JRE

I agree, which is why I want to explore what the magic means in terms of quality of life and social changes, because I agree the views changed but many cultures are still rooted in some artificial analogues of their Earth equivalents rather than extrapolating from the different base conditions. I have edited the initial piece to clarify that the 100% survival is for both mother and child, if an attended delivery. Battlefield conditions would be different.

You could write directly to the publisher, Nosolorol Ediciones, atencionalcliente@nosolorol.com, Although they are Spanish, I am pretty sure they will understand and reply in English, and they were looking not so long ago for translators for some of their games.

I am not sure practicality and Yelmalions will be in the same page. It is possible they take one edged daggers to minimize the similitude with the Death rune. Or even special shapes, such as a koummya. Extrapolating from other pikemen, the sidearm does not need to be a really short weapon, as many have carried from broadswords (the landsknecht sword) to rapier size. Just to be perversely different. I particularly like the Luristan bronze battleaxes, though there are also Skythian axes of similar shapes. They were intended for horseman use, as can be seen from the head angle, but I am sure they can be quite good for armor piercing. It could be their type of weapon, as a homage to the earth and also a remnant from the time when Yelmalions were horse archers or charioteers, stubbornly kept now that they are heavy infantry. At least for Yelmalions of old Sun Dome Temples. Sartarites coming from orlanthi clans will have kept their broadswords, at least for the first generations.

Pleasure. The only deity from the original Court left is related to love, sex, and procreation, and she is probably known and apreciated everywhere. I consider that most cultures value the pleasure they can get from sex, and it is considered perverse to deny your partner pleasure as well. And that is as much as possible a general ruling. Even in arranged marriages, Uleria can guarantee only one sexual act is needed to guarantee the desired offspring, and to give the pleasure they do not find in duty, according to their own preference. I expect Uleria is really a deity of mutable gender and sex, able to satisfy any and all, and to be their true object of desire, though seen through the lens of the culture, so patriarchal cultures will see her as a woman, and matriarchal cultures as a virile man. Her symbols and amulets will be found all over, and probably characters will have a few, because that is probably the trait most humans share. Besides the sacred prostitute aspect, and the pregnancies, I expect many couples take a visit to the temple as we take a romantic week end, and the services may well reflect that. Baths, massages, seeing your partner as beautiful as the first time, and a certain guarantee that the spark will be there once again. Much more than just scratching an itch. I also suspect Ulerians are exempted from the taboo of sex among the uninitiated, because someone must teach how to do it right, though that will not help in isolated clans, where it may well be your cousins who have to teach you. I also expect that with this expectation of pleasure, sex will be open, something you discuss, and most people know more than we do about how to administer your pleasure and how to please others. And makes Gloranthans happier than we are.

Religious sex. Some cults practice ritual intermarriage, and some even limit who you can marry. I would consider that those depend on the people involved, as you can have sex without marriage and a marriage without sex, though in a ritual marriage of the two ruling deities, the harmony of the marriage will increase the Harmony of the community, and the fertility likewise, though I am sure proxies can be used in special cases, such as a Vingan marrying a Ernaldan. But you knew what you were getting into when you accepted. As well many cults have ceremonies and festivities where you practice sex. To make sure that women join as much as men, it would be necessary that, unless desired, no guaranteed pregnancies come from such a ritual, as otherwise women will be more reluctant than men in joining these ceremonies, because the potential consequences of joining the ceremony are very different. You could say that all human pregnancies become animal pregnancies or boost the harvest without actual pregnancies taking place. Uleria opens a different can of worms, religious prostitution, as well as becoming initiate for pure pleasure. I consider Apple Lane did not help by making commonplace something that I would expect only in relatively large cities, but it is certainly there. I suppose other cults will offer these services, with the main difference being that in Glorantha I expect a more equal split of sexes and genders among the holy prostitutes.

