Squaredeal Sten

I believe the Starter Set gives the size of Jonstown both in population ( more in winter) and in area. Yes, book 2 p.27; pop 2500 permanent plus 500 in winter. Area about 25 hectares within the walls, 9 of which is in Upper City. So about 100 people per hectare = 100 square meters of ground per person, or 10000 per square kilometer = 25900 per square mile. Including housing, temples / public buildings, and roads. Just to give us a feeling for it, compare this with modern RW cities: New York NY. 27748 per square mile; San Francisco CA 18790; Chicago IL 11846; New Orleans LA 12302 ; JerseyCity NJ 17775 per square mile; Oxnard CA. 7574 per square mile; Cambridge MA 19602 per square mile. Source The Buffalo News web site which references the American Community Survey and US Census Bureau. However the US is not particularly dense. And we use a lot of our area for roads. and almost as much for parking including driveways, garages, shopping center parking lots. To understand our lack of density you have to ask what the population is in cars, not in people.😃 Let's look at cities in the rest of the world: Mumbai, India 76,790 per sq mile; Bogota Colombia 35 000 per Sq mile; Manila, Phillippines 27 307 per Sq mile; St. Petersburg RU 22069 per Sq mile; Monterrey Mexico 17303 per square mile; London UK 13210 per square mile; Athens Greece 13963 per square mile Source, USAToday web site. More Jonstown description: Buildings mostly 1 or 2 stories. Houses 15 meters on a side are common and 1/3 of the ground floor may be a shop. Typically 3 ground floor rooms, upper floor indeterminate. The poorest may sleep 8 to a room. I visualize it as a house 15m x 15m, next to a street 3m wide. A total of 270 square meters. At 100 square meters per person that means 2.7 people live there! If half the city's area is taken up with temples, the library etc. (where IMG some people do live) as well as the rocky slopes under the merchants' quarter, they let's say about 5 people live in that house. On average, not describing the spacious quarters of the rich and the crowded quarters of the poor.

REEEALY different. As written, Barnhar is not part of the solar pantheon. So no reason to have a Barntar shrine with Elmal/Yelmalio. But under the late part of Lunar occupation the Orlanth temples in Sartar towns were closed so most Sartarite men would profess to follow Barntar. Presumably either the Orlanth altar was covered with a tarp or the Barntar shrine was moved to a new building. (How would everyone describe that in your campsigns?) Now if you are in a place that doesn't follow Monrogh's revelation and Elmal is Orlanth's Thane- then you effectively have two subcults and no major cult on the men's side. Why is that? What backstory will you invent and what are its implications?

I gather that "single matron woman", the sixth FHQ, leaned lunar, while her successor "With Bitter Heart" leaned anti lunar. All that King of Sartar says is that Single Matron Woman loved war and was killed in battle in Esrolia (p.228). I believe the Grazars helped the Lunars invade Esrolia in the war that ended after the siege of Nochet and battle of Pennell Ford (p.150). The battle the Grazers lost was in 1623, before the siege of Nochet. Aha! an entry in Well of Daliath supports that: " Mirina (born 1586, Feathered Horse Queen 1610 to 1623, died 1623). The daughter of Sorana and an unknown father, she became Feathered Horse Queen in 1610, after the death of her sister. She took the title “Single Matron Woman,” and she never took a lover during her entire reign. She loved war and aided the Lunar Empire in crushing Starbrow’s Rebellion, invading Prax, and the conquest of the Holy Country. She was killed fighting in Esrolia in 1623, while her sister Vistera led a rebellion against her.Note: Some stories say that she was cursed by the Earth priestesses of Esrolia and later killed by her own bodyguard. " https://wellofdaliath.chaosium.com/home/catalogue/websites/old-glorantha-com-news/feathered-horse-queen-dynasty/ if you read the whole Well of Daliath entry I think you will have what you want.

No, your understanding of the word is all right. I don't think she is a bad goddess, but I deduce that she is feared - as death is feared, and Ty Kora Kek is going to be in charge of your soul sooner or later, so it's best to be on her good side. I don't think she gives benefits to the living (at least I know of none) (and we all await the gods book set), so it's all avoidance of the down side of death. And as you propitiate the goddess, propitiate her priestesses too because " Her priests prepare the dead for burial, and frequently inhabit crypts. They occasionally wield the sacrificial knives when earth-rituals require it, especially when humans are the offering. " https://wellofdaliath.chaosium.com/home/gloranthan-documents/prosopaedia/deities/t/ty-kora-tek/

My Jonstown is not described so well. But neither is it so crowded and busy. I don't think there is a Canon description of those aspects , just descriptions of the city's size, major buildings, architecture in general, and leading personalities. My own impression of small cities in the 2000-5000 population range is less busy and crowded, even though my experience includes at least one that has changed little since the Middle Ages. Perhaps I am biased by seeing so many modern American and European places in that range. Even though I know that our streets are wider and our density lower than most ancient cities. Of course my games' first descriptions of Jonstown were under Luar occupation, the one I remember best being in winter, so I was also inclined to describe it as dreary and cold. The PCs being mostly fugitives it was desirable for them to minimize contacts. And the skyclad Orlanthi would not have been there. It does not bother me that your imagination is different from mine. You do cool descriptions. More power to you.

Buy King of Sartar. No it isn't a book of playable scenarios, but it does tell what's going on with Argrath. And while you're at it go to Jonstown Compendium and buy Black Spear. It looks as though that will fit into your current period.

You need two bags. Or a rolling case. If you need to carry ALL your notes etc.

IMHO they are for use.

https://www.redbubble.com/shop/?query=glorantha tote bag&ref=search_box Get the large size. leave the actual slipcase at home.

I would think that once a temple was abandoned, its wyter would retreat to the spirit world. BUT you can say it lingers for MGF. But i can imagine cult spirits bound to things. if you find MGF in having those spirits still there, I'd say they go with the thing. Easy to do if it's a holy sacrificial dish, a little harder if it's an image (idol) - you need a a jack, a large wagon, have dollies been invented in Glorantha? - , very hard if it is a mural - very hard if it bound to the keystone of the arch holding up the roof. I wouldn't think entry is restricted to rune levels. Especially not after the temple is abandoned. I thought initiates were authorized to participate in ceremonies. If the temple is abandoned but retains some of the god's presence, said god should be very pleased to have his or her initiate show up. But I would say that to relocate the temple in a new place, your players need to either recover the old wyter or get a new one. That looks to me like heroquest material, plus having a congregation of 150+ cult members (see RQG p.284). Anyway my gut feeling is that that relocation is very similar to just making a new temple. i don't think Command Cult Spirit would work. The rune spell expires in 15 minutes. Yes you could cast extension - but also, nothing ever said that you can un-bind a spirit using that spell, move it and re-bind it. Spirit binding is a separate enchantment. More important, Binding Enchantment (RBOM p.17) requires a sacrifice of POW, that's permanant - I wouldn't think it could be undone by a more temporary spell. If your players get into a fight with someone who has a bound spirit, can your players un-bind it with Command Cult Spirit? I would think that if that can be done then it breaks the game, because it makes it too easy to knock off a rune level who should be hard to beat. So, a bad precedent to set.

At what time of year do the dead travel from the Necropolis to Ezel and Nochet? GTG p.257 says they do, but does not give a date. I would think it would occur on some holy day - and background discussion suggests it is NOT a Daka Fal parade, but instead is an event related to the Earth goddesses. Or to Halloween... which as i recall is near the fall equinox in the RW. On Glorantha..?? I have little lore in Gloranthan astronomy. Maybe Ty kora kek's high holy day: Wildday, Death week, Dark season? ' On that day, the dead visit the living and must be fed and offered gifts. " This entry in the Well of Daliath seems to say that. https://wellofdaliath.chaosium.com/ty-kora-tek/

