Sir_Godspeed

I'm going to try and help you along, though I'm a bit timid about stepping on Chaosium's feet or whatever, since the art direction might be going elsewhere than I have in my mind. For the Carmanian Magi/Vizier I am thinking primarily of Sassanid clothing, but perhaps with some archaisms from the Ahaemenid period. There's bound to be Hellenic and Parthian influences in there as well, but I am not versed enough in the history of middle eastern clothing to really make a meaningful distinction. I go out googling for something that feels authentic, Gloranthan, and acceptably period-appropriate, just clarify where I'm at. This stock image is based on a wall frieze that apparently depicts Shah Ardashir II, a Sassanid Emperor. Note the beard which fits well with Dara Happan (ie. Mesopotamian) styles, which makes sense, because we're dealing with cultures that have been influencing each other both in Glorantha and the RW. Also note the tall hat. Something like this, although perhaps not this exact thing, could be used, since the Carmanian Magi/Viziers are the remnants of the pre-Carmanian Zzaburite caste, who have a caste-restriction to be the tallest people around. They must also have beards. Both of these are things that I'd imagine to have more or less survived. Also note the trousers. Good and warm for the Carmanian highlands which doubtlessly get cold at times, and fitting for a cavalry civilization, although this guy himself may or may not be involved with that, who knows. Then there is this Achaemenid robe: Flowing robes seems like a sign of status to me, and one that this Wizard-caste individual would either be required to wear, or wish to wear to signify his station. It would be great if the trousers were somehow visible through a front opening in the robes or something though. Here are some great hats, including stuff like Phrygian cap-looking things, crowns, and big ol' tall hats. I think it would be cool to maybe incorporate some militaristic aspect to the clothing, since I see some of the Carmanian upper castes (viziers, nobles) as buying heavily into the whole “glorious conquering people” schtick. I figured it could some in the form of a few things, such as a heavy, reinforced belt with tassels coming down, and torso-spanning leather straps that are similarly reinforced (or decorated to look like it). They might also have boots that are made to look like reinforced cavalryman boots or something. If the Carmanian Viziers have the same Judaic-style Kohenim breastplates that the Rokari Zzaburites have, it could be neat to have it evolved into a more actual-breastplate style, maybe with references to the balance between light and dark, and Idovanus that oversees it all. The belt and leather straps are also visible in the Ardashir picture above (barely), but here’s one below, of a female Cataphract/Clibanarius who has them (note the tassels on both belt and torso-straps): Lastly, I’ll include this picture of an artist’s interpretation of a Sassanid princess, mostly for the great night-sky pattern on her dress. I thought that between this, the long beard and the tall hat, it’s a neat little nod to the classic wizard trope. But this is of course entirely optional, and if you prefer other patterns (or no patterns at all, since it’s a sketch) that’s up to you.

This entire post got entirely borked by the editor, so I'll rework it in Word or something. My bad.

A Carmanian Magus/Vizier? They're pretty cool. Persian-inspired scholar-magicians with a syncretistic dualistic theism. I'd imagines robes, oiled and curled beards like Dara Happans, but with some of the more Hellenic influences from Fronela, maybe. Possibly long staff or maybe baton/wand. Themes of balance and law are important. Maybe scrolls or writing pads. Maybe, if possible, hint at some underlying militarism, because old school Carmanians are heavily militarized with a subservient underclass of commoners. EDIT: Just came to think about this, and it's Orlanthi, but I decided to just add because - hey, why not. Enferalda, or someone who is acting like Enferalda. Enferalda is Ernalda's Warrior aspect. She is Orlanth's supporter and one of the War Women. So a female warrior Orlanthi, but neither Vinga nor Babeester Gor. I think it would just be cool to see how it would be interpreted. I kind of see her as a woman in her thirties, not a professional warrior, but someone decked out for defensive combat to support the champions and to keep the baddies from getting into the backline. Also surprisingly strong because, you know, Earth. Maybe big shield and some kind of mallet or mace or something, just throwing ideas out there.

Ralzakark is tripping balls.

I prefer to think of it as "musclegut". Lots of muscles, protected by a thick layer of subdermal fat, and maybe the capability of storing excess nutrients for a long time, much more efficiently than humans can. Also, I'd like to think a troll's response to being called fat would be "Why thank you, I've worked very hard on it."

I'm not sure if I understood you correctly, but the above illustration of a moonboat is a new one, from M Helsdon, it has never appeared in any previous publication, Greg-approved or otherwise.

Oh, I didn't doubt you - just the tendency to stuff "moon" in front of everything is kinda funny.

And tied with moon rope that comes from the moon hemp, and cut only with moon knives... Okay, I'll stop. 😅

Trolls almost certainly don't make that mistake, but non-trolls might. Also, if I remember correctly, eyeballs stay the same size all through life, so a young dark troll probably does have disproportionally large eyes compared to an adult. Just throwing that out there if this is a place where realism is followed. Which it might not be, of course.

