Akhôrahil

Not that they're allowed to kill, at least...

One thing I wonder about is how often the formal invocations of hospitality are brought out. Presumably you get more formal the more unfamiliar and fraught the situation is? But at the same time, I have a hard time imagining it happens every time, like the sixth time people from the friendly neighboring clan comes over. Hospitality is definitely strong for role-playing, though. My PCs were in a situation where they had to receive an emissary from Ralzakark, and neither wanted to offend nor get too deep into the hospitality. They ended up serving exceptional ale and a lavish fish dish, in order to formally stay away from "meat". As well as trying to counter what they (correctly) felt was excessive gift-giving that would land them in a position of gratitude they didn't want.

Or say rather that it had to be replaced, such as with Storm Bull and even Orlanth in a way (his rains are part of fertility).

I think worship of Storm Bull as a mere berserker warrior god works fine, and in my Glorantha, the amount of focus on the Chaos-killing varies by location (the overwhelming focus in Prax, much less for the Bisos cult). Some places, like the KoW and Charg, worship "all war gods", and I think this means that the warlike aspect rather than the chaos-killing aspect is focused upon.

Bandits are just guys, and in some areas, the difference between a large bandit gang and a small clan might be fluid. Orlanth isn't opposed to banditry and raiding within some pretty loose limits, so I would expect the large majority to be Orlanth-worshipers. Gagarth for the absolute scum, though.

It keeps being weird that trolls go for "chastity and purity" in a ritual.

Possibly, but it could also be that they just really want her back if captured. In my game, I run a "wealthy free" SoL of 120 L for people who can afford it but don't have a noble position. And while the game doesn't explicitly say it, I think there would be a substantial overlap between Noble and God-Talker - your village thane is also the officiator for local religious stuff (you might not go to the clan center for just the weekly worship if it's half a day away). This would also nicely map against how the clan chief is the clan temple high priest.

I would say Merchant - your function as a trader is likely more important than that of a religious officiant. Ransom by your personal wealth? Healer by the argument above, but at elevated ransom? This probably depends. If you’re doing the default ”seasonal adventuring operating out of your home context”, then you should still count as noble. If you go to Pavis to hunt for treasure for a few years, it depends on whether you maintain your standard of living out of your own funds - you’re not getting supported from home until you return. Although as the chief’s offspring, your Ransom should still be high.

While I agree about this, in Jeff's writings on this (assuming I read them correctly) most people with the Noble profession in RQG would rather be some kind of "Wealthy Free", while the Noble social class proper is considerably more restrictive. The Noble profession is kinda middle management in many cases - you're the boss over a few dozen people in a village, but hardly the very social elite.

I'm badly confused as well - I thought I understood this with KoS and the RQG rulebook (Carl = Free = Non-Tenant), but I feel less sure now. Same thing with Noble - if I understand Jeff's posts correctly, most Nobles (profession) are not Nobles (social class).

Well maybe, maybe not. They likely become cottars, and I think cottars qualify as free? Of course, they also might become stickpickers, who don’t.

https://kingofdragonpass.fandom.com/wiki/Issaries_the_Concilliator

The former division was Traditionalist/Appeaser, but in Sartar this has probably moved to Traditionalist/Radical now, with Argrath as the standard-bearer of the radicals (and traditionalist king Broyan dead).

Where is this actually stated? I mean, I think it makes good sense and all, but...

Right now, the White Moonies are what they mostly have to handle ideologically. It's a cogent and consistent in-Lunar challenge to the Empire, and the problem is that when you listen to them, they make a very good point.

Serfs are a different matter, like the modern Vendref (it seems reasonable to describe the FHQ reforms as bringing them from thralls to serfs).

Thralls are literally slaves. It's just that slaves have varying degrees of rights in different systems of slavery, and the Orlanthi one isn't super harsh as these things go (for instance, the children become free).

Thralls are fully unfree. They're slaves. I agree about cottars, though, and that seems to be the current canonical line as well - semi-free is more for stickpickers and the like.

This is a balancing act - more cottars mean more taxes and richer nobles and temples, but lower clan coherence and weaker military. Nobles in general might be expected to push for it, but the chief has to have the support of the carls.

And what's the collective noun? A prudishness of Yelmalians?

RQG rulebook, p. 200: ”If the attacking weapon is a long-hafted weapon or an impaling weapon, the parrying weapon takes no damage”, but only when you roll a crit. Personally, I think that’s weird. A halberd or a longaxe is going to make far more of a mess of a shield than a regular sword will, and more and not less on a really good hit. Not sure if this is an intentional rule or a cut & paste error.

Stretch goal.

It makes sense to me that magical power drained from something would still bear the "resonance" of the source. In some cases this may just be a bonus or a hindrance, but when it comes to Chaos, it's spiritual plutonium.

Blue Book of Zzabur Written by Zzabur himself in True Script, this book is a first-hand record of creation, inscribed upon the flayed, yet still-living skins of his ancient foes. The Blue Book requires great labor and study even to read; the intellect must be attuned through rigorous logical self-discipline (Solace) and other strictures so that it is not annihilated by the knowledge contained within the book. This book is the core source text for all zzaburi wizardry. No complete copy exists in the world today. https://wellofdaliath.chaosium.com/home/gloranthan-documents/glorantha-2/history-of-malkioni-thought-brithini-and-first-age/

The PCs in my group were granted a (superior) trollkin, and they rolled up his stats. It turned out the trollkin had 18 in INT, and everyone decided he had been smart enough to hide that.