The human Kitori are descendants of Varzor Kitor and whatever other humans went with him into the Only Old One's service. Guide to Glorantha p.235: " The Only Old One offered more than just his protection and friendship; he also offered to teach people the secrets of the Darkness. Few took up his offer until Varzor Kitor accepted and learned the deepest secrets of the Darkness at the feet of the Only Old One. He then taught others and these initiates of the Darkness formed a separate people called the Kitori. The Only Old One favored the Kitori and allowed them to reside with him in the Palace of Black Glass. They served as his envoys to the peoples of Kethaela and Dragon Pass, and he gave them the privilege of collecting the Shadow Tribute. " This would have been back in the Darkness or the Silver Age, the time of the Unity Council. However note that the Only Old One lasted until Belintar killed him approx 1318ST. Belintar first put down the Kitori, who along with the Hendriki fought for the Only Old One - then later found them useful - again as tax gatherers! However this only lasted for about a hundred years. Evidently Belintar did not value the Kitori enough to protect them against prince Tarkalor of Sartar, who used his Yelmalio allies to destroy them (slavery, genocide) as he conquered an outlet to the sea for Sartar. The current day Kitori are only a remnant. " In 1460, Belintar enabled the Kitori tribe of the Troll Woods to impose an ancient tribute upon the kings of Whitewall that broke the power of the Volsaxi until the Sartarite prince Tarkalor Trollkiller defeated the Kitori in 1560 and reestablished the Volsaxing kingdom." (p.241, Guide to Glorantha).

Heavy metal poisoning doesn't appear in game. In the ancient THRU early modern real world, lead was and is widely used and useful . Anyway it is definitely a trade item as well as currency (bolgs). Lead is easily worked at much lower temperatures than iron, and very useful. Still has plenty of uses. Still used in RW roofing, stained glass windows, x ray rooms, car batteries. Bullets, fishing sinkers, elevator counterweight. Your computer.

Yes. p.381 of Guide to Glorantha, listed as one of the underground organizations of Safelster. if it's in there it's canon. Don't know how it plays out as I have not played in Ralios. However Argan Argar is the god whose cult are intermediaries between Uz and other races, not just the cult of Uz traders. So it should not be strange at all for AA to have trade relations with non-trolls. The human and Uz economies are actually linked. In the Glorantha i lobby for, the Uz areas don't need to be close to each other to have trade. A lot of what AA merchants carry should be unique Uz products that humans want. For detail on this, see https://basicroleplaying.org/topic/15314-argan-argar-or-troll-trade-goods/ Take the Uz away and some of the luxuries of life will disappear.

Depends on what you mean by CHA limit: current CHa or 21? You can train CHA. Look in the training rules. You can also research it, though guidance from someone who knows how is better than trying to imitate them without guidance. Takes a couple of seasons. How to envision that? You know, wear new clean clothes indstead of your bloodstained torn adventuring outfit; buy a Rolex- I mean a gold bracelet. Learn manners, don't belch and fart in polite company. Read How to Make Friends and Influence People. Anyway I do have characters in one of my campaigns who worked on improving CHA for Gloranthan years. Besides that , they can buy or even make spell matrices.

That's not a problem for me. I'll go with what's current. I was not in the conversation 20 years ago. Guide to Glorantha is 10 years old.

How is that a problem?

As far as I know the Kitori tribe includes both human clans and Uz clans. They seem to have developed a common culture or at least overlapping cultures, under the Only Old One. But I don't see evidence that the Uz half of the clans abandoned Kyger Litor, nor that they are all Argan Argar members. The human clans would adhere to Argan Argar, the parent of the Only Old One and the most approachable of the Uz pantheon (from a human viewpoint). But I don't expect every human there to be an AA initiate. I expect some to join Gorakiki, some Zorak Zoran - and some to follow the gods usually worshipped by humans, though considering the history a worshipper of Yelmalio would be cast out. I expect some follow the Lowfires and provide redsmithing services to the Uz, as well as bakers and maybe distillers.

