John Biles

The Kingdom of Vanch Like many areas in the Southern Empire, it has been the destiny of Vanch to be a punching bag, controlled at times by the Bright Empire, the EWF, the Dara Happans, Imther, Elves of uncertain origin, a mercenary band of Ducks, more Dara Happans, Jalaring Dog People, and the mysterious Blue King who exploded for no clear reason the year the Blue Moon goddess was reborn. The explosion of the Blue King transformed the nobles of Vanch into the Blue Deer Princes, who followed a twisted version of the Changing Way; this eventually led them to confront the Conquering Daughter, who turned them into a fine set of hides. The Changing Way spread quickly... but not loyalty to the empire. The Bison Kings then challenged the Conquering Daughter, who fired them out of a catapult, one by one, during a siege. One of her Elemental Knights then became Queen of Vanch; the country has practiced eldest child succession of any gender ever since. Vanch was heavily damaged by Sheng Seleris, but its strong trading position ensured they soon recovered. Vanch is a mixture of Orlanthi, Pelorians, Dara Happans, and Hsunchen of various kinds. A small branch of the Jalaring Dog People dwell here, a remnant of their time of ruling Vanch. They have flourished since the Blue Goddess came. Queen Millenia of Vanch (Water, Disorder, Truth) is unusual among rulers for having the Disorder Rune - this is because she sees herself as a bringer of change, someone who will bring Vanch into a new age. It's not exactly clear what this New Age is going to be, but it's quite clear she will inaugurate it.... somehow... and change Vanch forever... somehow. That is to say, she is a Messiah in search of a cause. But her Truth rune revealed this to her, so it has to be right. Bikhy, City of the Phoenix: During the Bright Empire, Dara Happans founded this city with the hope it would become an 11th city of the Empire. Instead, Arkat sacked the city, slaughtered everyone and burned it. The next dawn, the city was restored intact. Arkat burned it five times, then gave up and moved on. The EWF burned it. The Dara Happans burned it again. One of its city leaders snapped and burned it in an attempt to eat everyone's souls and become a Dragon. The Dara Happans burned it again. The EWF burned it again. The Golden Horde burned it, just to be sure. The Conquering Daughter burned it to see if it would come back. One of Sheng Seleris' generals killed himself in frustration after ten destructions in a row failed. The city just explodes and reforms the next dawn. You can conquer it but not kill it. It now serves as the capital, home to a huge temple to Phoenix, the goddess of the city, and others to Yemalio, The Blue Moon Goddess, the Seven Sailors, Argan Argar, the Conquering Daughter, and 'Frozz', a diety of uncertain gender, species, and purpose, but whose temple has been here as long as anyone remembers and no one is sure why. (Frozz is definitely an Air diety and probably also holds the Illusion rune, maybe. Frozz is known to desire ornate pants, various kinds of incense, and pork as sacrifices.) Everyone perceives Frozz as a being like themselves. Hill of Gold: This is the holiest site of Yelmalio, where he got his ass beaten down and was stripped of his strongest powers, but proved to be too tough to die. Different Yelmalio sects identify different attackers, including Orlanth, Zorak Zoran, Sheng Seleris, Zzabur, merpeople, Elmal, Ernalda, seven different ice goddesses, Anterius, Yu-Kargazant, Waha, Bisos, Navaria (who tried to sacrifice him as a Corn King and bungled it), and Odalya (who mistook him for a deer somehow). One myth cycle claims he somehow attacked himself. This brings a steady tide of pilgrims to the base of the Hill to pray and carry out Heroquests. This is also believed by Orlanthi to be where Elmal met Orlanth. That also brings pilgrims. A group of Zistorites, the Legion of Gold, briefly seized the Hill during the Second Age, but were basically mobbed by Sun Domers. New Lolon: Old Lolon guarded its inhabitants through the Great Darkness. It was guarded by Yelmalio and his wife Aldrya the Green Woman, during the Great Darkness. But when Yelm returned, he was summoned home and then the city was sacked by Arkat and had to be rebuilt as New Lolon. The city remains dominated by Yelmalio cultists and provides a powerful phalanx to the royal military. Noastor: The Dwarves of the Jord Mountains trade with the humans of Vanch here; it is said their great food machines were destroyed during the Elder Race wars of the Second Age and now they trade metal and rock and various creations for food and drink. Noastor flourishes from this trade and the market is open to all comers but the Queen gets the first pick of all trade goods. Adventure Seeds: Duckfest: When the Ducks briefly ruled Vanch, they instituted a yearly festival at the end of Sea Season, which was pretty much a big 'get drunk and party' festival. Now everyone dresses up as Ducks for two days and gets drunk and wild. The most important thing is boating contests, which people bet a lot of money on. Hill of Gold: How can you come to Vanch and not do one of the 3 billion heroquests linked to the Hill of Gold? The Legion Returns: Some moron managed to resurrect the Legion of Gold during a heroquest at the Hill of Gold. Now Zistorites have taken control and are trying to resurrect Zistor. Time to put an end to this. (Twist: Postikar cultists are now in command of the Legion and plan to use it to reconquer Sylila.) The New Lolon Gospel: A prophet in New Lolon has proclaimed that Frozz and Yelmalio are the same god. The Yelmalions put him to the test, which is to say, they tied him to a pole and burned him alive. The next day, he came back to life. Every time they kill him, he returns. They will pay a tidy sum to anyone who can get him to GO AWAY. Marriage Alliance: Elements of the Queen's court want to see her marry the King of Imther; they believe she could bear an heir to the line and the kingdom would grow and control *two* areas of Dwarf Trade. The problem is that the Queen is not interested in marrying a man who is close to three times her age. Surely such great heroes can make her see reason without getting executed for impertinence. Return of the Elves: The Elves of unknown origin have shown up again, this time at New Lolon; they wish to perform a year long rite to the Green Lady, Aldrya. However, their rites are offensive to the Yelmalions and trouble is building; please settle this conflict and find out where they keep coming from! Spice Trade: A local merchant, Marchar, believes the Dwarves of Noastor would pay well for spices to improve their food if he can only find the RIGHT one. He will pay well if you travel around the Empire collecting spices for him.

