RHW

So the same latitude as France? 😉 While the natural climate for Peloria might have cold winters, magic moderates that and snow is rare, right? Thanks to Kalikos, you’re not getting a Minnesota winter in Silver Shadow or even First Blessed. I bet you wouldn’t have had them when Dara Happa was at its height either, except when things went horribly wrong.

Austria produces far more beer than wine (about 5 times as much), ditto Bulgaria and Romania. Switzerland’s domestic production is 3:1 beer. Tyrolia has a long tradition of beer production, much more so than the rest of Italy. Though the Greek word for wine predates the Indo-Europeans, they brought beer with them. Today Greece makes roughly the same amount of each. I’m not saying you CAN’T grow wine in places like that. But it’s much easier and cheaper to make beer. Modern consumption figures push Switzerland into the wine column, but most of that is imports. If they had to make what they drink, beer wins. Austria, Romania, and Bulgaria are all beer country, by both production and consumption.

Local water spirits are notoriously hostile to outsiders who haven’t made the proper sacrifices in order to drink them, and often curse them with “Engazi’s Revenge.” That’s why Yanafal Tarnils invented posca. Add it to the water and it makes you immune to the Revenge. Others may credit the phalanx or the magic units for the successful spread of the Lunar Way, but the grunts know, it’s posca that conquered the world.

Lunars as wine drinkers and Sartarites as beer drinkers instead of vice versa is a hill I am prepared to die on! I feel like Kerofinela and Heortland, barring some exceptions like Colymar, are terrible places for growing grapes. Grape vines thrive in places with long dry summers and moderate winters. Too much cold and the vines freeze, too much humidity and they get rot. I believe winters are harsh in most of Orlanthland and it rains a lot, both because of altitude and myth, so vines would struggle there. Colymar is the lowest lying part of Sartar (more or less) and probably has some magical blessing which moderates their winters and/or protects their grapes. So while most Orlanthi drink beer, cider, and mead, the Colymar stand out as wine-drinkers. Their beer-drinking brethren likely find it suspicious and effete. “Of course them Colymari went purple. They already drink like the reds, so no wonder they worship like ‘em.” Grapes should grow well in Esrolia. In Caladraland, it’s probably too humid and they drink more palm and date wine. But in the Manirian uplands, beer is likely much easier to make. Peloria, on the other hand has magically moderated winters, originally because of Yelm, now because of the Icebreaker cult. Summers are long and hot (Yelm again), so grapes would thrive. Dara Happans prize their round yellow grapes and have made wine since before time began, bright and yellow like the sun. Since the Moonrise, dark red wines are more preferred, though Peloria produces all types. Pink wines are all the rage with the Glamouratti these days. In Peloria, beer is what the Lodrili peasants drink. Poor benighted folks. Rice wine is for the Darjinni of all classes. And finally, I refuse to surrender my posca drinking Lunar soldiers. Posca viva est. YGMV... But MGIR. 😃 For me the wine/beer/sake map of Genertela goes: BEER: Most of Fronela, Upper Ralios, Upper Maniria, historical Orlanthland, Talastar, Northern Kralorela and Ignorance, Teshnos, Pelorian Lodrili, Pavis WINE: Esrolia, Pelorian cities, Dara Happa, the Janube Valley, Safelster, Seshnela, Colymar, Sun Dome, Sun County RICE WINE: Darjin, Southern Kralorela, Teshnos, Vormain OTHER: Caladraland, Ramalia, Coastal Maniria, Elder Races, Pent, Prax The wine/beer line between Peloria and Kerofinela has drifted north and south over time. Right now the wine line and the Glowline are almost exactly the same. Coincidence? I think not.

I would vote yes please for Horned Man, Subere, and Wachaza.

Wait, what? Buserian is a mask? So he’s Lhankor Mhy?

Yeah, I can see that, but in STORM TRIBE, Minlinster very specifically has a DISTILL LIQUOR spell, so canonically,* Theyalans have some sort of spirit, and whiskey and brandy seemed the most likely. Also redcloaks swigging martinis was impossible for me to resist. *I think STORM TRIBE is canon, right?

I once had a player who decided to play a Minlinster brewer, so I put a little work into the various types of booze commonly found in Central Genertela, especially Sartarite beverages (for the Brew skill) and Pelorian drinks (need something to despise for that Despise Foreign Drinks skill). Despise Foreign Drink (Personality Skill) Minlinster hates the Lunar drink djinn, which has no positive benefits and many evil side-effects. Lunar officers use djinn to make Martinets, their traditional drink. Lunar soldiers drink it straight or mix it with a bubbly magical potion intended to help fend off tropical diseases. Another military related import is wodaka, brought by Carmanian soldiers in the Lunar army. (Carmanians make their Martinets with wodaka.) In addition, rhum has started to appear in Sartar, imported by the Wolf Pirates from the southern continent of Pamaltela. All three (but especially djinn) are popular with the poor, hopeless, and destitute refugees from shattered clans who clutter the streets of Sartar’s cities. Touch not the Demon Rhum, the Villainous Wodaka or the Devil Djinn! So what are the common alcoholic beverages in your game? Here are mine: BEER/ALE - Brewed all over Glorantha, the main drink of the Sartarites. Made from grain, usually barley, and flavored with herbs, often hops. Varieties (which require Minlinster magic to make) include: COLD BEER: Beer which is always magically chilled and refreshing, no matter how warm the environment. Cold Beer never has any negative side effects for the drinker and never causes a hangover. It produces a sense of refreshment and well-being when drunk. GOOD ALE: A satisfying ale. Drinking Good Ale alleviates any feelings of fatigue and helps insure a good night’s sleep. If imbibed in excess, it will get the drinker drunk, though the hangover will be mild. STOUT BEER: An especially hearty and filling dark beer (also known as Strong Beer, Winter Beer, Darkseason Beer or simply “the Dark”). A pint of the Dark leaves the drinker as full as if they’d had an entire meal. Several kegs of Strong Beer can mean the difference between survival and starvation in harsh winters. Strong Beer has virtually no side effects (aside from a bit of burping and mild flatulence) and never causes a hangover. Traditionally Heortlings only drink the Dark in the winter, but recently it has become popular to drink it all the time, mostly because the Lunars find the stuff disgusting. MEAD - A mild alcohol made from honey. Favored by mountain or forest clans who have trouble growing grain. The Telmori make an excellent mead. There's one magical variation of mead: MINLINSTER’S MEAD: An exceptional mead. Drinking Minlinster’s Mead aids in social discourse. Anyone drinking a bottle gets a bonus to Sing, Orate, Dance, and Play (Instrument) equal to the Brewer’s Brew Skill/5. Mead will get the user drunk. All other skills get a negative modifier equal to the Brewer’s Brew Skill/10. Hangovers are mild. LIQUOR: Brandtwyn (when the base is grapes) or, more commonly, Uisce (when the base is malted barley) are the strong drinks of the Orlanthi. The Boldhome Thunderbolt is a traditional Sartarite drink made by dropping a shot of uisce into a pint of stout. Recently master-brewed uisces made from single malts have become extremely trendy in Glamour and other Lunar cities. Also recently the Lunars have placed a tax on uisce production, though brandtwyn, mostly made by the pro-Lunar Colymar, can still be produced tax free. The Lunars have been surprised at the vehemence of the opposition to this Uisce Tax. NOTE: Uisce and brandtwyn are both in high demand as exports and can be very expensive. ENCHANTED UISCE or BRANDTWYN: Drinking these potent beverages gives mortals an insight into the divine. While under the influence of these magical liquors, all Mythology checks are boosted by the Brewer’s Brew Skill/5, but only if the liquor has been aged for a number of years equal to the bonus. This bonus carries over to the next day if the liquor is drunk in preparation for a religious ceremony. All other skills are decreased by the same number (regardless of the Uisce’s age). Hangovers are mild if liquor is used in moderation, but can be severe if too much liquor is consumed. WINE: The Colymar Tribe grows grapes and makes a late-harvest wine wine, the famous Clearwine. When conditions are right, grapes are harvested after the first frost to make icewine. Wine may be further distilled into Brandtwyn. SONTI: The rice wine of the Lunar Empire. Made where ever rice is grown. The Darjinni make excellent sonti. LUNAR BEER: Terrible stuff, if you ask the Sartarites. Pelorian beer frequently contains rice or corn mash in addition to barley and wheat. Even most Lunars don't drink their own beers. Instead, they prefer... LUNAR WINE: Lunars love wine. They make countless varieties, using all sorts of grapes. The best Lunar wines are prized worldwide. Lunar soldiers receive a daily wine ration. When marching, they carry skins of wine vinegar called Posca, which they mix with the local water. Posca is blessed by their priests and mixing it into local water prevents the local river gods from cursing them with the Brown Water Flux. MOONSHINE: A Pelorian strong alcohol made from corn mash. Popular in Tarsh. RHUM: The demon rhum. Originally from Pamaltela but also brewed in Pithdaros. Rhum is a strong alcohol made from beet sugar or cane sugar. Since the opening, rhum is increasingly common in Genertela, especially in Maniria. Rhum can be brewed much stronger than traditional Sartarite drinks and locals who drink it can become drunker than they might expect with much worse hangovers. DJINN: The hard alcohol of Peloria, a clear spirit made from wheat or potato mash, then flavored with juniper berries. Like rhum, it's strong enough to catch Sartarites off-guard. The Martinet, favored drink of the Lunar officer corps, is made with djinn, a dash of sweet wine, and olives. Lunar officers also favor djinn mixed with "The Tonic," a potion made to help soldiers fight off disease. Many of the poor Sartarite refugees crowding Boldhome, Alda-chur and Nochet are addicted to djinn. WODAKA: A clear Carmania spirit made from potatoes. Carmanian Martinets are made with Wodaka.

