Ladygolem

I'd wager every oasis has at least some kind of locally powerful water spirit to keep it going, sustained by a small but very dedicated local cult.

Why not just go with an Odayla initiate? Same cool bear-shifting powers (which I assume is the point), no headaches trying to figure out how to fit them into the setting.

Divine Intervention is supposed to be a big deal for anyone, not just Humakt cultists. I'd expect no less from eg. an Orlanthi ("Grant me but one more breath to scatter the hated foe!"). You're sacrificing a hefty chunk of permanent POW and have a good chance of dying right then and there - that seems like a reasonable price to steal the spotlight for a scene. What's more memorable - the hero overcoming their foe in one last grand burst of power with their dying breath, saving the village... or "The trollkin brains you with a well aimed pebble. You're dead. Start rolling up a new character sheet"

Who said anything about superpowers?

Sure, that's a fair assessment. Player shamans aren't gonna have decades of in-game time to hone their abilities, but it's the long term where self-resurrection really shines. It makes sure you have plenty of time to build up your power base (though the centuries-long lifespans the greatest shamans seem to have must come from somewhere else, possibly a different more advanced shamanic ability or powerful spirit pact)

That tracks with how there's a copious handful of super-powerful shamans out there. Blueface in Balazar, Lajla Vanemuine in Fronela, Always Awake Twice in Pent all have some seriously crazy magic going on and are probably super old. Being able to self-resurrect for centuries lets you accumulate a shit ton of POW and bind a veritable army of spirits at your command.

Runequest: Roleplaying in Glorantha page 272: To me this implies that in actual play terms, you can call for divine intervention after damage is dealt. "That's 26 damage to the head, you're dead. Do you want to try to D. I. before that happens?"

https://wellofdaliath.chaosium.com/home/gloranthan-documents/timeline-dragonpass/ Doesn't go quite as far as you'd like but here's your best bet, probably

Agreed. There seems to be a circular logic in this thread: shamans are "uncivilised" because only the "uncivilised" are shamans, therefore shamans must be "uncivilised" etc. Once we let go of that presupposition, there's nothing really barring shamans from cities other than the mental image of a shaman as a raggedy old man wearing a deer skull etc. which isn't inherent to the occupation.

I don't see 'race' really existing in Glorantha, at least not in the way it does in our world. Clan, tribe and cult matter way more than arbitrarily significant variations in skin pigmentation. The Lunar Empire doesn't care what you look like as long as you acknowledge the Red Emperor's rule. Sartarite clans are more concerned with clan allegiance; blood descent from individual heroes or royalty matters for chiefs and princes but irrelevant for the average cottar. In the RQ:G character creation rules, it's noted that the homeland of your parents or grandparents doesn't have to match yours. The grandchild of a Praxian who settles in Boldhome and adopts Sartarite ways is a Sartarite, no caveats. There's a reason the language used is "Homeland", not "Ethnicity" or "Race". In addition, in the adventure materials published so far we see a variety of complexions etc. among the various NPCs, without any particular remark or narrative significance. In short: people of all appearances live in Glorantha and it doesn't really matter to anyone (outside of Fonrit, but that's a whole other thing) (and Teleos but that's basically a joke)

Tuataras are obviously strong in the Moon rune, what with the "third eye" and all that. Moon + Earth = Hon-eel, perhaps? Deezola? Either could claim them as holy. Maybe all tuataras are Illuminated - though being but lowly little creatures they don't do as much with this as one might imagine.

Same difference, tbh, no point in chicken (or dinosaur) before the egg semantics, I think we're broadly in agreement here 🙂

Perhaps a deeply heretical explanation for the Ernaldan Earth model prevailing over the Genertian? (and yes I know they're different types of giants, I know. but what if they weren't?)

Oh hell yes, I'm definitely using this in my game, somehow! Thanks!

There are two seemingly irreconcilable origin stories for dinosaurs. One says that they are the children of Maran Gor, most of whom were wiped out by various foes in the Green Age turning her into the vengeful barren goddess she is today. The other claims dinosaurs are dragonewts (or their descendants) who have failed in their quest for Rightness by becoming overly emotional and entangled in the material world, thus devolving into beasthood. Are these stories compatible? Yes, I say, both can be true! The dinosaurs we see today may not be the same as the quakebeasts of the Maran story. Those indeed were driven to extinction long ago. Maran Gor, in her role as "infertile mother", adopts those "failed" dragonewts into her family (for they remind her of her children, gone so long ago) and offers an alternate perspective - instead of failing to follow Draconic Law , they've transcended the need for it by embracing Disorder! Now what dragonewt do we know who "glories in their rebellion" and lives quite nearby a region famed for its high dinosaur population (Trachodon Marsh)? New Wyrmish! While I doubt it's an initiate to Maran I do think there's some kind of connection here, and that dinosaurdom (dinohood?) may not be seen as undesirable to it and its' followers... In conclusion: