for the "Fuk u" in Fukushima instead.

This is a good point. Of course there also needs to be a way by which the different Masks are linked together, and there will eventually need to be a reveal.

Careful now, the Audient Void might be listening. 😄

By extrapolation, why not just make it that the Broo Shaman has a taboo against consensual sexual relationships, and must commit a minimum of one rape per season or Thed gets annoyed and docks their special power ?

I think that illumination casts a shadow, and every illuminate generates a nemesis for themselves, who sees them as their opposite and an abuser of illumination. They are each a "thesis" to each others' antithesis. While Nysalor teaches the reconciliation of opposite, that isn't the way it plays out, and Rashoran, Nysalor, the RMG and Jar-Eel are dismembered while trying to reconcile with their nemesis. There is no synthesis per se. Not all opposites can be reconciled. Unresolved contradictions tend to be extremely destructive, even if they seem harmless enough when first encountered. From what I have read, Mysticism seems to demand an adherence to philosophical purity that can see through some contradictions (as some apparent contradictions are not in fact contradictions on closer inspection), but not every contradiction can be reconciled or answered, and these become "wounds" that the mystic must integrate as they become a "body of philosophy". While there is reason to believe that Nysalori Illumination spread to Brithos, as Cults of Terror specifically says that Arkat fought the cult on his home island, nothing suggests that the Aldryami were specifically illuminated by the Nysalori (and thus Arkat was illuminated by the Nysalori).

I am betting it is some sort of Tsunami deity. A child of Maran Gor (Earthquake) and Magasta (Ocean) perhaps? They're both powerful and deeply unpleasant deities and their offspring would be a cataclysm.

Most religions thrive on pedantry IRL. Entire sects are formed on the basis of nothing else. This is not even an exaggeration. When you look at how most countries look at legally establishing a new tax exemption status, to separate themselves from their parent faith, they first have to find one or more areas of doctrinal separation. Also consider the murderous debate about whether Christ and God the Father are of the same substance, similar substance, different substance etc. in the early Church. And if you think this is only a Christian problem, I have news for you...