Okay, it’s tough to get specific without knowing the PCs and the foes tailored to them, but let’s imagine an encounter between Korgo the Kaarg Son, stats here: and 6 superior trollkin vs a group of high-end Sartarite initiates. I’m talking rq3 here, because I haven’t GMed RQG yet. First question, what is Korgo’s objective? Let’s assume the PCs are sneaking into the Troll Woods to steal a Lead Mask from a shrine. Korgo’s objective is to convince them they are in the wrong place and they should go home. Now Korgo is a reasonable troll so first he sends a trollkin slave to warn the characters off. They kill the slave. Now Korgo is pissed. He wants to hurt them. Korgo first sends his mouse familiar Reepicheep to scout the party as they’re setting camp. Even if someone spots it, it’s just a mouse. No biggy. He gets a good idea of the party composition and potential targets. Then he waits for night. At 4 am, he makes his move. He casts: Protection 6, Countermagic 3, Jumping 5, Bludgeon 7 on his Troll Maul and Ironhand 6 on himself. Plus, fuck it, Darkwalk because he has three uses so why not. Oh, and he uses Command Shade and deploys his large Shade from its binding enchantment. Korgo is now “fully juiced.” Well not fully, but good enough for these numbnuts. He and his allied spirits cast Mindspeach on each of the trollkin so they can communicate silently, then the trollkin cast CM 2 or Protect 2 or whatever defensive magic they know. Korgo then puts up a Darkwall or two a few yards beyond the edge of the party’s firelight. He and his trollkin sneak forward to the Darkwall. The shade moves into position as well. I rule spotting a Darkwall in the Dark requires a crit scan. No luck for the two PCs on watch. I roll successes on the Sneaks, so the trollkin make it into position, 20 meters away, still behind the Darkwall. The trollkin pick their spots so they have line of sight (via Darksense) on their first target, probably the less armored guard. At Korgo’s signal, all trollkin cast missile magic. Let’s say 3 Speeddarts and 3 Multimissile 3. I might allow a special Listen to hear the casting. Might not. Depends. We’re still not “in rounds” yet because nothing has happened as far as the party is concerned. Now Korgo signals and “the balloon goes up.” In surprise round (still not counting Strike Ranks) Reepicheep casts Extinguish on the campfire. Korgo casts Blinding 3 on the most combat capable guard. All six trollkin sling at Korgo’s chosen target, preferably someone with little or no armor, but hopefully the guard who’s not blind. 12 stones at 75%, 3 at 90% and +3 damage. A normal Listen from the awake guards will allow them to brace shields or dodge (at half unless they can see in the dark) if either of them is the target. NOW we start strike ranks. SR 1 the Shade flies into the camp. I can’t remember Shade move rate, but once it gets there, it engulfs and fearshocks as many party members as possible. SR 1 Korgo yells “Surrender or die!” in Trade and Slings a target. All trollkin recast their missile magic and volley again in the appropriate SR. They use cover against returning missile fire. What happens next depends on the party. If they surrender, Korgo is reasonable, because that’s the kind of guy he is. There will be role playing, and chances to persuade and ransom discussions etc. If the party tries to assault through the Darkwall, the trollkin fall back and continue to snipe from darkness using cover and darkness to make it very hard to hit them. Korgo uses the Shade to keep the party disorganized and Jumping to leap to isolated/vulnerable targets and smash them. Don’t forget, he’s invisible and silent in darkness, so he’s hard to track until he attacks. If he’s really pissed or pressed he casts Crush 4. Now he’s doing 2d8+9+2d6+4d4 at 210%. With Ironhand, his kick does 3d6+6. He is fast enough to leap at a target and hit it twice per round. Or hit, disengage, then leap away into darkness. Any light spell gets hit with Dispel Magic by Flash. A lucky hit in Korgo triggers a Heal Wound. Probably the trollkin run before it comes to melee, but if a Korgo needs to, he Fanatacises them to use as cannon fodder. If spirits attack, Korgo casts Spirit Block and ignores them. If Korgo KOs a party member, or the Shade knocks anyone out, Korgo grabs him or her, leaps away, then shouts, “Surrender or your friend dies.” The point of the encounter is not to kill the party but force a surrender for some fun role play interactions with Korgo, or to trigger a full on route and retreat to make the party come up with a plan B to get the mask. In the unlikely event Korgo is beaten, he asks for quarter. If the party is smart, they accept, and trade him for the Lead Mask. If either the party or Korgo surrenders and everyone acts like a hoopy frood and roleplays well, there’s a good chance Korgo can become a friend or even an ally. They can strike a deal to borrow the Mask in exchange for completing a mission for the trolls. If they kill Korgo, he uses Rune Lord DI to vanish into the night and now he’s really mad and becomes a recurring villain and the next time he shows up, he brings friends... Granular enough? The main thing I want to convey here is that, tactics aside, this isn’t just a fight for a fight’s sake. The opponent and party motives are the key, and they should dictate the tactics used for the encounter, and win, lose, or draw, all three outcomes should advance the story.