Abortion and infanticide. This is a touchy subject, but once again easy contraception and I must assume quick detection of pregnancies by magic sight means pregnancies are detected early. Here it probably depends on the gaming group sensitivities, but it would be easy to postulate abortive remedies without the risk and trauma in the RW, or Earth temple assumption of all unwanted pregnancies, with possibly even a fetus transfer magic from unwilling to a willing carrier (that with enough fertility magic could be a physical male as well). With healing magic cesarean sections are safe. All these combines to make infanticide rare except in time of famine (and you can just stop pregnancies) or persecution, making it dramatic when it happens but not an ongoing concern.

Sex is not life. In Glorantha people are rated in terms of death and life affinity, which means fertility, and they are somewhat aware of this affinity. On earth religions fertility would have been directly coupled to sex, but in Glorantha fortunately strong Death people can still enjoy sex, even if it is likely they may have difficulties to conceive, and anyway there are magic remedies also for that. I know many people disagree with this, but in my Glorantha someone infertile (unless due to maiming) would be strong in death and weak in life, even if they have never touched a weapon. Once again that normalizes those sex options beyond vaginal penetration, and it helps people enjoy themselves and their sexuality more. You are not failing your family or clan by having a same sex lover or adopting an alternate gender. Though you may be failing them if you do not have children when population needs to be rebuilt, so there is also those kinds of pressures.

Recreative sex. Although as far as I know it has not been officially described, most campaigns I have seen preclude easy access or even magical anticonceptive. Accidents still happen and may make excellent if poignant plots, but in almost all cultures (I was going to say in all, but we always have Mostali and Brithini) sex is to be enjoyed and coupled with reproduction only when you so desire, even if fertility still plays a big role in sex, and sex in fertility magic. Maybe it is the 60s California vibe, but I think this is something to preserve. Decoupling sex from reproduction also opens the way to alternate sexual arrangements being normalized, including same sex and group sex, not only for religious reasons. It complements very well the women independence when you can decide on your pregnancies.

Women independence. There are several factors, and we will touch some others, but for me the main one is the low infant death ratio. We know of some magic that helps pregnancies, and the general magic use practically guarantees that in attended deliveries survival rate will be 100% for both mother and child. Although we still expect a high casualty ratio in human males and a lower but significant ratio among human females due to the higher systemic violence, that probably means smaller families and much less pressure on pregnancies for women, as the dead males are socially disposable. If marriages are mainly monogamous, of course. So there will be an excess of single women without partners and widows, which are those better suited for adventuring and other independent life choices. A higher women independence would balance out the decreased number of married males and decrease social tension, and bring a more equal social weight, though we have irregular results in the cultures described in the literature, but that is not the point today.

Glorantha has, despite the claims of bronze age equivalence, many modern sensitivities. I find it a good thing, as historical bronze age quickly becomes depressing for most of the population. In general, these are due to the widespread magic solving important social problems, rather than adventuring problems. I would like to focus here on sex, from a social point of view, starting with the Dragon Pass Orlanthi as a touchstone, but I would like to see other cultures too. I am a cis heterosexual male, which brings a set of preconceptions and blind spots. I suppose we are still the most populous group here, as we are in roleplaying games in general, though fortunately diversity is increasing. So please correct me, point out the preconceptions or fallacies I may be using, but please consider that this is Glorantha, a fiction, and one where we can improve on what we have in the Real World.

If I wanted to do it mechanistically, I would roll reputation. A simple success means they have heard the name. Then I would use a Lore to see what they know, and the information would depend on the Lore used (Orlanth Lore could show that they is a Wind Lord from the Colymar temple, while Sartar Lore could bring that they were at all the main battles with the Colymar, or with a better result, that they are part of Leika's inner circle or troubleshooting / diplomatic envoys. A Lunar would know they are an enemy, part of the Colymar. I would also tell the highest Passion (unless they have no passion over 70). So Hrjalmar, known for his honor, or his hate of Lunars, or his loyalty for the Colymar. A Special in reputation might bring a particular deed, possibly circulating in song, but it could be good or bad. How they did not lift a finger to help Kallyr, or how they died for the Prince of Sartar, but unlike her, they came back. A critical would have most deeds known, possibly because someone close passed through and gossiped about the character for hours.

