Shiningbrow

High King Elf. Or, the Aldryami Yelmalio. Both are archers, and so you could go that way. Personally, I might suggest you ask what you want to happen to the bow before you decide on the HQ. Because you want something appropriate. "Bow special powers"...??? Extra range? Auto Multimissile or Speedart on command? Recharging Sureshot? Or Arrow Trance? Or Chameleon? Or a bound allied spirit that has those spells? (these are apart from the obvious extra damage... Or a Legolas quiver that never runs out? Or a power to make all arrows fired from it hit spirits or other creatures with particular in/vulnerabilities (eg, acts like iron on trolls)) From those, you could decide which way you want your HQ to go.

Was there an official line as to what happens when a loci spirit is bound and taken away from its tree/pond/mountain/etc? (be it crystal, enchantment, or familiar).

Or, how's this for a technicality... drop your EarthPower into the Truestone... since the spell is 'cast' until used from the Truestone, you could lose all your RPs and POW to a DI, and then the Truestone-held spell would go off, saving your butt... (again and again and again). Granted, that's a 1 in 100 chance... and you'd only have a couple of points of POW left... but at least your Humakti wouldn't technically be dead.

Oh, I forgot to add above - wyters! Get your local wyter to cast spells into it. Or, those more powerful cult spirits (the ones that cost 4RPs to summon), and ask (very nicely) if they'd cast their spells into it... (or, you could - of course - just command them to... or command any spirit to cast their Rune Spells - or spirit magic, if you really wanted to, into it).

Except... 1-Use Rune Spells! You're going to lose the RPs anyway. This allows you to have your full RP complement, and your 1-Use spells... (well, ok, not too many adventurers would actually have access to most 1-Use spells from their own RP Pool, but you get the idea)

I have no doubt that any respectable dragonewt would trade almost anything for a shrubbery! (a nice one, of course... but not too big)

I would play that the spell doesn't actually destroy the physical air, but instead removes the essence of it - not unlike, say, removing oxygen from the air that we breathe (hence, the "breath" element). So, the air remains in place, but couldn't be used for breathing (or fires, etc). It's dead air. And, unless there is a bit of a breeze, that air will stay in place (requiring the location of the spell to be moved each round). It will dissipate, but not necessarily quickly. Spirits will notice it if they go near, but unless someone is near it, it's not overly noticeable. As for the active bit - sure, you can cast more spells - if you pass the concentration checks. And, yes, both spells can stay up... if you pass the concentration checks regularly. Also.. I'd say that once you stop concentrating on it, the spell is gone. (that's the point of it being Active). Any MPs over your POW dissipate basically instantly. (if, as @French Desperate WindChild suggests, the MPs stay, then you're effectively saying that an Active spell can also be Passive... and I think that way leads to hell...). Of course, one can always come up with an Enhance POW spell! And, given that INT is usually seen as harder to increase and effect than other stats, there's not a great reason to suggest it should be a 4:1 ration of Strength to Stat... perhaps 3:1 (and, I'd allow inclusion of the Man Rune to bring that down).

I'm confused... Further along the spell description is, "If the caster does not know the true name of the entity summoned, the caster must overcome the magic points of the entity with the total spell strength of the summons." This is clearly a resistance. Granted, there's no resistance to see if the entity is actually summoned, but that's like the other non-sorcerous variants as well. RAW - no. Because you wouldn't know the spirit you're summoning. Nowhere does it say that it summons the closest spirit of the type you request. (granted, any good sorcerer is going to have Identify Otherworldly Spirit anyway..., and before and at higher skill than the Summons... IMHO). As @PhilHibbs indicated above, I don't think you're referring to the Summon spell, but to the Control spell (aka, Dominate in sorcery).... Now, if that's what you mean, then perhaps you're onto something.... except, Control spells are most certainly resisted. In fact, it's directly implied (ok, oxymoronic) in the last paragraph, where it says that bound spirits can't resist, and thus that non-bound spirits can resist.

Yep... although, I'm not sure if that's "speculation", or actually evidenced (stated) in writings... I forget. (I went to Xi'an a couple of years ago for a conference, and we were given a tour of the area (thousands of people swarming the place)... not sure where my photos are... probably on the external HDD that's not working now 😞 )

I don't really want to derail the thread by heading down this particular rabbit hole, however.... yes, it *is* limited to Ernalda's husband-protectors... The first line of the spell says "This spell blesses a worshiper of one of Ernalda‘s husband-protectors." (RBoM, p17). As for (most of) the other stuff... true! Could be a Tarshite Orlanthi... or similar. It's still a very nice pic!

You only just barely mentioned the cross-quarters festivals, which in UK terms (particularly Irish/Welsh) would be (forgive the spellings! But, it's not English anyway) - Samhuin, Mabon, Lughnasad and Beltaine (which I personally celebrate around the 5th - 7th of each month, closer to the mid-point of the solstice & equinox). Since we don't actually have any writings dating from that period to explain everything, we're guessing that they're celebrating "winter" or "spring", and so it's much more likely that they are celebrating "full return" and "start of return" of the sun. Calculating equinoxes is extremely simple, as you mentioned (so, I don't get the "had any means except counting".... It's not rock science**. I also suspect that our terms for our four seasons wouldn't be particularly relevant to them. Anyway, off topic! Other than to say that the major festivals that I've attended (solstices in particular) have children involved - especially Mabon (the youth), where children play a central role... however, there's always the private (full initiates of a tradition only), which doesn't even have the "lay member" adults... and even then, they were separated by the rank of initiation. (**I do love that Lindsay Lohan quote 😃)