No takers? Okay, here's another. KORGO GARKAR, Kaarg Son. An former professional trollball player, Korgo is a good-natured troll who likes humans, music, athletic competitions, and eating. He's remarkably tolerant of other races for a troll, though he despises chaos. He occasionally runs a trade caravan that travels from the Troll Woods to Shadows Dance and back. He deals in weapons, exotic foodstuffs, ham beetles, and troll fuel (troll moonshine). He's always on the lookout for magic items. He has performed several heroquests, most notably I Fought We Won. Started as an RQ2 character, converted into RQ3. Stats are for RQ3. KORGO GARKAR Badapple Trolls, Troll Woods, Male, 31 Former Trollball Player, Former Bodyguard Kaarg Son of Kyter Litor, Associate Priest of Argan Argar, Heroquestor STR: 22 CON: 21 SIZ: 22 INT: 11 POW: 18 DEX: 21 CHR: 20 HP: 22 (enchanted +13) = 35 MP: 18 + 14 Allied Spirit MP Storage: 81 Damage Mod: +2d6 MELEE SR: 1 MOVE RATE: 3m/r WEAPONS RH Hvy. Mace: 130% SR 3 1d10+2+2d6 (Lead) AP: 12 Parry: 35% Troll Maul: 135% SR 2 2d8+2+2d6 (Lead) AP: 35 Parry: 106% Kite Shield: 110% SR 4 1d8+2d6 AP: 16 Parry: 124% LH Hvy Mace: 75% SR 3 1d10+2+2d6 AP: 12 Parry: 60% Bite: 85% SR 4 1d6+2d6 Kick: 90% SR 4 1d6+2d6 Sling: 115% SR 1/5/9 1d8 Heavy Xbow: 65% SR 1 2d6+1 HIT LOCATIONS: Note, All Armor is Lead. Lead adds Average AP to Stealth Missile Melee Location Armor HP 01-03 01-04 R Leg 9 12 04-06 05-08 L Leg 9 12 07-10 09-11 Adm 9+2 = 11 12 11-15 12 Chest 9+6 = 15 15 16-17 13-15 R Arm 9 9 18-19 16-18 L Arm 9 9 20 19-20 Head 9+4 = 13 12 BATTLE MAGIC: IN MIND: Strengthening Ench (1), Bludgeon 7, Armoring Ench (1), Disrupt, Mindspeach 1. MATRIXES AND SPIRITS: Detect Gold, Detect Silver, Detect Gems, Detect Magic, Heal 6, Protection 6, Extinguish 2, Repair 2, Darkwall (2) AGILITY Boat: 60%, Climb: 65%, Dance: 50%, Dodge: 100%, Jump: 117%, Ride (Beetle): 85%, Swim: 64%, Throw: 75%, Ride Flying Insect: 45%, Courtesan: 72% COMMUNICATIONS: Fast Talk: 75%, Orate: 78%, Sing: 60%, Speak Dark: 90%, Speak Sartarite: 90%, Speak Trade: 40% KNOWLEDGE: Animal Lore: 95%, Craft Leather 40%, Brew Alcohol: 60%, Evaluate: 90%, First Aid: 20%, Troll Lore: 55%, R/W Darktongue: 90%, R/W LhM Scipt: 75%, Shiphandling: 30%, World Lore: 55% MANIPULATION: Conceal: 75%, Devise: 30%, Sleight: 30%, Play Drum: 90% PERCEPTION: Listen: 115%, Darkscan: 120%, Darksearch: 94%, Track: 65%, Scout Prax: 15%, Scout Marsh: 30%, Visual Scan: 60%, Visual Search: 70% STEALTH: Hide: 91%, Sneak: 80% MAGIC: Ceremony: 60%, Enchant: 61%, Summon 57% RUNE MAGIC: Blinding III Worship KL I Spellteaching (2) I Divination III Extension III Binding Enchant I Crush IIII Counter Chaos (2) II Spirit Block III Heal Wound III Command Shade I Summon Shade I Darkwalk (2) II Gear: Lead Heavy Mace (contains Allied Spirit), Lead Heavy Mace, Lead Troll Maul, Full Lead Plate, Large Bronze Shield, Holy Symbol, War Rhino Beetle, Pack Beetle, Various Trollkin Slaves, 3 Annoying Fighting Trollkins, 3 Potions of Heal 10, 4 Potions of Scorp Antidote 15 Pocket Money: 7 Wheels, 254 Lunars, 4 Opals worth 120 L each. ALLIED SPIRIT: Shadowfist (in RH Mace) INT 12, POW 14 Heal 6 Protection 6 SECOND ALLIED SPIRIT: Reepicheep (in a small White Mouse) INT 6, POW 7 Extinguish 2 Repair 2 Darkwall (2) Has Sense Chaos 65% MAGIC ITEMS: Wand of Greed (Matrix for Detect Gold, Silver, Gems, Magic) Lead Amulet: Crystal PS 10, Crystal PS 10, Binding Encht for 2 Shades (1x 6m, 1x 4m), Darkwalk Matrix usuable only by Trolls. Trash (Magic Spirit Bound in Tooth Ring): INT 10, POW 16, Knows Jumping 5, Fanaticism 2, Countermagic 3 Flash (Magic Spirit Bound in Tooth Ring): INT 10, POW 16, Knows Dispel Magic 8, Detect Enemy Bash (Magic Spirit Bound in Lead Maul): INT 10, POW 21, Knows Ironhand 6, Bludgeon 4 Statue of Issaries (Gives Language of Choice when licked, 24 hrs, 1/week) Ghostshield Crystal (Adds 6 POW to attack and defend in Spirit Combat) 61 additional pts of MP storage in various forms ENCHANTMENTS: +14 HPs +2 AP Abd +6 AP Chest +4 AP Head

Like in the real world, in RQ, whoever dictates the timing and location of the combat has a serious advantage. If you have a round or two to cast your spells before the enemy knows they're in a fight, that's a serious advantage. A "juiced-up" opponent is always a major threat. That pack of trollkin are much more dangerous if they're firing Multimissiled slings at you from behind a Darkwall and have Protection or Countermagic up once you charge through. (Or more likely, they hurt you bad then run like hell.) As a GM, you can compensate for inferior opponents by creating battle conditions disadvantageous to the players. Likewise, if your players are smart, they'll figure out a way to attack superior foes with some sort of tactical advantage. I've had players spend entire runs trying to set up just the right conditions for them to work over a superior bad guy. My players are always happiest when they're the ones charging into the enemy camp in the middle of the night when the baddies have their armor off and their spells down instead of when it's vice versa. Finally, remember that most intelligent foes are not willing to fight to the death. Since even the best heroes can die from a lucky crit to the head, not every combat has to be a knockdown, drag-out melee. Gloranthan foes will both offer and accept quarter. They will run if they're losing, or they will escape once they've achieved their goal. Combat can often just be the start of an encounter, not just its violent conclusion.