Heh.

The thing that complicates this is that different communities may have fairly different takes on the same God; there's a kind of continuum from 'The Blue Sails think Elmal loves cheese but the Green Tigers think he hates it' to 'Orlanth is the King of the Gods and everything a man should be (SartarI vs 'Orlanth is basically worthless because he's male but Ernalda needs a body shield' (Esrolia) to 'This light in the sky is Elmal. No, he's Yelmalio.' to what is probably the same God but they're pretty different, like Torang and Shargash. In one community, Humakt stabbed Orlanth to death in a drunken brawl and that's true for them, but in another, he's not dead. Gods exist whether worshipped or not, but Gods can't act in the world except through their worshippers or through whatever phenomenon they're tied to (but that phenomenon tie is more like the way the earth exerts gravity in the real world.) Because the same god has different masks/faces/aspects, you may think you created a god when instead, you just accidentally latched onto one.

She does? I thought after their showdown, she stayed dead and he just kind of wanders off the board to Pamaltela.

Imther is probably one of the least changed areas, yeah. The first version of Imther blew up on me, leading me to do a bunch of myths before coming back to it.

As seen in another thread, the players in his game quested and now their trickster has a one-shot use of the Infinity Rune with which to try and take Harrek down.

That's up to you, since it's your campaign.

The Kingdom of Imther Long ago, the Dwarves of the Imther Mountains were forced to flee to their current home, where the humans of Imther helped them during the Great Darkness. In gratitude, they built Hilltown and its market, where they come to trade with all comers, so long as a descenant of those who aided them sits on the throne there. This soon led to one such bloodline becoming Kings of Imther, a title they have held through endless disasters, wars, and even Sheng Seleris invading. (The Dwarves sallied out and caught Sheng's forces by surprise, saving Hilltown. They then carried off Sheng's army to be 'recycled'. Nothing, however, lasts forever. The line of Imther seems cursed and only the aging King remains. He had eight children and all have died. He is known to be seeking someone he can adopt; otherwise, unless one of the other bloodlines survived (and it is thought the endless wars and chaos have ended the other lines), Imther will lose its trade with the Dwarves and probably be swallowed up by the other kingdoms. Two of the King's sons died in the war with Holay that led to the loss of Soldier's Ford. The Laramites are Orlanthi; they have largely accepted the Blue Goddess as the wife of Orlanth and about half the population are Hsunchen and the other half are traditional Orlanthi. The Wilktar clans, who live more by herding and hunting and foraging are more likely to embrace the Changing Way, while the Laremites are more agriculturalist and traditional Orlanthi. Unlike in Dragon Pass, the clans herd goats and make cheese from their milk and cow milk, chees of exceptional quality. However, they have been forged together by outside pressure into greater unity than most contemporary Orlanthi nations. King Dortaros Dwarf-Friend (Air, Motion, Harmony): Unusually for an Orlanthi King, he is initiated to both Orlanth and Issaries. This is traditional in Imther, so that you can both rule and preside over the Dwarf Market. He is rich in goods, but full of sorrow for the death of his children and full of wrath at Holay. But he cannot risk a war without a set of heirs, for he knows his next war will likely slay him. He appeals to all oracles for aid and would give much to someone who could find a survivor of one of the other bloodlines for him. Hilltown: Linked to Jillaro by one of the Roads of the Conquering Daughter, this city is under the protection of the Dwarves of the Jord Mountains, who come here to