I would expect, as indicated above, that they know of Kero Fin and the other mountains, and that the goddeses have soft sisters that rule the other lands, where there is plentiful to eat but aggresive landbound residents, living in harmony or raping the land, depending on the particular lans and the Wind children relationship with them. No reason to deal with the land directly. Either hunt or trade for the goods they need.

My own take on arkati thought in Fronela is simply that Talor surely had access at least to the basics that Arkat shared with his Tanisor veterans when he moved in to Ralios, showcased by Talor's success in the second front against the Bright one. Arkati secrets do not require arkati henotheism or belonging to the Dark empire, and I am sure they were widespread in the forces that destroyed Dorastor. Even if Frontem was pillaged by the GLs for this knowledge, and to purge the non-Abiding compliant modes of thought, Syranthir march and the length of the Janube, make me sure most Talorian (if you prefer that to Arkati) knowledge persisted. Much of this was already known again or rediscovered when Snodal moved along the land in his own quest, and was used by Siglat and his heroquesting cadres, while waiting for the Ban to thaw. I suppose I am not the only one that believes that the Kingdom of War is the shadow of Loskalm, created by the excess of war magic pillaging heroquests by the Loskalmi during the Ban. They were preparing for total war, so total war was waiting for them when the Ban ended. As for Ascended Masters, I am not comfortable with Jeff saying they give spirit and Rune magic, but we will have to wait and see how it is presented. I would prefer if there is a divide between ancestors / theist and Ascended Masters / mystic, as they are supposed to be impossible to contact, Boddhisatvas analogues. You can experience something similar to their life experience through mystical means. With a cynic hat on, maybe all that talk of Joy is just reliving Hrestol's ecstatic meditative techniques, linked to being a bad boy (disobeying your Lord, breaking caste rules, consorting with Vadeli, killing your host...). But possibly it is just that I have problems letting go of twenty years of Saints. Reflecting on it, I would accept some Ascended Masters having divine undertones, just because there is an overlay, possibly a remnant of Jrusteli divine exploitation, so even if Xemela is truly inaccessible, you can use her name and shadow to get Healing magics from the global CA archetype, and it is useful for Rokari and even New Hrestoli, while some in the castle coast and Pamaltela keep the old techniques that allow you to take on yourself the wounds and diseases of others, and hopefully heal them on yourself. Arkati and henotheists just go to the primary source, so they will not be as concerned on what mask it wears. Lastly, for Carmania I would expect that Syranthir is inaccesible, through ascension, entrapment in Castle Blue or because Charmain used his soul to create Carmanos, but I am sure Carmanos was accesible to the rulers and the reason why the name is Carmania and not Syranthiria. After the disappearance of the Castle, I still think there is a link with Carmanos, though mediated through the Lunars admitted into the castle before its disappearance, and it was key in the West marches resistance to Sheng Seleris. Whether it is really a lunarized Carmanos or some Lunar mirror is unclear to me, though we will know when the castle returns during the Hero Wars.

It may not be pure illumination, but I expect that the Loskalmi keep arkati secrets and are expert heroquesters, but only from the sorcerer level up. So yes, something like illumination. I also believe Arkat's secret, later exploited by the God Learners, is that sorcery Rune mastery can replace rune affinity in heroquests, which is why Westerners are always better in creative heroquests, because they can represent Orlanth without having a high Air affinity, just Air Mastery. The Loskalmi real power is not the 10% of Men of All, but that potential 1% creative heroquesters sure in their rightness. However it is very risky when all your soldiers want to fight, and all your sorcerers are supremacists convinced of their divine superiority, and all your leaders know they are better than anybody else in the world. Overconfidence is an understatement. Last time we had this combination was in Jrustela...