I'll start. Here's Mhorhys the Explainer, totally overpowered Sword Sage of Lhankor Mhy. Game system is a HQ/RQ hybrid. For HQ, skill values translate pretty straight across. 42 1h Blade is 2w2. For RQ, multiply all skills by 5 to get percentiles. So 1h Blade 42 is 210%. Like I said, he's OP. Movement rates and HPs and such will be a bit off because of variances in the systems. Masteries are in bold. Defense is a general defensive skill which is used for all opposed attack rolls (kind of Parry and Defense in one). Skills not listed are at base. Mhorhys “the Explainer” Mhorhysson Inwall Bloodline, Treefell Clan, Balmyr Tribe Sword Sage of Lhankor Mhy, Hevduran Subcult Cold Wind Initiate, Initiate of Hud Rockson, General of Efrodar Ironhands, Favored by Humakt STR: 18 CON: 18 SIZ: 10 INT: 22 POW: 20 DEX: 18 CHR: 13 HP: 19+3=22 MP: 20 + 9 MP Storage: 64 + 20 + 20 + 9 Move: 6 Battle Magic: Befuddle (2), Heal 4, Light, Bladesharp 6, Protection 6, Speeddart, Mobility 4*, Heal 6*, Fireblade (4), Insight 3*, Dispel Magic 4*, Firearrow (2)*, Shimmer 5* *Matrix or Spirit ATTACKS: 1h Blade: 39 +3 for Broadsword = 42 Storm Strike: 21 Lunge: 10 Natural Weapons: 9 Bow: 20 HIT LOCATIONS: Missile Melee Location Armor Type Armor HP 01-03 01-04 R Leg Iron Ring 7 7 04-06 05-08 L Leg Iron Ring 7 7 07-10 09-11 Abdm Iron Ring 7+1 7 11-15 12 Chest Iron Ring 7+4 9 16-17 13-15 R Arm Iron Ring 7+1 6 18-19 16-18 L Arm Iron Ring 7+1 6 20 19-20 Head Iron Plate 10 7 Iron Medium Shield AGILITY SKILLS: Balance: 12 , Boat: 7, Climb: 9, Dance: 6, Defense: 40, Jump: 6, Ride Sylph: 7, Ride: 20, Run: 11, Skate: 9, Swim: 6 KNOWLEDGE SKILLS: Animal Lore: 13, Cryptography: 11, Chaos Lore: 10, Dragon Lore: 12, Evaluate: 9, Giant Lore: 11, Heortland Lore: 11, Human Lore: 24, Lunar Politics: 14, Lunar Tactics: 12, Mineral Lore: 11, Mythology (Seven Mothers): 10, Mythology (Eurmal): 10, Mythology Hud Rockson: 10, Mythology Humakt: 10, Myth (Lhankor Mhy): 28, Myth (Lightbringers): 12, Myth (Orlanth): 10, Plant Lore: 12, Prax Lore: 14, Rd/Wr Irripi Ontor: 10, Rd/Wr Lhank. Mhy: 20, Rd/Wr Solar: 10, Rd/Wr Western: 10, Research: 15, Sartar Lore: 22, Tactics: 28, Troll Lore: 13, Undead Lore: 10, Underworld Lore: 11, World Lore: 24 MAGIC SKILLS: Ceremony 8, Enchant 8, Summon 8, Hero Will: 25, Inner Wind: 9, Sword of Truth: 23 MANIPULATION SKILLS: Craft Drawing: 11, Play Flute 9 PERSONALITY SKILLS: Curious: 24, Explain Things to Morons: 20, Fast Talk: 10, Hate Lunars: 10, Hate Undead: 10, Hate Chaos: 13, Orate: 21, Rltnship Cold Wind Rebels: 14, Rltnship Culbrea Tribe: 9. Rltnship Treefell Clan: 25, Rltnship Yolp Mountain Trolls: 8, Spk Darktongue: 9, Spk New Pelorian: 11, Spk Sartarite: 18, Spk Seshnelan: 8, Spk Stormtalk: 8, Spk Trade: 13, Talk While Fighting: 21 PERCEPTION SKILLS: Listen: 10, Scan: 20, Scout (Bog): 9, Scout (Forest): 9, Scout (Hills): 20, Scout (Mountain): 9, Scout (Prax): 11 RUNE MAGIC (LH): Armor Enchant I, Artful Blade I, Block Attack III, Distract with Words I, Find Obscure Fact II, Find Weakness I, Heal Wound II Sanctify I, Surprise Attack I, Worship Lhankor Mhy I RUNE MAGIC (OTHER): Flickering Blade III, Righteous Outrage I, Unbreakable Formation (3) I Allied Spirit: LITERATI Bound in a Feather Pen INT 14, POW 9 KNOWLEDGE SKILLS: Myth Lhankor Mhy: 18, Sartar Lore: 14 WEALTH: 500 Guilders, 77 wheels, 14 Cows, 1 Bull, 100 Sheep, 3428 S Cult Credit POSSESSIONS: Cavalry Zebra, Iron Broadsword, Bronze Broadsword, Iron Medium Shield, Full Suit Iron Ring, Iron Plate Helm, Unattuned Iron Broadsword, Comp Bow, 30 arrows, dagger, quiver, ink, quills, journal, 2 blank books, 1 book of notes and drawings, 30 sheets of vellum, apprentice sage robes, waterskin, Adventurers Pack, lantern, 3 doses oil. 4 pounds salt, elegant gray outfit with hooded cloak (100sp), Ornate Bronze Armor, Celestine Games Silver Medal for Fencing, Gold Medal Fencing Sartarite Games, Gold Medal Trollball Sartar, Silver Medal Pentathalon Sartar, Silver Medal Equestrian Sartar Potions: 2 x Heal 6 Potion, 3 Hero Mushrooms (6MP restored when eaten), 1 x Scorp 15 Antidote, Potion of Tongues, 2x Potion of Restore Health INT MAGIC ITEMS: THE SWORD OF TRUTH: An artifact from the Hero Plane, Iron Sword +1/+1, Requires Magic Skill “Sword of Truth”, As a Magic Action, Augment Attack or Damage when attacking with Sword, As a Free Action, Augment Orate Skill or Similar Skill, As a Free Action, Augments Personality Skills or Lore skills used with Lhankor Mhy or Humakti Rune Magic such as Morale or Defend with Words POWER STORAGE CRSTALS: 10, 10, 10, 8, 5, 5, 4, 4, 4, 4 Bound Spirit POW 10 Bound Spirit POW 10 MATRIXES: Ring with Fireblade (4), Wooden Wand with Heal 6, Earring with Insight 3, Bracelet with Mobility 4, Quiver with Firearrow (2), Ring with Dispel Magic 4 FOLLOWERS:, Ruperta, Wife, Research Assist, Female LM Priestess, Chr 11, Int 17, NOTES: Member of Hero Cult of Efrodar the General: Cannot be ressed, may sacrifice for Efrodar magic. Member of Hero Cult of Hud Rockson: Teaches Righteous Outrage, must Hate Chaos Member of the Cold Wind Resistance: Teaches Divination Block, Must vow to drive the Lunars out of Sartar RELATIONSHIPS: Buddies with Grandpa Chuff’s Baboon Troop, Friendly with the Zola Fel People, Friendly with the serfs of the Marcher Barons, Friendly with Yolp Trolls, Friendly with Culbrea Tribe, Owed Favor by Ug the Giant “I Fought at Iceland" +5 to resist Cold/Winter “I swear to learn how to tear the moon from the sky.” HEROQUEST BENEFITS/DISADVANTAGES May sacrifice for Flickering Blade (Orlanth), Help from the Fyrd x1, Help from Chalana Arroy x1, -2 to skill roles vs. Black Horse Troop HUMAKTI GIFTS AND GEASES: Use No Flails = +1 1h Blade, Use No Poison = +4 vs Poison/Disease, Never Lie = +3 AP Chest

I've always found it interesting to see other people's characters, especially ones that have a lot of game sessions behind them. Obviously, power levels between campaigns are going to vary wildly and YGMV, but I find it fascinating because it not only reveals a lot about play style, but it also helps me see how game systems are put into practice, how the characters relate to the greater world, and where the game system might potentially break down. No one exploits a system like a well motivated player. Plus actual characters make GREAT NPCs for when I'm feeling lazy. System doesn't matter much, but please do say what it is so we can all have some vague idea what we're looking at and anything that we might need to know interpolate house rules/variants. So show us your favorite characters (so we can let our PCs kill them).

If you want to run Dragon Pass with new players and a relatively new GM, my advice is to put the characters into a clan that's geographically and culturally isolated from the rest of Sartar. For my own campaign with players unfamiliar with Glorantha, I created a clan called the Treefell who were a little leftover bit of the Balmyr Tribe stuck up in the Quinvin Mountains between the Colymar lands and Highwyrm. Kjarten's Pool, which forms one border of their lands, has an enchantment/curse on it that makes it hard for people to remember it exists. Additionally, the Treefell Clan has a secret... they survived the Dragonkill by hiding away and sacrificing to Eurmal. They've never left and they have special magic that, when invoked, makes their lands forgettable by outsiders. The Dragons didn't kill them because they forgot they were there. The Treefell clan was devastated in the Conquest and reacted by invoking this special magic, cutting itself off as much as possible from the outside world. But there's a side effect of the magic... when it's in use, the clan members also tend to forget details about the outside world, the same way the outside world forgets about them. The only exception is on Trickster High Holy Day, when Tricksters from all over Sartar remember Treefell exists and come to Prattsted, their only town, to worship at the Eurmal shrine located behind the nearby Prattsfalls. (A triple shrine dedicated to Eurmal Adventurous (teaches Strike), Eurmal Thunderous (teachs Flatulence) and Eurmal Rex, Secret King of the Gods (Teaches Lie.)) The result of all that is the Treefell Clan members (when the campaign starts) are total bumpkins that haven't got a clue about the greater world, couldn't tell you the name of any of the major players in Sartar. So they're as confused and wide-eyed as the players when learning about Glorantha. Trouble starts when the spell fades during a particularly disastrous Eurmal Festival...

Here's a document I made for my players about playing a trickster (warning, some salty language): ON PLAYING TRICKSTERS: Eurmal worship is not a choice. It happens to people. Usually to people whose parents were cousins. If you worship Eurmal, there's no getting around it. You are batshit crazy, mentally defective, or both. Eurmal worshippers drool, set fires, bed wet, torture small animals, compulsively masturbate, and/or eat their own poop. They don't choose Eurmal. Eurmal chooses them, poor bastards. Tricksters are universally reviled, worldwide. In 95% of the cultures out there, there's one clear way to deal with a Trickster. Death. Find Trickster. Kill Trickster. Problem solved. Orlanth-worshippers (including Sartarites) are one of the only cultures out there that have a cultural role (several of them in fact) for Eurmali. So while they still kill most of the Tricksters they come across, they have several other roles that they can assign a Trickster. Those roles, from least desirable to most desirable, are: 1. Killboy. This is the assigned role for firestarters and animal torturers. The hopeless, low functioning psychopaths (High functioning psychopaths become Storm Bulls. Very high functioning psychopaths become Humakti). The Trickster is kept in a cage, fed scraps, and poked with sticks. They are made very, very, very pissed off. Eventually (after months or even years), the Trickster is released with a ritual binding and an assignment to kill, hurt and maim the clan's enemies. The clan releases the trickster like a guided missile and prays that he dies while accomplishing his mission. If he doesn't, he'll probably come back and there will be hell to pay. This is a role that is only used under extremely rare circumstances. 2. Scapegoat. The assigned role for vagrants, sneak-thieves, those with hopelessly low INT, and low-functioning schizophrenics (mildly stupid people usually become Storm Bulls). The Trickster is captured, tarred and feathered, ritually imbued with all the bad negative energy of the clan, blindfolded, taken far, far, far away and released. This is the second most common way of dealing with an unknown Trickster who shows up in clan territory (hanging is the most common). 3. Curse-eater. The assigned role for the mildly impaired. The town nut. The guy who eats his boogers but is basically harmless. The crazy old coot. The compulsive. Some areas or houses are cursed by bad luck or evil spirits. Orlanthi desert these areas, mark them off with willow sticks, and give them to a Trickster as a dwelling area. The Trickster is not allowed to leave the area except for important religious rituals. But they are given food and shelter and treated kindly. Since nothing works as planned with a Trickster, the curses or evil spirits usually don't work against them. Or they do. Who the fuck cares? Eventually, when the Trickster has sucked up all the negative energy of the area, they are assigned a new "home." This is a pretty sweet gig for an Eurmali and probably the best most can hope for. Bonded Eurmali or future Killboys are sometimes used as Curse-eaters while they're "in storage." 4. Bonded Trickster. Lightbringer. Firestealer. Heroic companion. This is the plum. The best and worst job for a Trickster. This is the role for the inspired lunatic. The guy who sees things that aren't there but might actually be. The high-functioning delusional schitzo. In order to fulfill this role, the Eurmali must ritually attach himself to a powerful Orlanthi leader, preferable one who aspires to heroism. Every really studly Orlanthi hero needs a Trickster. But they only need one. And it’s a necessary evil. Once ritually bound to the Orlanthi, the Trickster must obey his master... until he decides to utterly betray him. The Orlanthi is betting he can get good use out of the Trickster and kill the little bastard before the betrayal. The Trickster (if he can think this coherently, unlikely) is betting he can suck off the Orlanthi’s tit and still pull a ton of bullshit. The wannabe hero extends his protection over the Trickster and the Trickster finds himself acting slightly less crazy. Crimes committed by the Trickster (cause he's still a little shit in the end) are paid for by the Orlanthi. Having a Trickster is expensive. If the little shit doesn't earn his keep, it's hanging time. In myth, Orlanth was betrayed by Eurmal three times. The first two times, Orlanth maimed Eurmal. The third time, he killed him. Most Orlanthi hero wannabes skip the maiming. -------------------------- So what was the Eurmal festival in Prattstead? How does it work? Approximately twenty or so genuine Tricksters show up in Prattstead once a year for the Eurmal festival. Each of them is either a Curse-eater or a Bonded Trickster and brings with them a large gift (bribe) from their sponsoring clan for the local Chieftain. Maybe a few strays slip in. The other 500+ celebrants are normal people using the festival as an excuse to get a little crazy. Think Mardi Gras. Harmless fun. The real Tricksters who pay their bribe are given a little extra leeway when it comes to acting like little shits for the week. The ones who don't pay are jailed (the PCs from the first run) and then punished in some way. Usually, they are Scapegoated and released. The town puts up with it because they get big bribes, the Trickster sponsoring clan owes them a little karmic debt, the town accrues some magical benefits (specifically, protection against ogres for the year), and they almost always have a Scapegoat for the next day’s Scapegoat Festival. So what have we learned from this: 1. The two stray tricksters who ran away after the first run are gone. They went back home. Or betrayed the adventurers to the Lunars. Isn't it strange that you got attacked by broos on your home territory? That never happens. Hmmm. 2. The little psychopathic Killboy trollkin in the second run never allied himself with the party, has no Lightbringer bond, and ran away after the barroom brawl. He's probably also gone. 3. Playing a Trickster is hard. Your life expectancy will be short. Like playing a Humakti, you can do it, but don't expect me to make it easy on you.