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I have never thought of the Uz Argan Argar initiates as having abandoned Kyger Litor. They would remain lay members. Just as everyone human in Sartar worships Ernalda at sowing and harvest festivals, even though they may be Orlanth or Issaries initiates, so the AA trader will still worship KL when all the other Uz do. And so the Gorakiki insect herder will also give his 1MP to KL.

That would also begin to account for the difference between using square cross section metal points at close range to pierce armor, versus using the cheaper and flatter Flint or bone points in mass high angle shooting at long range against large bodies of lightly armored troops. So if I were to house rule it I think I would do a combination of higher quality higher STR requirement bow with a damage bonus, with a reduction in damage for longer ranges. This gives you the option to have Odysseus' bow in the game, which only he is strong enough to string. And it's extra deadly when he is killing the suitors in his hall, which is close range. But you are not giving every peasant militiaman the same extraordinary weapon and allowing them mass fire piercing armor with hundreds of them at 200 meters.

If you want to go all physicist about it, the Damage Bonus should depend on both (strength and bow material) and range. (And longer heavier arrows will have better ballistics as well as more mass.) It's my understanding that an arrow is a high drag projectile, and the visibly parabolic trajectory also supports the deduction that your arrow slows down. So if, for instance, you get a 6 point damage bonus at short range maybe it should be 3 at medium range and 1 at long range.

That would be difficult to do authentically, since I envision Gloranthan home cooking as being done on a raised hearth at best, a floor fire at worst, mostly with bronze and pottery pots or by roasting meat. I could do it, i have the skills to cook on a wood fire after decades of ACW reenacting - I've even made pies on a camp fire - but I'd have to build a hearth. My wife would never let me use the fireplace - even though the gas to it is turned off, she doesn't want the smell of wood smoke in the house. And I have no pottery cooking pots. I'd have to hunt up a potter and a bronze smith. My ACW era repro tinware won't do, and my iron Dutch oven would be worth a king's ransom in Glorantha. I do have wooden spoons - it strikes me that a strong bronze cooking fork would be a highly desirable implement for roasting and general barbecueing, and I don't think it's listed in the Weapons and Equipment Guide. Price it to add some authenticity to your campaign! Meanwhile I know where to get wooden tongs, good for a lot of uses but not for big cuts of meat. But for a raised hearth - there are 1800s buildings in Fredericksburg TX that have some - easy to model from. Now Gloranthan campfire cooking would just need a campfire and a small pot or two, and i do have views on what your characters would eat on the road or on campaign. This is getting to be material for a separate thread....

Let's not make the mistake of depicting Uz as uncultured, just out of human centeredness. In the RW Bronze Age poetry seems not to have been a separate concept from song. Few humans appreciate Uz music because the Uz hear a different and wider range of frequencies. But it is clear from published material that the Uz do make music and sing. Uz music emphasizes percussion and drumming more than humans usually do, and Uz speak in lower tones because uz other than trollkin are larger than humans. But there is no reason to think the content is inferior. As for philosophy, most Gloranthan humans have little time for it. So why look down on the Uz in that regard? When was the last time you looked for an Uz philosopher? So it's no surprise that you have not met one. They are to be found among the uzuz, and occasionally the other Uz varieties. The Uz clearly have literacy since we know there is written Darktongue. Since they don't use ink but instead use graven symbols it probably takes more effort than writing on papyrus or vellum, but I have not heard whether clay tablets are used. Since most human Gloranthans are not literate there is little reason to believe in a racial difference in this regard. I am not clear on the relative proportions of the Lhankhor Mhy vs. the Argan Argar cults. But I know AA priests are highly literate.

However don't limit this to marriage. Sex can happen in any season - and it seems to me that since gestation is slightly less than a Gloranthan year [ I don't recall where i can reference that] , the childbirth roll for an Earth season liaison ought not to wait until the second Sacred Time. I favor rolling it in the first Sacred time, and if appropriate announcing to a male player "she's knocked up!" Childbirth can happen next Earth Season, or perhaps Fire Season depending on the week. A female player involved will find out earlier of course. Naturally if they don't cohabit for long I will reduce the odds of pregnancy. This seems to me to be a better simulation.