Soccercalle

With the release of the Cults Book being postponed due to different reasons. Do anyone with inside information know if there will be any changes to ”major” cults like Orlanth, Ernalda, Storm Bull or Humakt. I have read that Yelmalio will get Shield. But will we see changes in the more common cults that would be good to implement in your campaign before the release?

9 hours ago, Nick Brooke said:

From my short note Mistress of the Three Worlds in the Gloranthan Manifesto, Volume Two (available free somewhere in this forum, only it’s late):

Is the upcoming rules for illumination close to old rules or will they be completely different? I wonder if I can use some Nysalor riddles in my campaign or if I should wait for the Cults Book.

2 hours ago, jajagappa said:

It's the Rune spell called Earth Shield.  

In the original texts regarding Orlanth's Four Magical Weapons, you'll find them noted as: the Scarf of Mist, the Shield of Arran, the Lightning Spear, and the Sandals of Darkness.  They are the source of the four Rune spells under Orlanth Adventuruous p.301: Mist Cloud, Earth Shield, Lightning, and Dark Walk.

Thanks

In the core rulebook Vasana casts "Shield of Arran" (p 270). I first thought that it was a Rune Spell but couldn't find it in the rules or the Red Book. I later googled and found it mentioned that a weapon used by Vinga. 

Is it a gift that you get from a heroquest and is that a heroquest described somewhere in a format that is playable for RQG?

On 4/27/2022 at 9:21 PM, soltakss said:

Something is Chaotic if Storm Bulls can Sense it.

If they can't Sense Chaos then it isn't Chaos.

There has been a recent trend, over the last 20 years or so, where performing despicable acts makes you Chaotic.

Personally, I don't really subscribe to that idea. For me, Chaos is more absolute.

Isn't it very possible that ordinary people in Glorantha uses evil and chaotic as synonyms? Even if that is formally of mythically wrong. 

5 hours ago, Jose said:

Just a request🙂 . Please Jeff, can you speed up the cults book? so we can explore other mythologies beyond the "why elmal is better than Yelmalio", "Yelmalio sucks as a war god" or " I don't like other gods rune magic because sucks except for yelm, Orlanth and ernalda" thing. I mean, I think many of us would like to go deeper. 

Jeff talked about a possible pdf release in late March in one of the Youtube-videos. That didn't happen but it indicates that it should be out (in pdf) in the coming weeks. I don't know if @Jeffor anyone else has an update.

1. RQG

2. 3 months

3. Sea Season 1619 (The main campaign is "Six Seasons in Sartar" but I add different other scenarios. We started with the "Broken Tower".

4. Colymar land. They have travelled to Duckpoint, the Upland Marsh, Jonstown and Boldhome.

5. The Black Stag Vale in eastern Colymar Land.

6. "Six Seasons" (most important), "Sartar - kingdom of Heroes" (second most important) and the Starter Set. Other books (like "Company of the Dragon" will be very important as the campaign moves on.

7. Mostly plot led.

8. They are following what is happening but is not yet a main part of the larger history. 

9. Epic. But also political and fun/humorous.

10. Have fun. Use the setting for information och inspiration. But dont let it be a burden. Dont let the characters be to creative when they create characters. It may seem fun to have a Mostali, Aldryami or a Troll character. But most source material is made for Orlanthi humans. Try to have at least one Orlanth/Vinga initiate in the group (I have one Vinga and one Orlanth Thunderous). Avoid cults that are hostile to Orlanthi. Good cults are Orlanth/Vinga, Ernalda, Humakt, Storm Bull, Babeester Gor and Odayla. Other Earth, Sky and Lightbringer Cults are also good. Avoid PCs being sorcerers and be careful with shamans.

SPOILERS IN THE REST OF THE TEXT!

The plan is to use the campaign books of @Andrew Logan Montgomerybut to add extra scenarios. I allow experience rolls for every scenario and usually have 2-3 scenarios every season. I added the "Colymar Campaign" from "Sartar - kingdom of Heroes" to get some high drama into the more gritty Haraborn saga. The Broken Tower is a great intro adventure so I had my PCs looking for Andrin (first part of the Six Seasons book) outside the vale. One of the PCs wanted to visit relatives in a neighboring clan and found them being robbed of their cattle, the relative was also murdered to give the PC a great incitament to pursue. On the way back to the Vale they passed thru Clearwine at the time of the "Feast of the Beasts" - the first part of the Colymar Campaign.