Another write-up of events in the Treefell Sage: To: King Jak, Chief Keener CC: War Council From: General Mhorhys Following is a copy of a document written by the Silver Dwarf known as Hobe, obtained by REDACTED by means of REDACTED and subsequently REDACTED. I will read it in its entirety, however I warn you that its full of words and thus difficult for those of lesser intelligence to comprehend. I will provide annotation when necessary. To: Isidilian Mk I – Mod 0 [PRESUMABLY ISIDILIAN THE WISE, THE DWARF OF DWARF RUN. WE MET HIM AT BOLDHOME AT THE LUNARS' SACRED TIME PARTY. HE WAS VERY FRIENDLY AND REMARKABLY COMPREHENSIBLE.] From: Mostali SI – 29 – AG – Sub – Mod I – Mk II – Gen V – VR I, Carbunkle, Hobe Re: Status Report – 001A Have made contact and have seconded Mostali SI – 29 – AG – Sub – Mod I – Mk II – Gen V – VR I (hereinafter (purely for the sake of efficiency and not because of individualist predilections) referred to as “me,” “I”, “myself”, et cetera) to ARGPROJPOT102A (human, Keener) [ISIDILIAN AND BY EXTENSION HOBE SEEM TO HAVE IDENTIFIED KEENER AS A POTENTIAL ARGRATH. IT REMAINS TO BE SEEN IF THIS IS A GOOD THING.] and ARGPROJVARASSOC, hereafter accorded discreet identifiers as follows: ARGPROJVAR8745V (human, Mhorhys) ARGPROJVAR9237G (human, Rath) ARGPROJVAR665DZ (human, Jak) ARGPROJVAR2095A (human, Urok) ARGPROJVAR5674J (human, Skorcha) ARGPROJVAR3175X (human, Kat) ARGPROJVAR3001S (human, Yves) Initial contact disappointing. Being as they are human and easily impressed by small, shiny objects, I executed a hyperbolic spiral approach (standard r=aθ), having previously maximized the index of reflectivity of my Silver Crunchy Shell™. Despite this, ARGPROJPOT102A (human, Keener) et al. assumed a cautionary posture, probably because this sub-collective of bipedal biomasses excreted by Grandfather Mortal would not know their own nitrogenous waste emitter apertures from an evacuated cavity in the general indigenous soil surface. [PATENTLY UNTRUE. I AM REASONABLY CERTAIN AT LEAST SOME OF YOU CAN TELL YOUR ASS FROM A HOLE IN THE GROUND… SOMETIMES… WITH A LITTLE GUIDANCE.] With patient deliberation, I explained the non-classified aspects of my mission, but the dX/dT of their vertical intake of information is uniformly unpositive. Believing that the dynamic expenditure of kinetic energy along goal-oriented lines would produce results more figuratively sonorous than a surfeit of verbiage, I assumed command (in an advisory & support capacity) [N.B. HOBE APPEARS TO SUFFER FROM CLASSIC “SMART LITTLE MAN SYNDROME” IN WHICH A MAN OF SMALL STATURE BUT SUPERIOR INTELLIGENCE ASSUMES THAT HE CAN CONTROL HIS LARGER, MORE BRUTISH COMPATRIOTS BY SHEER INTELLIGENCE, THUS MANIPULATING THEM INTO DOING WHAT IS IN THEIR BEST INTERESTS. SADLY, FROM FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE, I CAN TESTIFY THAT THIS APPROACH IS RARELY AS EFFICATIOUS AS ONE MIGHT HOPE.] in order to assure the attainment of their immediate short-term objectives. These included, but were not limited to, some sort of protracted negotiations with the collective referred to as “Lunars”. At one point, formalized singular combat operations were entered into, with ARGPROJPOT102A (human, Keener) et al. electing as their representative an untrained bovine. Said cow was explosively eviscerated with a spectacular volumetric hemoglobular atomization of 15.5ppm, yet for some reason this outcome was regarded by ARGPROJPOT102A (human, Keener) et al. as positive. Following this, the sub-collective retired to their community and engaged in some sort of confused deliberation over the index of regality ARGPROJVAR665DZ (human, Jak) vs. ARGPROJVARFOE 1356498-A708 (human, Willandring). (Note: the extended enumeration of that last entry reflects the large number of individuals enthusiastically hostile to the existence of ARGPROJPOT102A (human, Keener) et al.) Lacking satisfactory outcome, the decision was reached by priestesses of the “spark” Ernalda to accept bribes (tribute) in return for their acknowledgement of ARGPROJVAR665DZ (human, Jak) as king over ARGPROJVARFOE 1356498-A708 (human, Willandring). At least, I believe this to have been the situation. In truth, the affairs of these lesser beings seem to change at the abrupt gravitational attraction of a modular braincase cover. An excursion was undertaken to the non-chronolinear dimension known as the “Hero Plane” to procure said nonpareil tribute. After a brief combat encounter, ARGPROJVAR665DZ (human, Jak) proceeded to exchange bodily fluids with some sort of cattle deity, and in the process engendered the existence of the half-human, half-bovine aberrations known as “Minotaurs.” We should withhold judgment for the time being, however, as this may be an improvement on the so-called “human condition.” Following this, the sub-collective escorted the offspring of the spark Ernalda to that spark’s nuptial activities. During this, contact was made with a sentient bovine named “Blue”, who claimed to be the re-booted and upgraded bovine combatant formerly known as “Mooooo-SQUIRCH!” A human/bovine relationship seems to have developed between Blue and ARGPROJVAR9237G (human, Rath), who claims to have initiated Blue into the priesthood of spark Stormbull. These humans seem to have an unnatural attachment to their herd animals. Subsequent to this, ARGPROJPOT102A (human, Keener) proved himself a capable target for two (2) Aldrayami. Further contact with the Aldrayami was aborted after direct Mostali intervention, causing the two (2) Aldrayami to abandon their mission objectives. From there, the sub-collective further proved its unerring ability to attract a fecal-matter tempest when it came across a free-floating exothermic emitter otherwise known as a “Salamander.” Fortunately, one of the humans was able to initiate the decontainment of a slightly inferior yet otherwise efficacious hydro-sufficient entity referred to as an “undine.” Thermodynamic status quo was efficiently reestablished. Afterwards, the sub-collective made on-going contact with a spark commonly identified as “Eurmal" who randomly assumed the guise of several individuals, including a gray bi-pedal rabbit in impractical formal attire, though without leggings of any kind, so as to afford all viewers an unimpeded view of its vastly over-sized pestle. The sub-collective thought this droll; it’s the kind of humor generally associated with congenitally .49 witted individuals. A far better source of joy is this: Silver Mostali (as one seeking ingress through a portal): “Knock, knock.” Lead Mostali (opening said portal after consulting the appropriate portal-opening checklist): “Who is it that is there?” Silver Mostali: FUNCTIONING WORLD MACHINE! Now that is funny. And inevitable. It’s funny because it’s inevitable. In any event, not only was Eurmal able to appear as a phallically enhanced leporidae, but was also assumed the form of an Iron Mostali! Worse, this “Mostali” mocked the inevitable restoration of the World Machine! Before I could terminate this heretic, referred to as “Digby” (temp. nomenclature: ARGPROJRNDM10211-A (Mostali, Iron, Digby), he disappeared. Fortunately, I was able to procure a container of nitrogenous waste. I was sorely tempted to engage in immediate field analysis of said prankster poo, but I have instead included it for analysis by our Quicksilver Mostali. Once at the nuptial ceremony, ARGPROJVAR3175X (human, Kat) demonstrated a predilection for copulation with the spark known as Niskis the Lover. In a cultural experiment, I collected samples of various liquid and solid comestibles and have included them for analysis. I was also introduced, by ARGPROJVAR8745V (human, Mhorhys) to REDACTED. In the interest of furthering a FUNCTIONING WORLD MACHINE! we discussed REDACTED. ARGPROJVAR8745V (human, Mhorhys), REDACTED sentient, has agreed to forward any correspondence. After retrieving a bundled flora sample called a “bouquet,” the sub-collective began evac operations, but were intercepted by ARGPROJVARFOE 1356498-A708 (human, Willandring), who was quickly terminated, largely through Mostali intervention, though some assistance was provided by members of the sub-collective. Afterwards, I was obligated to enter a Schroedinger State while the sub-collective returned to their domiciles and presented their bribes to the relevant authorities. An account of events is contained in the after-action debriefing of ARGPROJVAR665DZ (human, Jak): “In terms of what happened, we returned home with a bouqet [sic] of flowers and Willandring's head, both of which we presented to the Ernalda priestess and the assembled tribe/armies. Jak was named King and attuned the crown Willandring dropped. The Lunars (minus Laertes) insisted that Jak honor the treaty between the Lunar Empire and the Balmyr. Jak invited them to suck his fat one. Violence ensued, involving armies. Some of their units switched sides, others (the Katori) abandoned the field of battle altogether. The Lunars and their mercenaries were utterly destroyed. Stone Ring fighters who surrendered and converted were forgiven and welcomed to the tribe. The rest were killed and their corpses hung on the city walls.” At present, I am unsure as to what ARGPROJVAR665DZ (human, Jak) was referring when he invited the Lunars to “suck his fat one,” as all his appendages, on public display during his exchange of bodily fluids with the cow deity, seemed otherwise unremarkable. He does own a number of well-fed cattle; perhaps he was referring to one of these. [CAN’T ARGUE WITH THAT LOGIC.] Finally, both ARGPROJPOT102A (human, Keener) and ARGPROJVAR8745V (human, Mhorhys) have requested instruction in the Mostali language/alphabet. In the sure and certain future of a FUNCTIONAL WORLD MACHINE, this concludes my report Those are his conclusions. Here are mine… CONCLUSION: From this document we can infer: 1. Isidilian seems to have identified Keener as a potential liberator (Argrath) of Sartar. The appearance of Argrath seems to be desirable to the Mostali as part of restoring a Functional World Machine. Thus, our goals and that of the Mostali seem to be at least temporarily aligned. 2. Though Hobe lacks cultural understanding, he is quite perceptive. Additionally, he believes he can manipulate us into advancing his personal goals. 3. Jak does not have a large penis and mates with cows. RECOMMENDATIONS: 1. Classify this document. 2. Allow Hobe to believe he is in control of the situation to further exploit his abilities to advance our cause. Curry favor by pretending a Functional World Machine is an interesting and desirable thing. 3. Stop having sex with livestock. 4. Do our best to further advance relations with Isidilian. The Dwarf for Dwarf Run has several very effective combat units, including the famed Cannon Cult. Which my research suggests is every bit as badass as it sounds. MM, LhM, SSHev, MJL, Gen. EfBH, FC/CIO FSF