To elaborate on the crafter-goddesses, one of Ernalda's most important pieces of regalia is her loom, probably making her the goddess of weaving and spinning as well (one of her divine names is literally "the Spinner", which might be literal or allegorical, or both, as often is the case). I don't know about tailoring, but if the Orlanthi has any god dedicated to this, I'd suspect it'd be Ernalda, or one of her many daughters/aspects. Ernalda might also be the goddess of basket-weaving, not only because it's another form of weaving, but because of its social role. However, since baskets are often associated specifically with food-keeping in Orlanthi myths, it's also likely that it's associated with Esrola. Mahome is the goddess of the hearth, which makes her the goddess of "cooking", which I realize might not entirely fall under the semantic field of "crafting" but oh well. More pertinently, she should be the goddess of actually making and maintaning a hearth, so there's that. In Peloria, Oria occupies much of the same roles as Esrola and possibly Erlanda as well, with some of her regalia being a basket (basket-weaving) and a needle (cloth-working, although whether only covering sewing or also covering spinning, weaving, tailoring, etc. I don't know). In Pamaltela among the Doraddi, Aleshmara, "the Earth Witch", another version of the Great Earth Goddess archetype along Ernalda/Esrola, Oria, etc. (to the best of my knowledge), is the goddess of weaving, building huts (which I understand to be made of sticks, twigs and long grasses, unless they're adobe huts which is entirely possible) and... pottery? I think? Aside from Dormal as the open-sea shipwright deity, there is also the much older Diros, Orlanthi god of boating, and presumably making them. The Diroti were a seafaring people during the Storm Age, to the best of my knowledge, but not so much in Time, I think. Coastal and riverine boat-travel, either by rowing or sails is probably more his thing, I'm guessing. Pelaskos is his son, the god of boat-fishing, and Povarri another son, the god of... land-based fishing, I guess. Either or both of these might be the gods of making nets, lines and hooks. (EDIT: the making of fishing tools might also be relegated to their wives, such as Poverri's wife, Nutella Natelna. It seems sort of the Orlanthi thing to do.) I'd be interesting in knowing if there are any gods specifically dedicated to leatherworking anywhere in Glorantha. Seems like it'd be sensical for a pastoral culture to have a dedicated tanner god at least, since it can be a fairly specialized task, and an important byproduct of their livestock, although maybe not a very high-ranking or prestigious one. EDIT: Also I suspect maybe Odayla is the god of bowry and fletching, though this is entirely spurious.

Apparently this was the name of a settlement at the mouth of the Zola Fel River during the Dawn Age. Do we know who built it, lived there, used it, etc.? Waertagi docks, or locals, or a mix?

That's a good point.

Jesus, no. I had a bad experience with someone insisting on referring to their dominant partner in certain submissive terms even when speaking with me (an entirely unrelated third party) and it creeped me out a bit. Although I guess I haven't exactly made it easy for people with my username I guess... any variation that people is comfortable is fine.

It was mostly a reaction to the trend I've seen among Anglophones - let's say of the "nerdier persuasion" (which is not meant as an insult, I'm pretty sure it covers most people who come online to discuss the details of a make-believe universe, and very much including myself) - to adopt needlessly technical distinctions in colloquial speech/writing. Something along the lines of "Umm actually it's a truck not a car/a ship not a boat/a fruit not a vegetable/a republic not a democracy/thumb not a finger/marine not a soldier/pond not a lake", etc. which just makes me a bit exasperated, because there's no need to bring in those kinds of technical jargon-based distinctions unless they are specifically relevant. (Also, in several of those examples, the categories are not mutually exclusive, but that's a different gripe). Anyway, it's certainly possible that the Mostali used their thumbs to count the rest of their digits to reach base-8, in much the same way as the Sumerians did, although the Sumerians did it to reach base-12 (by counting the finger joints, not the fingers themselves) I'm still leaning towards the "eight metals = base-8" though. Seems more mythically significant.

As for Mostali, the base-8 probably comes from the eight original castes, I'd bet.

Ugh, I hate the whole "but the thumb is not a finger" thing that's going on in English. Apart from strict medical/anatomical contexts, referring to the thumb as a finger is perfectly fine, and has plenty of literary precedence. /endrant

Well, considering that "Junoran" is a derived, English-formed adjective of "Junora" I'd say it's a coincidence. "Junora" leaves us with Jun-Ora. Jun-Oria and Pel-Oria? Ah, probably stretching it too far.

Trollkin as neotenous trolls is a good observation.

As Bakan is cited as the brother of Frona, and not yet another husband(-protector), it seems reasonable that he's not a Storm People import at all, but a preexisting Earth People deity that got, as you said, assimilated. If we speculate that the Godtime Earth People of Fronela (whoever they were) were matrilineal, this "avuncular" patronage becomes quite significant as the mother's brother is more genealogically significant than possibly even the father, although that's purely anthro-spec. By "unbroken dynasty" they might not mean "sovereign dynasty", simply an unbroken genealogical lineage (that may have held some power continuously). Having them bent knee to the Emperors of Land and Sea, or even the Bright Empire - or whoever - and becoming temporary vassals does not really take away from the unbroken part, imho. It's as likely a familial claim as it is a political claim.

There's nothing stopping King Oran from being a Dawn Age demigod. There's a few of them running around.

Well, basically everything above the coastal flats: (I know the map is a bit outdated, being second age, but it was the first and best elevation map I found, and most of the terrain beyond the River being redirected hasn't changed too much).

Oh yeah, and lots of areas in Kethaela and Prax are inspired by the American West/Southwest, perhaps most notably California and adjacent areas, if I recall correctly. This might have changed a bit over the years, but I think the gist still stands true.

Here's a list on temperatures and rainfall/humidity, with some added RW comparisons: Here another specifically on what winter in Dragon Pass might be like, with added image references: (Spoiler: it's a bit like the Alps and parts of the Rockies.)

What are the trees we would expect to find in the highlands of Heortland? I must admit I defaulted to lots of pine and spruce with beech, ash, elm, etc., but with this kind of climate perhaps cypress trees are more likely? Not that there can't be overlap.

Would the Western Barbarians be Solanthi, some other Manirian Hill Orlanthi, or something else entirely?