I plan to postpone the Forging (start) of the Company of the Dragon so that the characters can move east to Prax/Pavis (being hunted by king Kangharl). I plan to let them play some parts of Borderlands and the Cradle (and maybe some more scenarios from the RQ3 books set in Prax/Pavis) before they move back to form the company. I use Ernalsulva (the princess in the Colymar Campaign) and the Rainbow Worm (from Six Seasons) for some soft railroading between settings. I am thinking of making Duke Raus a friend of Ernalsulvas family and a logic host in exile.

My main reasoning behind adding extra scenarios is that the official/canon materials about the years 1626-28 may take some years for Chaosium. By adding scenarios its easier to have a lot of gaming before we dry out of new source materials.

Humakti are dedicated to fighting the undead, who are abominations in the eyes of their god. At the same time, they have a Rune spell - Bind Ghost - that turns a dying Humakti into a ghost. Can someone give me some mythological explanation to this. I have an Humakti player in my group who are thinking about getting new Rune Spells. And we both have problem understanding how this spell can be "kosher" with the Humakti.

I apologize if I mixed up the centuries. I was trying to create some family trees for my PCs. No worries and thank you for all answers.

11 minutes ago, David Scott said:

See here:

https://wellofdaliath.chaosium.com/home/catalogue/websites/pos/prince-of-sartar/chapter-3-the-white-bear/029-the-city-of-wonders/

Thanks. That was actually a very good answer to my question. I had forgot that page.

14 minutes ago, French Desperate WindChild said:

that is more a question of management. and your definition of "independent"

From my perspective they were autonomous to manage their domestic policy, having to obey few common laws but were unable (or less able) to decide foreign policy except for trade maybe

I see them as far more autonomous than european union countries for domestic policy but less autonomous than eu countries for foreign policy

Sounds reasonable,

Ok. So the God-King Belintar was like the European Commission 😉 

A question. Did the High Priestesses of Nochet/Esrolia "report" to Belintar when he was alive? Or was Esrolia independent?

Nick is the expert. My personal view is that I will only buy products that suits my Sartarbased campaign.

19 hours ago, JRE said:

Could they be King and Queen of the Colymar at the same time? Political marriage and all that... Dangmet could be then his son from other marriage, as I do not expect Orlanthi appreciate infant kings and regencies, but he could co-rule with his mother-in-law a few years. 

Just fitting the pieces to see what comes out.

Sartar tribes doesn't work like that. Leika is a king even if she is a woman and the chief priest for Orlanth Rex. The "queen" of the Colymar is the Ernalda High Priestess Ereneva Chan. 

A question. King of Sartar speaks om someone called Jostharl Dangmagsson of the Arnoring clan who becomes king of the Colymar in 1625 and rules until 1635. He is succeeded by his son Dangmet in 1635. But Leika is by most other sources king during the Battle of the Queens in 1626 and (according to other sources) lives until 1638.

1 hour ago, Jeff said:

Lemme see. Here's a genealogy of the Ernaldoring leaders, which includes our two pregens (Vasana and Yanioth), Beneva Chan, Kallai Rockbuster, Erenava Chan, Blackmoor and more.

Thanks. In the GM screen you find both Korlmhy and Kangharl. Nice with the pre-gens

I remember seeing a Colymar family tree with Kallai, Leila, Londra, The Chans etc. I think it was in an official product. But I cant find it. Can someone help me?

1 hour ago, Jeff said:

As an aside, remember that the Orlanth Rex cult really wasn't introduced into southern Dragon Pass until the 1450s or so, and wasn't really cemented until Sartar was acclaimed Prince in 1492. So it is entirely likely that Mad-Blood Malan was not an Orlanth Rex initiate at all.

Very true. I think the name "Orlanth Rex" makes it easy to forget the role of Sartar. My question was not so much about Mad-Blood Malan but about kings and chief in general who are initiates to other gods than Orlanth.

It is actually quite hard to see an Orlanth Rex Cult anywhere before 1450 if you need to be of Sartars blood line to become a chief priest.

9 minutes ago, David Scott said:

All people in the ring

From my understanding, lay members.

All the Orlanth Rex spells are mentioned in the Core Rules.  Command Priests, Command Worshipers, Detect Honor. All use the Air rune, so if you are not of an air cult, you might not be any good at using them.

Thanks again,

I had forgotten the spells in the core rules. I remembered the clan chief in Six Seasons by @Andrew Logan Montgomery being described as an initiate. But that is of course not ”canon”. I think I would house-rule that a clan chief is an initiate but without the spell Command Priests. 

1 minute ago, David Scott said:

yes, Barntar also gets a full separate cult write up.