Here's the final write-up of the Sartar Campaign: KEENER’S SAGA Most times I hear it told that it were Kallyr the Argrath what saved Sartar from the Red Moon. Out in Prax and in the ruins of Pavis, there are them what say it was that flea-bitten ass-fucker Garrath Sharpsword. But up here on the mountain, close to the Storm where the windchildren play and the dragonnewts dance, we know the truth of it. It was Keener and his lot that did the trick. Argrath Varmondsson was his birthname. But “Keener” is what we all called him. ‘Cause when it come to killing Lunars, no one was keener than Keener. When it come to fighting, fucking, hunting, talking, and painting himself blue, Keener was keener. Lightning flickered from his blade, the EWF crown sat proud on his head, dragons bowed to him, giants smiled when he walked by, women swooned, and when his voice boomed war, even the cows charged to fight. Crucified he was, and beheaded, and tortured and cut, and frozen and burned. Battles he fought, against the Sun, the Moon and the Stars, against the Dark and the Predark, against the Men of Wood and the Soldiers of Stone. Prizes he won and a good woman he married and children he sired and a country he freed. He did it because it was his destiny. He did it because it were fate. He did it because it needed doing and when it came to doing what needed doing, no one was keener than Keener. And in the end, when the Devil came again, Keener said, “Let’s get it done.” Because he was keener. So you can say someone else was Argrath. But you’d better not say it around here. And allies he had. Names that the lowlanders may not know, but up here where Orlanth’s breath blows pure, we know them. We know Jak Byrtyn and his furious fists. Some even called him Argrath and when the votes were counted, he got his share. “It’s all in the reflexes,” said he as he woke the New Dragon and killed the proudest of the Moon. “Let the Cow fight for us,” he laughed and made the Sun General burn himself with his own anger. “I never fly faster than I can see,” said he as he dropped from the sky and put the Dragon to sleep. Jak carried the Six-Demon Bag and talked to whoever out there would listen. And when Jak killed Willandring and crowned himself Balmyr King, they asked “Have you paid your dues, Jak?” And Jak said “Yessir.” We know Yves Quickfoot, who could run across the world before breakfast. Yves wasn’t Argrath, couldn’t fight, couldn’t drink, and couldn’t wrestle. But he could run away like nobody’s business. Here is a list of things Yves ran from, around, out of, to, for or against: The Lunar Army. Some Yelmalio mercenaries. A hotfoot spell. Winter. A giant. An evil tree. A duck assassin. Harrek the Berserk. Bean-Pot. The Bat. Eurmal’s ass. Mastakos himself. Castle Blue. The Spike. Hell itself, more than once. And Death. And he was faster than them all, right up until the end when Death found him lying in his bed, an old, old man, rich, and with many children and grandchildren. And Yves said, “Hold on. Let me put on my shoes.” And Death killed him right then and there. Because Death knew if Yves got his shoes on, he’d still be running today. We know Um. As much as anyone ever could. And maybe he was Argarth too. But if he was, no one can remember. And that’s how he liked it. And Keener and Jak they had two cats. And Six-Hits and Kat were their names. And they fucked the Moon and they fucked-up the Bat And they put them all to shame. Sharp were their claws, swift were their darts, Spirits and werewolves felt their quick cuts, And preening and smiling were also their arts, ‘Cause every good party needs a couple of good sluts We know Mhorhys the Explainer, who could’ve explained all this much better than me, but not in such a way as you’d understand a damn word of it. Mhorry knew a powerful lot of things. He knew the ways of the World, though he couldn’t recognize his own wife when she wore a beard. He knew how to swing a sword almost as sharp as his tongue, but he didn’t know how to stop himself from bleeding. He knew how to lecture on almost anything, but he never knew when to shut up. Mhorhys drank from the Well of Wisdom, and argued Law before the Gods at Castle Blue, and invented the Lightning War, and held the Sword of Truth. But the best thing he learned was this: When the Devil took the Throne of the North and the young men came to Mhorhys in his old age and said “Be our general,” Mhorhys refused. Because he’d finally learned to quit while he was ahead. When the children of the Treefell skip rope, this is what they sing: Yurok was a Basmol. Then Yurok was not. Yurok was a Daka Fal. Then Yurok was not. Yurok was almost a troll. But that’s another story. Yurok had a big axe and he made it plenty gory. Yurok knew he could take ‘em and he liked big strife. Yurok feared nothing except his wife. Harrek once hit Yurok and he got back up. Yurok once hit Beanpot, but he got back up. Yurok was Life then Yurok was Death. Yurok ate a lotta meat and had bad breath. Yurok said he was Argrath and everybody frowned. Then he hit ‘em with his big axe and they all fell down! Two Humakti we knew. Or was it two Uroxi? It’s hard to remember and it was a long time ago. Oxe was one, Scar was another. Rath was one. And so was Orm. What they had in common was this. Their real names were mostly Argrath. They killed things. They hit hard. They were variously drunks and Nandan-lovers and liars and splittongues. But they were loyal and brave and fought well and were hard men in a pinch. They did the dirty work and bashed in the necessary heads and no one would have been Argrath without them. Some could sing, some could play drums, some could drink you under the table, some couldn’t drink at all. But the most important part is this… their lives were brutal and short. Except for the one who lived. Whichever one that was. And we know the others too. They came and went, but they did their part. For every man who is great in memory, there are hundreds who helped him be great or who did the real work or who made it all possible. And maybe they were greater than the Great Man and maybe they should get more credit and maybe if things had gone a little differently, this would be their saga, not his, but sometimes life isn’t fair. Here in Treefell, we do our best to remember them too. So we give them their stanza. And this is it: Scorcha was a Vestkarthan and blew it up good. Haus was a cranky healer who did what he could. Gryffon was an Elmal and he held the fort. The Loud Slinger slung loudly and did stuff of that sort. The Huntress stayed home and made sure people stayed fed. The Issaries made a profit and enjoyed his feather bed. Njyl wrote the songs that the whole world sings The Tricksters farted and threw their poo at things. The Sneaky Duck stole the gold but kept his feathers clean. And the Silver Dwarf said it was all for a Functional World Machine! These are the things we know about Keener and have written down. But there are too many tales for the words to hold proper. So more was done than was known. And some things that are known were probably never truly done. Still, maybe there’s one last thing worth knowing. In these parts, when Sacred Time ends and the White Orbiter wanders across the sky and the first flowers bloom and the Sun rises and the cows start to calf and Pratt Creek tumbles down its Falls in the joke that never gets old, we take in the miracles what are the World, and we say this… “If not for Keener and them.” Mhorhys would say that’s an idiom. Because we’re saying a thing that represents another thing. So what we mean is “Life is Good. Don't take it for granted.” Idiomatically. But what we’re saying is: “If not for Keener and his friends, none of this would exist.” And that’s worth knowing.

