Sir_Godspeed

Well, omens weren't JUST used as propaganda, they were also legitimately sometimes seen as predicting failure, iirc. So it's a bit more complex. The question isn't simply how you handle different sets of gods both predicting victory for their respective parties, but also how does a party respond to getting the message from their god that they are probably going to lose? I think most Gloranthans would take that more to mean "we should regroup and fight at a later date, in some other manner that is more advantageous" rather than "we are in the wrong", or "we should give up" as it were. Omens can be helpful, but they're not the be-all end-all, not in the RW, nor Glorantha I imagine. Most people would react pragmatically, imho. Of course, getting omens of victory might also be a cause for defeat, due to overconfidence, so I'm sure even people living in a world with verifiable magic and deities would still try and remain somewhat sober and reserved on the whole deal. "Okay, Orlanth has said this victory will be ours, but don't let that go to your head, inspect all your gear and make sure all your warriors are present and accounted for: I'm not gonna squander such divine favor by slacking on the preparations."

Especially that insufferable Balazaring shaman and his giant, voracious, talking dog-familiar.

The theists of Genertela HAVE to have some kind of term of abuse for the Malkioni, what with their monotheism and claims of invisibility and all. I can't come up with something catchy, though.

"Moonie" as a term for both the Lunars as well as (implied, I think?) insane people is a clever pairing, since it mirrors real world "lunatic", except sort of the other way around.

I thought of pointing that out, but as I thought about it, the being a goddess doesn't really set a precedent for having territories named after them. Yes, most toponymous land deities are female, but female deities that are not of the Earth do not tend to get lands named after them, iirc. Anyway, it's not a huge issue, the regional naming in Glorantha is clearly not just some mechanical thing, but is subject to a lot of factors, which can produce unusual results such as Umathela, Jonatela or Helerela. Ah - well, I had it wrong then. I have clearly conflated the Manirian pig people/Entruli with the Mraloti. Maybe I mixed it up with the worship of Bakan the Boar in Jonatela, too. And of course the Aramites.

If this had been the default map of Glorantha, then I would have assumed it was intentional, no doubt, but as it stands I'm going to see it mostly as a coincidence, unless those with more of an insider knowledge pipes up. Apropos of this map, I am noticing some things I didn't pay too much attention to back when I read the Guide last. First off, there's a place called Helerela. I assume this is after they joined the Vingkotlings as the third Orlanthi tribe? "Helerela" is an interesting name, as it is a territory-name after a water deity. I suppose it's not completely unprecedented (We have a land named after a storm deity, Umathela, in Time), it's just interesting, as it's usually the Earth godesses that get that honor, or associated entitied (Genert, Pamalt, Vith, possibly Lodril as well). If they truly were ancestral to the Entruli (although I suspect that there's a good deal of Mraloti Hsunchen in them too), how did they transit from a blue-skinned boat-storm people to pig-farmers and woodsmen? I'm not saying it's hard to explain, I'm just interested in the actual, literal process. Sheep are sacred to Heler, wonder why they're so associated with pigs and not shepherding? Maybe Entru/Entra just took better care of them in the Darkness. Or the Green Elves of Arstola for that matter. And then there is "Ragnaglar's Land" just north of the Sweet Sea. Can't help but get curious about that one. Never knew he settled an entire land, for one. Could it also conceivably be called "Thedela"? (mostly joking here, but then again...) Could this be the homeland of pre-Chaotic Broos? (according to the new Bestiary canon on the origins of the Broo). Did they war with the Pelandans, or even the Blues there at the time? The Dara Happans? Is Vadrus around in that area too, since Valind's Glacier is just north of it? Were the Evil Trio already corrupted at this point? Lots of questions, not so many answers. Love these maps, makes me go all sorts of "hmmm...".

Blue Moon... blue ice... both centred on the Whirlpool... Maybe Annilla just straight up incorporates the icy mass into itself? Hell, maybe it's necessary in order to give it a solid, physical body again?

Good catch! The climates are going to somewhat different, I suppose, and I'm still not sure what it's supposed to mean, if anything.

Holey moley, that's amazing!

This also relates to how "conservative" many Gloranthan cultures may seem to us - certain arrangements of troop types, equipment and tactics play into religious rituals or spells, which genuinely give measurable results. Deviating from that for questionable improvements may not appear to be worth it.

The point about Joy not simply being happiness is an important one, I think. While I don't know the intentions of the writer behind this, it does *very* much smack of the kind of writing Greek philosophers would do: use a daily, common term, but define it in a very specific way within their writings (compare Theoria, and other mundane terms elevated to mystic and philosophical importance). Joy of the Heart seems to me to refer to a complete, and sustained sense of meaning, purpose and self-fulfilment independently of external factors. It's not simply being ecstatic or frenzied or happy - I think it more refers to the kind of mental state where "petty" concerns that tie others into the immoral social ties and desires of the flesh simply lose their hold over the Realized Self. A self that is realized not necessarily out of intense scrutiny and logic, or sorcery, but out of long-lasting, gradually increasing devotion, sacrifice, austerity and, in a word, catharsis. Joy is... I would argue - a term that seeks to encompass the mental and emotional state of someone who have gone beyond the mental and emotional frailty of ordinary people. If I am to draw on something from Christianity (I do that a lot, but personal upbringing makes for a decent reference point), it's the kind of mentality that is espoused in Psalm 23, of "Valley of the shadow of death" fame. Joy is mental and emotional equanimity in the face of the brokenness of the world, one's surroundings, and even in the face of one's own limitations. Can that be expressed as actual, literal joy? I have no doubt that it can. But more importantly, it is not called "The Joy of the Mouth" or of the eyes or whatever - it is "The Joy of the Heart". The internal state is the important part, imho. I'm sure some who've experienced Joy have come off much like a Stoic Sage, or a Zen Master. Quiet, composed, but overall people who seem oddly composed and content no matter the case, and also ready to do what must be done once they've decided on an action. Religious exuberance, a la Holly Roller ecstasy or what have you is probably not the best model for this kind of thing, though it may very well be related, or seen as a possible step towards Joy. Talor might've expressed his Joy in a personal, idiosyncratic manner. This is all personal interpretation, of course, once again I can't claim to know the intents behind the writing. To be fair, this does sound quite a lot like pretty mainstream Protestantism, especially the Pietist movements. "Yes, the world is irrevocably broken and full of evil, but we show our dedication to God through relating to the world in a manner that draws on the ideals of Christ, to show that our Faith is not idle bragging."