Mad Blood Malan was a Priest, not a chief priest of Orlanth Rex:

• Lay member = leadership position in a clan (no Rune magic)
• Temporary Initiate = city or tribal council position (access to Rune magic)
• Priest (permanent initiate) = Tribal king 
• High priest = Prince of Sartar

 

Thanks.

Does "leadership position in a clan" mean being chieftain or is it for all people in the ring?

If it is for all the people in the ring. Would a clan chieftain be a lay member, a temporary initiate or a permanent initiate of Orlanth Rex? I understand that they are not priests.

My wrong about Mad-Malan (tribal king = priest, king/prince of Sartar = high priest)

What are the Rune Spells of Orlanth Rex that for example an Ernalda Princess in the Tribal Ring can learn?

10 minutes ago, David Scott said:

It's covered in the Cults Preview. Any initiate of Orlanth, or of any associated or friendly cult may become a lay member of Orlanth Rex. That applies to Initiates too. 

So that covers: Subcults: Bartar, Voriof, Drogarsi, Vinga, Associates: Lightbringers (CA, LM, Issaries, Eurmal, Fleshman (Daka Fal)), Ernalda, Grain Goddesses, Engizi, Heler, Inora, Kero Fin, Kolat, Mastakos, Odayla, Storm Bull, Valid, Yinkin, Ygg.

Friendly: Argan Argar, Asrelia, Babeester Gor, Donander, Dormal, Eiritha, Flamal, Foundchild, Humakt, Lodril, Lokarnos, Lowfires, Maran Gor, Mralota, Polaris, Pralor, Rathor, Uleria, Voria.

There's likely a few I've missed, but that covers a lot.

Thanks, that answers my question. So it is Alternative 1.

So someone like Mad-Malan was probably a Sword of Humakt and a chief priest of Orlanth Rex.

Will the subcults Bartar, Voriof, Drogarsi be described in the cults book?

Its quite clear that an Orlanthi and Vinga that gets elected clan chief or tribal king becomes an initiate or even priest of Orlanth Rex. But what happens if they are from another cult? 

I am not asking about people like Kangharl who has abandoned Orlanth and joined the Lunars. But for example if an Ernalda Priestess becomes queen or if an Humakt becomes chieftain. I remember that Mad-Malan was an Humakti when he was king of the Malani and I guess that an Ernalda Priestess could be chief for the Ernaldori.

I see three main alternatives:

1) Non-orlanth/Vinga chiefs and kings become initiates of Orlanth i the Orlanth Rex aspect

2) Non-orlanth/Vinga chiefs and kings does NOT become initiates of Orlanth (Rex). That would mean that there is no Orlanth Rex chief priest in a tribe without an Orlanthi King.

3) Only initiates of Orlanth or Vinga could become chiefs or kings (unless they are occupants or collaborators like Kangharl)

I guess that Prince Temertain (a Lankhor Mhy Sage) is not a member of Orlanth Rex (he was the puppet king when Orlanth was dead). But could he had been if he had turned against the Lunars?

6 minutes ago, soltakss said:

I ran a Campaign for the HeroQuest game, where members of our existing campaign went on a Lightbringer Quest. So, I ran each Station, or sub-Station, as a single session.

It worked really well.

@jajagappahas pretty much covered everything in his post.

I would expand each Station to be a HeroQuest in its own right, to make it a longer HeroQuest.

 

 

I guess it depends on the group. Some stations may be one session. Maybe we will have time for more than one station on some sessions. We play appr 2 times a month for 3-4 hours. Most players have kids and career jobs. The "Colymar Campaign" is run together with Six Seasons in Sartar so Eurmal will probably be the Clan Trickster and Ginna Jar will be "the Royal". I only have five players in the group. 

7 hours ago, jajagappa said:

Some additional comments.

6) Pit of Hell/Hellmouth cont.

Feel free to draw on images from things like Dante's Inferno or Neil Gaiman's depictions of Hell in the Sandman comics or even just the raw blackness and sense-depriving images that Nick Brooke depicts in his Black Spear (I do highly recommend this for some more RQG heroquesting ideas).  This place should be terrifying to all who have entered - a place of nightmare, whatever those are for the individual PC's (feel free to liberally draw upon any identified Fears; also, I encourage twisting Love and Loyalty Passions into Fears - if they Love someone, the PC sees them threatened, doomed, etc. and they cannot do anything about it!).