trade. They also have sometimes provided food in emergency situations - the Dwarves buy a large amount of timber each year and the locals assume the Dwarves turn it into their food, because the food they provide is a pudding which tastes strongly like pine. They also supply the Kingdom with bronze, aluminum, and copper, both raw and in the forms of weapons and tools. In lesser amounts, gemstones and other earth substances. Once a decade, they sell large amounts of 'Plant Powder', which comes in green pots. It also smells of pine, but it acts as an incredible fertilizer. In return, they want various kinds of rock, timber, wool, and odd scrapings from dead cattle and pigs. The city is built in a unique style, created by Dwarves for humans long ago. Hortugarth: This ancient hillfort kept the Laramites alive during the Great Darkness; there is an ancient shrine to Asriela below it and the hill is sacred to Barntar and Mahome. There are additional tunnels where many sheep, pigs, and cattle can be hidden in times of war if need be. It is now way too close to the border and is in a constant state of near-panic for fear of another war erupting. Sun Dome: A fairly small Yelmalio community dwells here, unable to grow because the forests around it are held by the Wilktar, who see Yelmalio as Mahome's little brother. Conversely, though, Imther essentially protects them from their enemies, the Dwarves supply them with gold in the market, and their small phalanx helped save what's left of Imther in 1612. Adventure Seeds: Bottle Caps for Bronze: The Mostali have posted a large reward for 'First Age Bottlecaps'. If you can get some, a huge pile of goods waits for you. Perhaps you can find something in Old Jillaro. Cheese Queen of Hilltown: Every year, the Wilkite Clans bring their finest cheeses to Hilltown and have a giant contest. Cheese is made by women and the top cheesemaker becomes Cheese Queen of Hilltown. This grants a certain amount of magical power, mainly useful for cheese making and traditional women's tasks, but also a lot of prestige and usually she is put on the Ring of her home clan. The contest can get rather cutthroat. The Crack: The mountains have shifted, a crack has opened, and Chaos creatures are coming out and harrassing everyone. Please investigate. Twist: Dwarves did what Dwarves do in every world. The Cursed Cheese: Perhaps making cheese which included strange white goo that oozed out of the ground was a bad idea. Now an entire clan is somehow under its control. This has to be stopped. Sun Dumber: Visitors from another Sun Dome are causing trouble between the Orlanthi and the Sun Dome; please put an end to these troubles. Testing the Heir: The king has found a potential heir; you need to take him to the Temple of Jakaleel in Jillaro, so he can be tested to see if his bloodline is right. Certainly nothing can go wrong.

If they kill Harrek in front of his men in a blatant 'we just slaughtered Harrek' kind of way, the Wolf Pirates probably take off and flee back to Ygg's islands because you are a terrifying person. If Harrek dies ambiguously, they look for him to see if he's really dead and try to kill the PCs. But here's the next thing - If they just whacked Harrek before he kills Jar-Eel, she sticks around, complicating life for Argath and other rebels against the Empire. If he becomes an actual bear-god, I suggest having his followers start worshipping him and stick around. But probably wisely fear the PCs. Also, is this before or after he broke with Argath? The Esrolians will be glad that Harrek is gone, but they don't want a bunch of men hanging around who are that tough. Some grandmother is going to start looking for some way to get them to leave / turn them into sacrifices / send them to destroy her ehemies. (Some Trolls might be impressed and try to get the PCs to heroquest to bring back the Only Old One. Conversely, they may remember how Eurmal killed the Only Old One's son and want to kill the PCs..)

