Bill the barbarian

3 minutes ago, davecake said:

Yes, I thought I mentioned this earlier in the thread? Also there are the OrganStones and other parts of the Faceless Stone Statue (ultimately, Mostali Maker magic), other Flintnail artifacts, etc. Plus in fan material, there are the Masks of Pavis, a number of enchanted masks worn by certain magical office holders of the city/cult that are heavily enchanted. 

You know that is a nasty way to see if I am paying attention...:) and an even nastier way to get me to read your posts again... :)

yeah, there it is... oops.

SPOILER ALERT 

for Strangers in Prax

12 hours ago, davecake said:

I doubt the champion of Pavis has much more magical benefits than the priests - apart from the support of Pavis sorcery, which may be significant. 

Strangers in Prax has an interesting adventure in which the party assists a sorcerer who desires a (very specific tower) that was a part of the sorcerous city spanning magics of Robcradle. 

7 hours ago, scott-martin said:

Even if Greg Himself "disliked the Mostali," an enterprising heroquester should be able to get in there and loosen them up. The mere fact that we know about their historical heresies suggests that a much more diversified experience is possible even though propaganda out of Nida and/or Slon argues against it in the here and now. The dwarves are not necessarily united. The Hero Wars are for them too, even if those that emerge need to sacrifice just about everything that has supported them in the past.

I have discovered thanks the current art and a few teasings here and there (some from here in BRP central) that Steam Punk Mostali are a thing and that thing is going to be in my Glorantha, It'll be my way of doing a different style of dwarf, and get that horrid article Greg wrote on Why I hate the Mostali out of my head.

I am s glad the use of wyter as a player controlled tac nuke has been put back in Egregious Munkinerry where it belongs. That months long argument of "it's my tac nuke and if the community doesn't like it I'm gong to take my bat, ball and tac nuke and go home", is finally being lain to rest! (and there was great rejoicing in the lands... yay!).

Cheers

2 hours ago, Sir_Godspeed said:

In Glorantha we get an additional element: hero- and spirit-quests. Ancestral visions, possession, etc. Might explain some "unrealistic" linguistic conservatism.

I understand in France and here at home in Quebec they make that a part of the government bureaucracy and institutionalize it.

;•)

51 minutes ago, Dan Z said:

Well here's the initial pass.  Other maps look to show some other item I think I should add... a couple of shrines maybe... some more trees, etc. and details.

 

Vey nice, I assume this is in Lismelder Tribal lands?

37 minutes ago, metcalph said:

Lares is just a name for Pelorian Wyters, stolen from the RW Lares  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lares

Quote

 

Lares were believed to observe, protect, and influence all that happened within the boundaries of their location or function. The statues of domestic Lares were placed at the table during family meals; their presence, cult, and blessing seem to have been required at all important family events. 

Roman writers sometimes identify or conflate them with ancestor-deities, domestic Penates, and the hearth.

Because of these associations, Lares are sometimes categorised as household gods, but some had much broader domains. Roadways, seaways, agriculture, livestock, towns, cities, the state, and its military were all under the protection of their particular Lar or Lares. Those who protected local neighbourhoods (vici) were housed in the crossroad shrines (Compitalia), which served as a focus for the religious, social, and political lives of their local, overwhelmingly plebeian communities. Their cult officials included freedmen and slaves, otherwise excluded by status or property qualifications from most administrative and religious offices.

Wikipedia

 

So, does this describe Lunar Lares well?

It's about how I see Orlanthi wyters, kind of protector/spirit guides with agendas (or spheres of influence). I had not thought about them being quite as small as a family shrine but maybe that only applies to Roman Lares,,, but a Heortland stead having a small family wyter  might be interesting. 

Cheers

9 minutes ago, metcalph said:

Lares (according to ILH

Alas, I not have the Imperial Lunar Handbook v1. What are Lares? Thanks in advance.

