Akhôrahil

Someone demonstrated that it's possible to qualify for Sword of Humakt at character creation.

Eurmal, especially in HW/HQ, is also a bit like this. HW heavily implied that the Eurmal cult is where you put mentally ill people, whose behavior can then be tolerated (and sometimes benefited from) now that it's cast in a mythical context.

Or even just scattered (Cwim can only eat so many as they flee) and not coming back until things look better. They don't have any huge investment in holding Pavis after conquering and looting it.

I mean, maybe? But Elmal has some pretty good mythic connections already. Orlanth's second in command, stand-in ruler and defender of the Storm Tribe, does stuff at the very end of the LBQ, the Elmal/Heler/Esrola triangle... does Yelmalio really have a richer mythic tapestry? And that's before we get into the Elmal myths we see in Six Ages (that the Heortling Elmali may or may not have access to).

He’s probably just corrupting the youth, anyway.

Change Ulanin to Beren and it’s basically what we have?

I agree that it’s hard to see the attraction of Yelmalio in-world. At least in RQG, Ernalda has better combat magic (this changes when he at least gets Shield). Are Yelmalio’s myths cooler? I don’t think so - Elmal Guards the Stead is victory through tenacity and sacrifice, while Hill of Gold is losing but surviving and maintaining that ”purity” by not having sex. Humakti geases tend to enforce honorable behavior; Yelmalio’s stop you from bathing and stuff like that (but then you can talk to birds!). And then there are the constant ”moral victories” (i.e. defeats), and it doesn’t help that the cult is so commonly used as someone’s else’s tool (and resurrected for just that purpose). It’s hard for me at least to see the attraction. If I’m an Elmalite, they can keep their Yelmalio. My god is Orlanth’s loyal thane, and you want me to abandon Orlanth for a foreign god in the service of Yelm? Who are you, the Teller of Lies?

I will not be able to get the notion that humans speaking Darktongue sound like Moomintrolls out of my head now!

I imagine that Sun Dome tactics and unit makeup will differ between temples - deep in the forests of Aggar, both pike formations and mounted archers seem less than ideal for local combat, for instance (but might still be the mercenaries outsiders want).

Sidekicks are good, and plus if the main character dies, it’s easy to upgrade a sidekick into a full PC. The PCs can also be encouraged to round up temporary allies for bigger fights.

That's in King of Sartar, basically.

Dragonewt speech is highly sibilant, and you need a cleft tongue to speak Auld Wyrmish properly.

Checking the Dorastor book, Clan Renekot has (at least) three Wind Lords and three Storm Khans. On the one hand, this seems like a lot (especially for a small clan), but on the other, the numbers may be artificially high as the clan has been loaded up with extra muscle, being sponsored by the King of the Bilini.

That might also have something to do with what their own clan is ready to pay. 🙂 Wastrels, the lot of them! Thieves are more useful!

The truth is out there! They come for us in their Black Moonboats!

And if not, what about horses? 🙂

Herders should be able to reach Free SoL if they own their own flocks (expensive but doable), becoming more of ranchers than herders. Weirdly, even Poor herders have a 500L ransom - does that mean that they're Free even at Poor SoL? The same goes for tenant Farmers (who can't possibly maintain a Free SoL through their farming even though the occupation indicates it). Hunters and fishermen though... they do have Poor SoL and half Ransom in the rules, so unless you can still count as Free... (Is it a typo that Fishermen have only 200L rather than the typical 250L for Poor as Ransom?)

Oddi and Paulis seeing it can't reasonably be post-1625 in that story. The war ends in 1625, and this is before that (Oddi hasn't even been crowned yet). We don't get a lot of story, but it does have the Cult on its back and is eating people (but then, when isn't it?). Possibly importantly, though: "Oddi said that it might be going to Dragon Pass, for he knew of fighting there." Meanwhile the Guide says: "The Cult of the Crimson Bat is currently [currently for the guide] performing long and arduous rituals to resummon the Bat", so that gives us another reference point.

What is the timeline of the Crimson Bat, here? It's killed by Broyan (1621?), then it's seen near Talastar (by Oddi and Paulis - I imagine it's in the Lakrene area) in what must I think must be early 1625... did it have time to get itself killed again in between? Or just not arrive in time? That said, I'm sure it's not the Bat - it would have been recognized and mentioned (and plus, this probably looks like small fry for the Lunars so far). I think I may prefer some Lunar demon, though.

I’m certain the ducks (and Lismelder) pack a number of them as well.

How does Varnaval fit with that? (I have an unreasonable fondness for Varnaval and the whole implied ”Ram Gods” complex of the northern Orlanthi.)

At least if we believe King of Dragon Pass, ’Elmal Guards the Stead’ might be the more defining Elmal myth though (it’s the one they went for there, at least). And tons of non-Heortling Elmal stuff in Six Ages, too.

Storm Tribe for HW has a great 15-page write-up of the old (no longer canon) Elmal stuff. And yes, a lot of players prefer staunch Elmal to puritanical Yelmalio.

One fun thing about this is that everyone needs to consider that it’s possible he might return, and so may not instantly go for all-out internicine war to determine his successor. Have to consider how far they dare to reach.

Canon is that he survived and went on to do the other Argrath stuff in King of Sartar, but you don’t have to go with that, and the increased volatility of having AWB dead (with room for a PC to replace, perhaps) could be fun for your game. Or maybe even more interesting if no-one knows what happened yet.