The Yelmalions are not Macedonians, and they do not like swords in general. So the side arm will be a cultural weapon that has a high value, and vary from one country to another. So a dagger or a kopis in Lunar Tarsh (and there are Yelmalions there) or shortsword for an Impala Rider and a battle axe or a rapier for an Esrolian. Unless the geas make one unusable. As the 3rd weapon in the heavy infantry occupation I would take Bow (which is after all a cult weapon) or javelin. I allow the Templars to get a 1H Long Spear out of a broken sarissa. Another reason to have two spikes in the sarissa. My yelmalion adventurers learn 2H Spear, but often use Long spear and javelins when on their own.

Elemental engulfs, surprise spirit combat, hidden or long range foes dismissing the character magic, controling their bound spirits and casting harmful or at least useless spells to spend MP (control spells affect also ally spirits), a pit (not recommended against Wind Lords), metal destroying acid, though players will hate you for that, grapple combat, specially ranged (lassoes, nets, Giant Chaos octopus...), Chaos abilities, specially reflect and absorb, as well as clouds, sorcerers once in a while (steal breath from kilometers away, magic circle of a few hundreds of meters with neutralize Death Rune, and neutralize Spirit Magic, Dominate Human 18, and see if they can dismiss it... ) Anything new. There will be a moment of panic and the memories of the first games when everything was a menace.

For most social mores, I would alternately use loyalty or love (Family, clan, even temple) as what you do reflects on them, good or bad. Kill prisoners? Loyalty Clan, as this may well start a blood feud. Offer Hospitality? Love Family or Clan, as it will be all who are affected. It can be complex (a known rapist would require your family love to reject him hospitality in your house, but not if he will be housed in a common hall). Or you can use Hate to do socially negative actions. Fail Hate Lunars to spare the prisoners, or pass Hate to kill them. There are other Passions besides Honor. Fear Lunars could be used to spare Lunars, or killing Lunar prisoners could be used to decrease your Fear for acting against your Passion. The players will be creative with Passions, so you need to be too. A honorable Merchant could have Passions such as Do not lie, or Play Fair, which act as limited versions of Honor, applicable to the kind of temptations they will find in their normal life. Whether we want or not, combat is a big part of most games, and limiting your options is a matter of life and death that inflating the quality of a horse seldom has. But I play that as your renown grows, your passions are better known, and there can be benefits from being considered honorable, or honest, or loyal.

If you have Argan Argar Atlas it is 9 hexes east of Whitewall, Map 29. The troll woods lie between them.

I think you will find the following discussion interesting, to avoid repeating things. In my Glorantha, the Pure Ones Telmori can be found in Ralios, not in Dragon Pass. Sartar reached an accommodation with the Telmori, and they became Royal bodyguards, so the Telmori are under more or less royal protection in Sartar. As his dinasty did not follow up with lifting the curse, or maybe desperate because the bloodline seemed lost and the protection with them, they often collaborated with the Lunars and quarreled with their neighbours, so Argrath will start a genocidal hunt for them and even get a special military unit from their flayed skins. Not good. I would allow a few Telmori in Sartar to be born every year as Pure ones, and even that every year a few more are born as Sartar's influence slowly erodes the curse. Consider also that many Sartarites will not hunt Telmori out of respect for their founder, but the Telmori still need to be restrained each Wildday, and I would assume that is the role of the Pure Ones in Sartar. So either a Ralios immigrant, maybe in a lifequest to find their relatives in Dragon Pass, or a misunderstood good guy that will soon face several harsh decisions, as the tribe decides to support the Moon, and will be hunted when Argrath becomes king. Both look good as adventure seeds, and Kallyr may have tried to recover the Telmori bodyguards to bolster her legitimacy, but with a weak connection to Sartar she may have chosen not cursed Telmori...