A Myth of the Seven Sailors - She Who Eats During the Ages of the Broken Goddess, the Trolls of the Blue Moon Plateau continued to worship her as Annila. Her cooling waters were dark and comforting and waterways were full of life to be eaten. Many Trolls could not survive there, though - without the blessing of the Goddess, they drowned. She Who Eats did not drown - she was a Troll of the Ancient Times, and she sailed on the Sea of Souls many times, seeking to understand how to undo the Curse of Kin. She finally came to understand - Trolls could not fix this alone, anymore than than you can survive by eating your own flesh. She would need help. Thus the Goddess guided her to join the others on their quest to stop the Carmanians, and who better to stop the lords of fire than the lady of water? Her name is a secret - she traded her name for a title when she became a full priestess and entered deeply into the service of her Goddess. This is why she alone was the one who could defeat the Eater of Names. And why she alone could not enter the Citadel of Glory. But the full story of the Sojourn is a story for another time. At the Battle of All Directions, it was the wisdom of Yanafal Tarnils that led to digging the tunnels by which the loperbeasts, trolls, and others could move to surround the Bull Shah's army. But it was She Who Eats and her followers who had to dig the tunnels. She wove a net which enhanced the power of those who lurked below and when the time came, she charged out of the tunnels and led her troll army to devour the enemy. Anabraxus the Cautious was the smartest of the Carmanians. He had expected a trap. So he had hidden his men, and to his credit, he caught She Who Eats by surprise and the first rush of his cavalry forced her troops back. Wherever she went, the power of the Goddess snuffed out Carmanian fire, but she could not be everywhere at once. And so she called upon the dark phase of the Blue Moon, then she confronted Anabraxus... and ran. He gave chase, injuring her thrice, and then... She could walk on her illusions but he could not and he tumbled down the hole from which the trolls had emerged; his horse broke its legs and died and in the darkness, he was all alone. Before fire, there was water. But before water, there was darkness. She slew him in the dark, then took his head and affixed it upon a pole and used it as a club to smite his troops and show them his fate. They broke and fled and the day was saved. The wicked will go into her maw whey they die; she is the hell that waits for the enemies of the Blue Moon. She is the devouring vengeance of our Goddess. But she is a cunning revenge. She is She Who Eats. Now give me those chickens, I'm hungry.

This sounds like amazing fun. I have an ongoing series of Glorantha fiction and this myth would be perfect for the Trickster character eventually. Also, how did the Praxian become a sorceror? Or was he just accused of it?

A Myth of the Seven Sailors - Teelo Nori Teelo is the most mysterious and least mysterious of the Seven Sailors at once; she was an orphan, a child on the verge of adulthood, and her early life is well chronicled in the Chronicles of Teelo Nori, though most scholars assume that book is 99% made up. Most of it is suspiciously similar to a variety of stories told of other holy children across Peloria. During the period the Blue Moon spent among us, she rode Teelo as her horse, in the same way that the Moonson rides his steeds today. When she ascended, she and Teelo Nori were parted from each other, and sometimes Teelo walked among us once more when she was most needed. Sheng Seleris never touched the Merinta on the Blue Moon, the Merinta on Glorantha is antoher matter. The city was packed with refugees wehn his army came upon it and so Teelo came down to defend the city as best she could, though she was eternally a child now, no warrior or great magician. She opened the ways between Merinta Above and Below and her people began to escort all the refugees to the Blue Moon itself, where they would be safe. She stood on the walls and she debated with Sheng for Seven Days and Seven Nights, weaving a web of words and trying to touch his heart. Sheng had no heart, but he was better at killing than thinking, and so he struggled to break free of her pleas. She, the vessel of the Goddess, had a will of iron, and his will was made of frozen dung. Words, however, can only restrain action for so long and Sheng was an arrow in flight; once loosed, it could not turn aside. More time, though, was needed, so Teelo did what she had never done before, taking up spear and shield and throwing herself off the walls at Sheng. He won, of course; his soul was all the garbage of Raibanth compressed into a sodden lump, but his body was potent and his dark magics, stolen from Kralorela when he barbequed and ate their Emperor, were strong. Teelo did not die easily, but she died. But as she died, the last refugees escaped and the gates slammed shut and she knew that though she had lost the battle, she had won the war. Those who are willing to sacrifice themselves will be rewarded.