Cheers

2 hours ago, Sir_Godspeed said:

As far as I understand, wyters are a Orlanthi- or Theyalan-specific cultural concept, and not a "Glorantha-wide" concept (like, say, Runes). This made me wonder: plenty of other groups have spirits, demigods, deities, genus loci, ancestors, etc. that maintain active obligations with respect to a specific group of people.

I think you might have to travel "story first", into finding what other culture have. What do they need, might be the first question.That is, what is an orlanthi  wyter and what position does it fulfil. I am thinking a wyter can be a bit like the monolith in 2001, a prod/a teacher (smaller lessons and in a longer period of time with wyters than with the monolith),

"Here is how to act like the archetype your gods and people need you to be (in 2001 that would be society needs yo to evolve and here are the tools) and let me reward you in a way fitting to our culture."

So what would a darra happen descended /lunar community need from the other worlds to enforce/teach tradition, open minds to new thoughts, and perform as a wyter like being? Or am I on the wrong track?

1 hour ago, Sir_Godspeed said:

As a bit of a sidenote, I like to view the Brithini castes as all having some unimaginably powerful members who can do things that outsider would gasp at - not just the Zzaburi. It reminds me of Lord of the Rings, where the elves of Lothlorien give the Hobbits their "magical cloaks", but insist that it's just a product of elven craftsmanship. In both cases, we might be dealing with craftsmen who are so skilled that their works are indistinguishable from magically derived items (and in Glorantha the distinction might ultimately be meaningless, since everything is, at its heart, "magical".)

Nice twist on an old chestnut, you're getting into sic fi/Traveller territory here.

Quote

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.Arthur C. Clarke

1 hour ago, Sir_Godspeed said:

The discrepancy between Trollpak and tHotHP Sounds a bit like the Biblical Gospels covering the same events slightly differently, but among the 4 canonical ones, there's generally room for the mentioned events in one to fit in with the mentioned events of another. Not that outright contradictions are alien to either Glorantha nor the Bible, however.

That seems like a long way of saying, YGMV... <gr>

cheers

1 hour ago, davecake said:

I might be drawing on info in GoG about the treasure storehouses of Asrelia temples are also used to store the valuables of worshippers on deposit and for loans

Thought you folks might find this of interest....

6 minutes ago, g33k said:

Asrelia has no mobility.  She's got a vault in the Underworld as (so far as I can tell) her home.  It is undoubtedly more secure than anything of Issaries; it is undoubtedly less mobile, too.

Unless her priestesses use gnomes (still can't get used to calling them Earth Elementals, it seems wrong) to move the caches (preserving the letter of the spell since the wealth remains in the urn) about, mostly undetectably (this is beginning to sound a teeny bit egregious, but not munchkinnery yet, sorry PhilHibbs).

Cheers

1 hour ago, davecake said:

In addition many temples of Issaries are markets with temporary leadership (and often more or less temporary existence - it fills up for certain market days, and might empty in between). When the rules say that Temples of Issaries honour letters of credit from other temples, I think that likely means temples of Issaries controlled by groups that form a trade network. Anything past that probably requires some convincing. 

Well this does make sense from the point of view of what a player might wish of the goddess of earth wealth and things hidden (from memory). What might the cult want... can't find a ton of stuff but...

Quote

 

Grandmother of Wealth. Asrelia is the keeper and distributor of all which is good and desired. She is the first grandmother and mother of Ernalda, Esrola, and Maran Gor. Asrelia’s shrines in Sartar are few, but very rich.

Sartar Kingdom of Heroes page 105

 

It does seem to back up your statements. This being the case, why is Issaries the god of transferring wealth while most gods will store wealth underground. RQ RiG page 406 Storing Treasure? By the rules...

1 hour ago, davecake said:

In addition many temples of Issaries are markets with temporary leadership (and often more or less temporary existence - it fills up for certain market days, and might empty in between). When the rules say that Temples of Issaries honour letters of credit from other temples, I think that likely means temples of Issaries controlled by groups that form a trade network. Anything past that probably requires some convincing. 