I'm not sure which you are referring to, so I'll be more specific. When Mongoose Publishing had the rights to Runequest, they (officially) published two books that had Heroquesting rules in them - MRQ1's Magic of Glorantha which has about 25 pages on the topic (mostly examples of myths from various cults/gods), and MRQ2's Cults of Glorantha, which has a much shorter write-up. Both of these might be hard to get your hands on (legally). Many on here have a huge disdain for MRQ, however, like any good God Learner, they are worth plundering for ideas. Unofficially, but certainly very good is Simon Phipps' (aka Soltakss) Secrets of Heroquesting. It's a good read, and readily accessible on the JC. I am aware of some other rulesets on the web, but right now I can't recall who or where (or how long ago they were written). I like the LARP analogy. I also like the analogy from @EpicureanDM about coding.. although, I'd alter stopping ZZ's access to fire powers to hacking someone's account and changing their password.. They can always go back in later and reset it (after a ritual and HQ of their own). But while that password is changed, they can't use those powers. It would be possible - after lots and lots and LOTS of HQs, to hack the entire site and remove those fire powers completely... but, you'd be up against all those who are trying to assert their control over the system as well.... Yes. Not that difficult (relatively... to other insane heroquests...). Yes, although I'd suggest harder than changing "ownership"... (but, is it actually the same bat?)

Are you aware that each face on the warriors is unique? Not just mild imperfections in a basic clone, but deliberately different faces and bodies.

Are you not aware of Harmast Barefoot's twin brother, Hosiarie Always-socked? Yes, that is exactly how I see it. How many in the room? I mean, if a full complement of Aldryami archers were facing a huge battle against the Uz, how long before that room is emptied??? However, more seriously, I am thinking (like @David Scott) that it's a physical manifestation of the spirit... Or it's not a physical missile, and it's merely force... either that, or it just does, and doesn't need to be questioned!

Except... note the complete lack of Runes across his body...

Ummm... ok. I'm not sure how you see those relating to my post. While Stonehenge (and other henges around the world) may well be 'astronomical calenders', that in no way means there weren't pagan rites being held there. After all, the sun was seen as a deity...

So, wouldn't killing the Devil Wakboth mean the scab is broken, and Chaos can seep into Glorantha the way the pus and blood does after you've hacked away at that scab?

Depends on the group. For some I've been part of, no kids at all. But then, that was the "secret initiation" stuff. For others (eg, solstices and equinoxes), kids were most definitely allowed to watch or participate (depending on their age and whether they were having a tanty or not at the time). That's been for kids as young as 6. However, if you take a look at the rites at Stonehenge every year, you don't see kids in the middle - it's all the elders (but then, again - only the initiated are in the inner circle.. everyone else is outside looking in).

Might be interesting to see what flows out within that water.....

It mighit be a difference in spelling, (and my bad memory), but didn't Elmal marry Redalda? At least, that's the myth told in Horsetown... When Elmal first came to the storm tribe, he was riding a horse, and the tribe laughed at him - all except Redalda... and so on. This myth was from, as @AndrewTBP wrote above, Storm Tribe's write-up - but for Hero Wars, not RQ. (and, after just checking - https://wellofdaliath.chaosium.com/home/gloranthan-documents/prosopaedia/deities/r/redalda/)

You haven't clearly stated it, but implied it - that's only because someone hasn't yet written it in a canonical (or perhaps even non-canonical) book... Lots of things haven't been written yet, yet people still aren't trying to make canonical statements about them. 1 - lots of entities (gods and heroes) are only found in connection with a particular god. This doesn't mean they are that same god in a different form. 2 - her deeds and actions mirror those of Orlanth Adventurous - but again, this is not an unusual thing at the cult/sub-cult level. And, again, doesn't mean they are the same entity, only that they did similar things. (especially when you consider the myths were Orlanth specifically went away to do something else. Yes, I know myths can be like that, but it just adds another level of evidence - which is often what separates or defines entities (certainly IRL that's how some different religions were looked at - as well as the opposite). 3 - Depends on the location. Previous canonical works have her with a mother (as @rodneydangerduck stated above - Ernalda). I'm quite sure that in some areas, Vinga will not only have a separate mother, but also different fathers, and different deeds. Similar to how Elmal and Yelmalio are perceived differently depending on where you are. I think the best that can be said would be - in this region of Glorantha, X deity is generally perceived in such and such a way by those people. The reason I'm big on this (and I've written this before) is that it diminishes the role of women as warriors, and puts them firmly back into the "traditional" roles mentality. Women aren't *really* warriors - they're just pretending to be a male. Having a female deity that proves herself equal to (or even better than) a man (male warrior) - and then the big reveal - tadaaa... she's not really a woman, really feels wrong to me. So, no, women aren't really (and never will be) equal to a man as a warrior... Women don't need to be men in disguise to be a good warrior. But they could certainly do with a good role model in a warrior goddess. (Yes, there is Babs - but you have to be pretty psycho/angry to willingly join her cult at a later age.) If someone wants to argue this, then please consider explaining it to a young girl who wants to play RQG as a Vingan because she likes the idea and does use this character as a way to express her inner self and get confidence, etc... Shamans. And their associates. As spirit cults (obviously).

What's it combining with? (and why not Command?)

Just adding to that - Dragonewts concept of 'value' will be completely different to those of other races. Probably slightly exaggerated, but I could see a dragonewt trading away 20kg of raw iron for a handful of pretty feathers.

Ok, thanks. We need to update that bit in the book....

Now that Vinga is canonically Orlanth as a woman (ptooohie! She'll always be a person in her own right in my mind!), is her worship outlawed in Pavis under the Lunar occupation, alongside that of Orlanth himself?