I've run several campaigns using RQ2, RQ3 and a home brew RQ/HQ hybrid. If I run another campaign, I'll probably use the homebrew again. Let's see... I've run or co-run... - A Pavis/Big Rubble campaign that morphed into a boat based campaign along the southern Genertelan coast. 1620-ish. Included the Cradle. (RQ2) Ran 3 years - The Dragonnewt March, which turned into a Dorastor based campaign. PCs settled in Skanthiland and carved out a small realm for themselves, settled by refugees from both Dragon Pass and the Empire. 1618-1624 or so. (RQ3) Ran 10 years! - A short-lived Lunar Campaign centered on a young noblewoman who's the only survivor of a Dart War trying to reestablish her house. 1620s (RQ3) Only about 4 sessions. - A Sartar Rising campaign. Characters were from a geographically isolated clan of the Balmyr Tribe, the Treefell Clan. The Treefell Clan is known for the annual Trickster Festival in their village Prattsted at the foot of scenic Pratt's Falls. Their tula was located in the Quinvin Mountains between Highwyrm and Kjarten's Pool. Started in 1620, ended with the Dragonrise and the crowning of Queen Kallyr. (Homebrew) Ran 4 years. - A Lunar Campaign that started with a group of survivors fleeing the Dragonrise. Characters became fixers for a noble house in Glamour. 1625 - 1627 (Homebrew) Ran about 2 years. My group games about 10 times a year. We've been gaming together for... umm... shit... 35 years?

This is why my trickster carried a hat for every specific job the party wanted him to do. Jester's hat with bells, pointy Wizard hat, Miner's hard hat, Warrior's full iron helm, Explorer's pith helmet, Burglar's ski mask. The right hat is essential to avoid confusion. Also, a useful reminder of exactly what he was supposed to be up to. It's easy to forget... WATCH OUT! A PIECE OF THE WORLD MACHINE IS FALLING! Wow. You're so lucky it didn't hit you. Are you eating that? Back to the subject, it doesn't matter a ton what ranks you use. You could use Kuge, Samurai, Shi, Heimin, Hinin and Eta and it would be no less inaccurate to a non-Eartth society like the Orlanthi than chief, thane, housecarl, carl, thrall, and stickpicker. No, seriously, are you eating that?

Digby

I ran a dwarf trickster named Digby for a decade or so. He had a bad experience in the mortar and pestle room, went mad, and fled to the surface. Somewhere along the way Eurmal began whispering to him and he became a devotee. Digby was convinced that he was supposed to personally fix the World Machine and would occasionally shove a character to prevent a piece of the world (that only he could see) from falling on their head. He only shoved someone off a cliff that way the one time and he didn’t mean to.He’d sometimes also eat random things left lying around, because he didn’t really know what was food and what wasn’t. You know, stuff like backpacks and weapons and a familiar or two. SWALLOW! I played him as a sad, funny, confused lunatic rather than a sociopath. When threatened, he’d cast Conceal, hide, then cast Hallucinate on himself. Still, from time to time his old iron dwarf self would kick in and he’d craft something useful, pick a lock, or even charge into combat using his damage boosted iron pickaxe. Lethal with Strike. Almost never hit a PC with it. Almost never. Digby was well travelled so he knew a lot of spells. On the whole he helped the party a lot more than he hurt it, and he was usually bonded to one heroic oaf of an Orlanthi or other, so no one ever executed him. In my game, we usually give players a bit more latitude to be part of the party and not a total nightmare if they play a trickster. MGF and all that. Just so long as they screw themselves over a lot and their friends over a little. I like the idea of letting PCs play someone like Daffy or Bugs or Floki from Vikings or the Fool from King Lear or the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland. Not every Eurmali has to be the Joker. YGMV

Common misunderstanding. Cowfart-Down-Stream is a Balmyr tula on the Stream and Cowfart-Up-the-Creek is a Cinsina tula on the Creek, so they don't actually share a watershed.

Sure... but I'm not sure how much awareness Rathy Bullhead from Cowfart-Up-the-Creek* has of any of those things. I suspect not much aside from "Esrola? Nochet? Black Horse Country? Them all are for'n parts. Maybe people might worship the Betrayer way away in places like that, but they best not show their faces round here." SPIT. *Not to be confused with Cowfart-Down-Stream where people are much more sophisticated. Meaning they spit less.

The way I've GMed it, the various cults of Arkat are secret societies. You don't find them; if you've become illuminated, they find you. They scout you out and either kill you or invite you in. This is an invitation you can't refuse, but then again, they wouldn't invite you unless they were 99% sure you were the right kind of Illuminate. You don't advertise if they bring you in instead of killing you. You stay in your previous cult as a sort of sleeper agent, using Arkat illumination secrets to stay more or less sane, and act on your own to pursue the goals of the secret society unless given a specific mission. I think the average Orlanthi would have no idea that the Arkat cult still existed, especially outside Ralios. A sage might know that the trolls still worship him and he's the source of their sorcery tradition. Were any traditional Theyalan type to find out that one of their own was a member, I suspect they'd be horrified and either kill or exile the Arkati. Arkat is famously treacherous and has no place in good society. "You follow the Betrayer? Then go live with the trolls like he did."

If you want to avoid using real world cultural terms altogether, you could use Orlanth subcults to distinguish the various social classes, or just simpler terms entirely: cottar - Barntaring - fieldman housecarl - Rigsdaling? Elmaling? - steadman weaponthane - Starkvaling - shieldman