A Myth of the Seven Sailors - Deezola The Rinliddi have many strengths, but unity was rarely one of them. Deezola was but one of many queens and kings, jealous of their rights and prerogatives, unable to unite in the face of the Carmanian Bull Horde. But her justice and mercy drew a great warrior, Yanafal Tarnils to her, and... it was not enough. It was the arrival of Irrippi Ontor that brought them hope. Seven were gathered, and the Blue Moon rose again. But that is a story for another time. Deezola was not a front line fighter - she was a healer. It was her job to put everyone back together again. Before the battle, she spoke words of encouragment to the men to strengthen them for the battle. During the initial skirmishes, she healed the skirmishers. When the main battle was joined, she healed those who were too hurt to fight on. She knew the battle plan; they had to hold until it could be unleashed. But the casualties were coming too fast to keep up. A unit of Hare Hsunchen broke before the onslaught - Hares are not made to fight, she knew. Sometimes, everyone must fight. But she rallied them and put them to work helping her to heal. Their tender care enabled the injured to return to the fray. And when the battle was over, she began to heal the survivors of both sides. Danfive Xeron confronted her. "They are evil and deserve to suffer; only by that suffering can they be reborn." "They have suffered enough. Not everyone is metal who needs to be beaten into shape," she told him. "Some will only harden their hearts when struck, who might mend their ways if shown mercy." They argued until one of the soldiers groaned, then she turned to her work. He frowned, but departed to do his duties. Duty is what holds us together as we each walk different roads, as city folk live by law and country folk by custom, city folk by cunning and country folk by strength. We need both. Some people need to be made to repent and others will see the light by gentler means. Truth is particular. So are love and mercy. But for Deezola, love and mercy is the better way. And when that fails, she has the other Sailors to lean upon. That is why we are many, so together, we are stronger, yet many still.

In King of Dragon Pass, one of the quest chains involves people stealing 'Belintar's Book' and giving it to the player clan; eventually, agents of the Pharoah come looking for it. Belintar's Book is probably a Heroquesting guide/myth collection.

A Myth of the Seven Sailors - Danfive Xeron The early history of Danfive Xeron is irrelevant to the man he became - a man who looked like him did crimes and was chosen to atone by his aid in the Sojournor's Voyage. That man is dead. What was worth saving in him became Danfive Xeron. His cult is a cult of death and rebirth. Through sorrow and pain, we purge our sins and become new people, free of them. There is no power without a price and we have paid it through our pain and sorrow. Danfive purged the Seven Sailors of their sins by his suffering. He is the sacrifice. Danfive smites the wicked, that they might also be purged and reborn as he was. At the Battle of All Directions, he helped Irrippi Ontor to strike down the Carmanian Fire Magi. But that was not his main contribution to the battle. He helped design the tunnels used to ambush the enemy. But that wasn't his main contribution either. Danfive can fight, but his battles are not fought face to face. That's how idiots fight. Danfive put on the Mask of Ganestarus, which he had already procured for the goddess, and entered the enemy camp before the battle. He egged them on to fight with all their strength - so they would fight stupidly. He listened to the plans of the enemy leaders - so he could report them to the Blue Moon. He helped feed their cavalry - so he could slip slow-acting poison into their food. He put on the Mask of Uleria and seduced an officer, who spilled his secrets to Danfive. And he reassured the Shah of Shahs that he was invincible and could just ride over these insolent defiers of his all powerful will. Then Danfive fled, because laughing hysterically at the Shah of Shahs might have ruined everything. Then he returned, knowing he had guaranteed victory. He shared all he learned with the Blue Moon, and she blessed him, for she treasures every kind of service done for her. Aid the Virtuous and punish the wicked, that is the way of Danfive Xeron. The problem, of course, is that there is *so much* wickedness. But that is a story for another time.