I agree that this is not clearly explained, and it becomes important once you can start summoning spirits or controling spirits you find. First of all, except for some special cult spirits that your cult will forbid you from binding, such as the Thunder Brother you mention, most spirits will not have runepoints. They might have had it, but they cannot renew their runepool, and may have even forgotten who was their god. I would make most random spirits lack INT. Animals and plants outnumber people, after all. Most cult spirits probably have INT, as they are former people or Godtime entities, but even then Rune magic will be rare, as well as opportunities to join in worship. Cult spirits spirit magic should reflect the cult, which may mean you are better off negotiating for spirits with your associate cults rather than your own cult. There may well be limitations included, such as freeing or returning the spirit after a specific time, or an exchange of spirits between allied cults. I also expect cults keep also bound enemy spirits, but those will be mainly used as prizes for great actions or support for special missions. Normally you should bind in animals only cult spirits or others you can expect to be mostly on your side, as it is easy for them to escape. It can easily create memorable items with the right spells, such as a Yelmalio shield with Lantern, Cordination, Parry and Heal. A poor Templar ally spirit. At the end of the day, the best options for bound spirits come from having a friendly shaman, if you want something different from your cult. But some guidelines, frequencies or even what to expect from your cult as a function of your status would be helpful.

I would say that there is a lot of grey area between Honorable and Dishonorable. Surprise attacks against a declared enemy are not dishonorable, but they are not honorable either, so you will not gain Honor in that battle. Similarly attacking the baggage. Attacking the supporters may be dishonorable, if you are not engaging the main enemy force at the same time. If they are attacked because you are avoiding battle, I would decrease Honor (which only matters to honorable people). But if you attack them because you have achieved local superiority or outmaneuvered the enemy it is neutral, as they are in a battle. It is all about doing the right thing (gain Honor), or not doing a wrong thing (keep Honor). There should be benefits for a high honor. Better relationship with the former foes. More likely to be ransomed, and possibly a decrease in ransom price, while someone known to be dishonorable may be killed rather than ransomed.

I fully agree on Siglat. It is a bad sign when the literal Kingdom of War seems potentially better. At least more honest. As for the chronology, you need to have the Westerners set up to have Arkat. Who would be Nysalor's shadow?

We are saying the same thing with different words. And I hope we agree that different sects interpret Solace differently, as can be extrapolated from the opinions in the thread. If five Gloranthaphiles hold different opinions on this, what about a few million westerners? I would refer to GtG Ascended Masters and Rokari interpretation of Solace as additional examples of differing views.

It is a matter of semantics, but I would say most people believe in one soul, though it may have several parts, or if they believe in several souls, one is clearly the self. When considering the afterlife in all religions I am aware of, you, the you that matters, only goes to one place (or nowhere), though this place varies widely, and may be several places sequentially. Some Gloranthans do use a quartering of the soul to prevent ressurrection, return from the afterlife, or even your normal progression to the afterlife, but in all cases I know, the soul can be reassembled and in most cases brought back, maybe not alive as a mortal, but as a hero or patron spirit that preserves the original self.

In the same way the benefits of Waha are mainly social rather than magical, and let's not forget Prax is a magic poor zone in Glorantha, I would say the benefits of Yelmalio are social and also communal magic. Social in that you have a male sky cult that, despite its shortcomings, is willing to dirty his hands, plow the earth, love their children, face the obstacles and stay with his community. A democratic, if misogynist, god, that covers rulers, soldiers, farmers, mystics, stickpickers and a few courageous women. Communal magic has not yet appeared in RQ, though it is hinted at in the fiction. I am sure that using wyters as a kind of framework it goes far beyond the individual magic that we use in RQG. Not really significant in most cases except as flavour for the setting, but the kind of thing that allows a group of committed men (and women, though few with Yelmalio) to stand and sometimes beat a horror like the bat, or Oakfed, or the hydra, or the Black Horse Troop. The reason why the Lunars are keen to keep alive Dara Happan names millennia old, or even recreate centuries old Carmanian foes. Because there is magic in the name, and there is magic in a group of people bound strongly together. And the magic accumulates through the years and the battles and the deaths.