The only flaw is that you imply that the Earth Temples (sorry Asrelia temples) would be more trustworthy than the Issaries or that the would have a stronger (more cohesive?) network and I see no evidence of either, Perhaps I misunderstood. In any case that is some solid arguments.

Ah I have found one more argument. I would assume that the Asrelia Temples would be few compared to the far flung and numerous Issaries Markets.

Cheers

So if I got the story correct... RQ will make me very very very rich!

Woohoo!

1 hour ago, Crel said:

RQG p.277: "An allied spirit is an initiate of the cult and can sacrifice for Rune points, just as a normal initiate. Allied spirits cannot be Rune Priests, Rune Lords, or God-Talkers." The text doesn't seem to specify how many RP an allied spirit begins play with (but it must be at least one, since they're always an initiate).

Thanks Crel, sorry Puss but away your boots, your sandals. too.

2 minutes ago, Sir_Godspeed said:

f there is anything that roleplayers should take from this thread, it's that board games (or similar games not requiring an actual board) have been incredibly widespread throughout history, even among poor people, and especially fine sets have been status symbols - so feel free to incorporate these as natural and commonplace social activities to pass the time or just good fun pretty much everywhere.

Ah, man can not live by bread alone,

Understood, and as much fun as I have had researching games we could use some other stuff here.Me, I have told all the public domain jokes I can think of, Got a whack more but....

Alas the culinary thread did not end up here (just as well, it took off and needed a whole thread)  and I am currently seeking permission from the copyright holders for some awesome filk tunes (folk songs that have been repurposed, usually for LARPing). No excuses...

But this gives the excuse to say have a look at the OP and bring your jokes pigs in pokes and songs down and fill this here place up.

Until then
cheers

12 minutes ago, g33k said:

Given a background of pits-in-the-ground and seeds for pieces... and a game-play that can trivially be interpreted as sowing the seeds & harvesting... and occasional evidence back an extra 1000-2000 years before the "solid" evidence 1300 years ago...

 

So the game I played to pass time in the '70s as a teen is a direct descendent of early agriculture teaching games. Did you note the resemblance of Mancala to Backgammon,? Same can be said of Senet,

Oh I see! The cones in Senet are grain silos (I had recognized that when watching the video) and the spindles (hourglasses/near fertility symbols really) are grain sheaths and as much as they tie to with death in Egypt that would also tie in  to its opposite (fertility)  in Glorantha. 

Neat trick! 

11 minutes ago, g33k said:

Mancala

Mancala, eh? Thanks for the links I'll have to check 'em out.

Cheers

32 minutes ago, davecake said:

Works for the Basmoli. 

Seriously, cool! Send me scurrying on a search. References, books and pages if you would be so kind.

Thank you in advance.

31 minutes ago, Runeblogger said:

I would suggest using the chase rules in Call of Cthulhu 7th edition, (only if you happen to have it), since the chase rules in the basic RQG rulebook aren't that great (a human can run faster than a horse if the human gets a critical or a special success). 

Being Dorastor, interesting you would suggest CoC chase rules...

Just now, g33k said:

Puss in Sandals of Darkness?

Precisely my point... so you like the idea (or at least can see it) from a story point of view. Now, can we find a rule that says yay?

An orlanthi runelord Alynx has appeal... Puss in Boots?

10 minutes ago, g33k said:

Well, the gods have some awfully incomprehensible agendas, from our Middle-World perspecyive..  I can see, I suppose, how a spirit might be the Rune Lord that a god needs... maybe.  I'm disinclined to it as a PC concept, but I'd be willing to listen to persuasion.

 

Again, the stopping point wold be making the skill checks and a few other restrictions, gender, what have you... species could be a severe problem <gr>. It would have to be an animal I would think and one that had skills/passions/runes that the deity in question favoured and used as cult skills. Being an allied spirit body the deity (or mythological needs) chose this might actually happen.