A Myth of the Seven Sailors - Jakaleel Jakaleel knows what you did and she is amused you think you are tough and dangerous, for she has seen real toughness and real danger. What do you know, child? If you didn't want your hand to turn into a snake and bite you, you should have been more respectful. Jakaleel knows what you did in the dark and what you will do and what you did though you could not. A story? Jakaleel will tell you a story. Jakaleel could always hear the voices. They drew her out of her village and into the Jord Mountains and into the tunnels below. There, she met a Mostali; he could hear the voices too, but had to pretend otherwise, because his people wanted him to be a machine made of flesh. His supervisor is probably still under the pillar we trapped him under, complaining that lifting pillars off himself isn't his function and screaming about the Decamony. Down, down, down, Jakaleel went with the Mostali. No, not that kind of down. In a deep cavern, she found a river. The Mostali had a rope, so she threw him across and they made a rope bridge and crossed it, then went deeper. Sometimes the rope is just a rope. I can arrange a goat if you can't clean your mind, child. Then we reached lava. Lava is rock which melted. BECAUSE IT IS HOT. Yes, I know. Haven't you ever heard of volcanoes? Lava is the blood of Lodril. Lodril also thinks about his manhood too much but even old Jakaleel wouldn't try that, so we found some gems and threw them in and he let us pass because they were pretty. There was a cavern of intense winds, but Mostali are low to the ground and old Jakaleel is a pretty sturdy woman. The howling of the damned was harder to deal with. That did for Jakaleel's friend. He turned back and she never saw him until they were re-united on the Blue Moon. But that's a story for another time. In the end, we all face the darkness alone. It tried to eat me, but Jakaleel ate the darkness and understood its secrets. Those secrets are still rattling around inside her head. But those secrets enabled her to build the Soul Boats without with the Seven Sailors would have failed to revive the Blue Moon. Sometimes, the darkness takes over... power has its price. Wisdom has its price. *Everything* has its price. You got to smart off to Jakaleel and live. And now you have a hand you can tell stories about. It won't panic and abandon you to die, either. What? You wanted to hear about Jakaleel at the Battle of All Directions? That's a secret and you aren't ready to pay that price. Trust me.

A Myth of the Seven Sailors - Irrippi Ontor Books are the memory of a society. That is why Irippi Ontor entered the service of Buserian - the oppression of the Dara Happans by the Carmanians angered him. He sought to understand how the Dara Happans had thrown off past oppressors. He wanted knowledge in order to *act*. Without memory, history just repeats itself as we make the same mistakes over and over. His search was long and futile, until one night, an eagle came to him, leading him to a ruined tower. Before his eyes, it rose, intact and whole, but spectral. He followed the Eagle to the top, and there he found the Prophecy of the Blue Moon. That guided his researches and he set out to find the others, to do what must be done. But that is a story for another time. This is the story of his final battle, how he died and how his knowledge was not lost to us. While Irrippi and his True Companion, Farsight, would scout and his magic would help the Blue Moon Goddess make war, ne was no warrior at heart. He did his duty and shared his wisdom. Yet, he always hoped that his foes would see reason, understand the truth, and do the right thing. Some did, which is how he brought the Ripper Horde into the Empire. But many did not. He created the Imperial War College and it faced its first great test at the Battle of All Directions. Their duty was to battle the Carmanian Magi, masters of fire magic. They called down rain to snuff the fires, but the Magi continued to call more fire. They called gusts of wind to snuff the fire, but the Magi continued to call more fire. They called up darkness, but fire dispelled the darkness. The College called down a rain of stones and the magi burned them up. It seemed nothing could stop them, none of the elements. They did not even try fire, for they could not beat the fire mages at their own game. Yet, they had to be stopped. Force was not enough. But Irrippi now realized his mistake - he was a thinker, not a warrior or even a soldier. Rushing head on at the foe was not his way. So they did the Earth-Shattering Dance of Lodril and the ground cracked open, swallowing the fire magi, who were then consumed by trolls attacking them in the tunnels beneath the battlefield. If you can't win the game, *change* the game you are playing. Cunning will always trump strength.