Fyi, there's another vision of the Hellmouth in the HQG Eleven Lights work.  It talks a bit more about the PC's got chomped and mangled by the Hellmouth.  Everyone should get chomped and mangled - and it's where they get separated from everyone else (if they haven't already).  Once they are through, and alone, they've got to find a way to pull themselves back together.  This is at the deepest part of the unconscious mind - let each PC figure out what is at the core of their being.  Maybe it's a Rune, or a Passion, or a characteristic (possible some PC could decide on one single skill, too).  I might allow some limited augment (Meditation upon their plight, a Song in the midst of nothingness, Dance even though they are crippled, etc.).  And a roll on whatever they identified as their core being.  With a success, they pull themselves back together (and definitely reward them with a bonus to that core essence).  If they get a special or critical success, they've gained something new (a Star Heart, SKoH p.350 would make sense - you can treat it like a new Passion with a rating of 60% for a special or 70% for a critical; and it's something they can draw upon as a last resort in desperate times).  If they fail, well, they didn't find something when they pulled themself back together and are now crippled somehow (maybe they lose half one of their three highest Runes?).

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NOTE: What happens if they die in the Underworld???

Well, normally if you die, your spirit separates from the body and heads for the Underworld… but both parts are here, and the spirit doesn’t have to travel anywhere. And this gives you some options.

 

(1) The adventurer’s spirit may urge their companions to “heal” their body. If the body’s hit points are brought above 0, the spirit can re-enter the body. There is a cost: I'd reduce the adventurer’s CON by 1D4 and reduce their Fertility Rune by half - after all, they've REALLY died once.

 

(2) The spirit continues on with the adventurers. The companions can carry the body with them to Havan Vor, where the spirit is judged. If their deity shows up to plead for them (i.e. successful Devotion or Loyalty(temple) roll), the deity restores life and the spirit to the body.  (If it's after Havan Vor, then likely this is no longer an option.)

 

(3) As with any ghost/spirit, they can be bound into a Spirit matrix (if they have one along - always good to be prepared!!!), OR attempt to possess another creature’s body in the Underworld and use that!  (there are "living" creatures in the Underworld - could just be a troll, could be a hell hound, or even a black horse!  Maybe they’ve already encountered a spirit who tried to possess one of the adventurers to escape Hell, or a demon suggests they could do so?

 

(4) If the player is amenable, the adventurer’s spirit vanishes to Haran Vor, where it is judged worthy and sent to the afterlife. The party then has an encounter that introduces a new PC who joins the quest. How and why this character is in the Underworld is a good question.  A dwarf on a special mission?  A troll on a quest to Wonderhome who got lost?  A companion of Argrath's who got stuck? 

 

(5) The Underworld is a strange place. Perhaps the body turns into a zombie and shuffles after the PCs?  One of my PC's had a companion darkness demon who generally traveled with the PC as a shadowy cloak or shield (it was a "protective" spirit of darkness).  The PC died in the Underworld when they rang a curious little bell and shards of black glass fell from above.  The darkness demon used the opportunity to take over the dead body and become corporate, but it also "restored" the soul of the PC into a new "crystalline" form (the PC lost a couple of elemental Runes in the process and Water, in a solid form hence crystalline, became their new predominate Rune).  Weird things can happen in the Underworld.

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7) Plateau of Suffering - SKoH p.351-3

This is the climax and you want a nice dramatic fight against these "gods".  Again I recommend Nick Brook's Black Spear with its ritual battle against the planetary deities as a good example of how you could run this.

You've got five foes here.  One is in the Very Hard 150% range; the others should be Hard 90%+, but scale to your PC's levels.  At least two need to be overcome and incapacitated to free Hofstaring.  It's a typical RQG battle - draw upon Runes, Rune spells (if they still have any left), and whatever resources they have left.

8 ) The Return - SKoH p.354

If they've freed Hofstaring, he carries them up and out of Hell - he knows how to do this.  Reward the PC's accordingly for their deeds - and this is a good chance to found a Hero Cult to Hofstaring to gain his Great Leap Rune spell (or whatever you wish to call it). 

There's a lot of other bits you can certainly fill in and around, but hopefully these notes give you plenty to work with.

 

Thanks again. I am thinking of a reward in the form of Leap AND Great Leap. Leap would be reusable and Great Leap one-use. I don't think that is a spell that should be used to often. I will also read Black Spear again to get more ideas.

I have actually started to write a "road map" based on your first comment. It will be a bit railroading (this is their first HeroQuest) but they will be able to choose btw violence, seduction and stealth on many stations. And of course which skills, runes or magic to use.

3 hours ago, jajagappa said:

 

Will try to add more later, but hopefully the above provides some thoughts on how you can approach without resorting to anything more than basic RQG skills, Runes, and Passions.

 

 

Thank you very much! This was very helpful!