Well, "Lunars" is a bit of a difficult term, because the Lunars themselves didn't start off as a specific group, rather they are religious and cultural converts from a bunch of other cultures. The Guide does count "Lunars" as separate from other cultures in its overview of the regions, but at least a plurality of the Lunars of the various areas are probably first- or second-generation converts as opposed to something like emigrants from Silver Shadow of First Blessed or whatever.

I was going to say that the cheek plates were a Macedonian thing from what I remember, but Helsdon clearly has all that under control. Speaking of the Romans being better at adaptation than innovation, I believe I read somewhere that the Roman spatha (the "longsword", or at least longer than the gladius) was taken from the Celtic Gauls, who, despite being portrayed as primitive in Roman propaganda, and fighting nude and all that - did have very sophisticated blacksmithing, iirc. There might be a similar story with the Roman shields being adapted from Iberian Celts - I forget. Great stuff on the "bleeding together" of styles. It was emphasised in the Guide to Glorantha, so you're in line with the current art direction, as far as I know.

Brithini/Zzabiurite materialism does confuse me on some level - how does one profess the strict disbelief in a life after death when we have literal, objective evidence of people coming back from the dead, or traveling into hells and underworlds to find deceased people? Is it, in a sense, that the Brithini simply see ghosts, souls, etc. as just another form of physicality?

Woah, you learn something new about Glorantha everyday. I'm surprised I don't remember this from KoS, it sounds like the (post-?)Hero Wars kind of thing that would've been put in there. EDIT: But wouldn't the re-raising of Somelz also produce a lot of flood? Or would Magasta's pool be able to handle the overflow since it was still unplugged back then? And what about the Umathelans and the Umathelan Aldryami, any notes on how they reacted to the mostali raising a new continent from under their feet? So many questions, pardon me.

I thought you'd spotted something looking like Dark Age armor on the chart, and was wondering where, as I thought it all looked quite classical. There was an Orlanthi wearing something that looked like scale mail that was the closest thing I could see. Sorry if I got you wrong.

Figures the paradise of the Uz would involve consequence free serial-vore.

Where?

This is very interesting. Is there a mythic reason for this? Cannibalism is a widespread taboo in real life (sometimes argued to be one of a very few near-universal taboos), and often has myths explaining the reasons why it's bad and the risks of doing it.

I dunno man, it's just really weird that Issaries would be some kind of lozengal entity in ownership of the communication rune even in the East Isles and stuff like that. And how apparently the Invisible God is the "owner" of the Law rune even though the Invisible God is transcendent of the runic lattice/cosmos in several of the Malkioni philosophies, and so on. As said earlier, it just strikes me as game design pretending to be worldbuilding, and it stands out like a sore thumb to me. Or put otherwise - it's one of those "why did this need to be explained?" kind of things. Did runes need to have "owners"? Is that an essential part of Glorantha's ontology? Not from what I've see so far. Sure, some Malkioni will see the runes as being Erasanchulas, but that doesn't need they have to be paired with specific instances of said runic deity, imho. Maybe I'm just being contrarian. It's just one of a few things I'd remove if I were ever to get into DMing for Glorantha.

I wouldn't discount it. The Cult of the Excretis Incendium venerate the lord of the Earth-Fire by burning his sacred feces and inhaling the fumes to aid in the casting of bronze, thus symbolically showing the superiority of Lodril Volcanos over the myriad slain storm barbarians.

The concept of "rune ownership" strikes me as such an odd element of Glorantha. It feels decidedly "gamey". Why would the Malkioni acknowledge Arachne Solara as beyond the Invisible God, or how would Brithini acknowledge the runes as separate entities from the Erasanchulas that are presented as the literal runes with sentience? Does a worshipper of Entekos just roll over and go "oh yeah, our goddess is the mistress of air, the lungs of the world, the giver of life and good hue - but that angry hill barbarian god is the true owner of the rune of air because this poster says so, I guess." I dunno, I just find it bizarre. EDIT: I know one can write it off as more God Learner systematizing, but it's still an odd one to me.

Is that a chariot-mounted ballista? Damn!

The way you describe those riddles, @scott-martin, they sound a bit like Zen koans.

Not sure if this is relevant, but the Sourcebook goes into a bit of detail of how Saramake (or wichever spelling refers to the primordial sea) was born from Nakala, ie. the primordial dark. No idea on how that translates to tidal control beyond general parentage.