A Myth of the Seven Sailors - Yanafal Tarnils Yanafal Tarnils was a Carmanian Satrap once, and like the other Carmanians, he had fallen into the dark ways of Ganesatarus the Dark, forgetting he must be balanced with Idovanus the Light's teachings. All he knew was how to kill and he served Humakt, the Power of Death and servant of Ganesatarus. There was a clash over the succession and Yanafal backed the wrong brother and he was driven into the wilderness, having learned that strength alone can not bring victory, for numbers can defeat strength and there is always someone stronger. He went to work for Deezola, who ruled Torang with gentle kindness. It was there he learned the strength of Idovanus, where he became a soldier instead of a warrior, learning both to command without slaying and to serve without cringing. Together with five others, they became the Seven Sailors; that story is a story for another time, for this is the story of him at the Battle of All Directions. The old Yanafal would have rallied his men and charged straight at the enemy as the Bull Shah did; the Bull Shah was an arrow in flight, and once loosed could only go forward. But the Blue Moon had opened his eyes, enabled him to change. It was his wisdom that led to digging the tunnels by which the loperbeasts, trolls, and others could move to surround the Bull Shah's army. This was strategy, something Humakt did not know but Yanafal Tarnils did. It offended Humakt, and Satrap Martev came against Yanafal, and Humakt came upon him and Humakt confronted the servant who had abandoned his path. "Traitor!" he shouted, and both Martev and Humakt agreed that Yanafal had betrayed his proper allegiance to the Shah when he had served the Shah's brother. "You are the one who has betrayed the gods by abandoning the way of Idovanus instead of balancing the two hands of a greater goddess who stands above them," Yanafal said. "For Ganesatarus is the left hand of the Blue Moon and Idovanus the right, parts of a greater whole. Instead, you have blinded your right eye and abandoned your right hand!" "Metaphysical claptrap! I will slay you as I slew Vivamort and many others!" Humakt said, then came at Yanafal Tarnils, sword against sword, shield against shield and none could deny that Humakt was the greater warrior, driving Yanafal Tarnils back. Five weapons broke in Yanafal Tarnil's hands as they fought on horseback, and without his loyal squire Hanafal Shalat, he would have lost, but Hanafal carried a brace of weapons, and so Yanafal fought with sword, then spear, then axe, then mace, then a great hammer, but each broke when Humakt hit it enough. And now the brace was empty, and Humakt cried out his triumph. "Now, you will die!" He raised his sword high and Yanafal shouted, "NOW." And Danfive Xeron popped out of a hidden pit and slit the hamstrings of Martev's horse; Martev fell off his horse, but he wasn't down yet. He slew Yanafal's horse and he tumbled down to the ground. "Mercy!" Hanafal shouted, panicked that his commander would die. "Mercy is weakness," Humakt said; Danfive Xeron had slipped away into the shadows again, called away by the Blue Moon Goddess. He raised his blade to strike. And the final weapon of Yanafal Tarnils flowed out of the bag like a trickle of water, then formed in his hands into a trident; he caught the falling blade, twisted it and took it from Martev, who felt the god leave him. Then Yanafal rose and plunged Humakt into Martev's heart. In the end, those who live by the blade will die by it. And in so doing, Humakt slew himself. "Our strength is the strength of many coordinated by a rightful leader. Together, we can overcome any foe," Yanafal told him. "I serve the Blue Moon and in that service, I find a freedom you never gave me, for now I am the hand which wields the weapon, and not a weapon to be wielded. But you will never be anything more than that." He picked up Humakt and sheathed him, and Yanafal Tarnils bears Humakt still. Let no one tell you any different. Soldiers and warriors each have their role, but the soldier's role is greater. Thus says Yanafal Tarnils.

The worst thing is when you do a big write up on Imther, then your browser explodes before you can post it. A Myth of the Blue Moon Goddess: Her Battle with Yannistar the Last The great secret of the Carmanians was balance. In one hand, war and dominance. In the other, peace and empathy. The hands of a Shah must heal and slay. But few can wield both weapons and serve both gods at once. The Bull Shahs abandoned the right-hand path of peace and empathy in favor of hitting things until they could be enslaved. Because they had abandoned the true way, the very gods of the Carmanians themselves abandoned the last of the Bull Shahs. All Biskodar and Yannistar the Last knew was how to kill, plunder, and enslave. And so the Seven Sailors brought the Blue Moon Goddess back, just in the nick of time. She and her followers defeated Biskodar, but his son Yannistar simply committed *more* crimes. Finally, the Blue Moon Goddess, Annilla, confronted him at the Battle of All Directions. She held a whip in her right hand and her left hand was clawed, for as the Goddess of the Changing Way, she could change all of her body, or none, or just part. She can become any animal in whole or part. The Bull Shah rode on a horse, for he was not in touch with his inner beast. He could not see the truth. He did not know what he was. He fought with a shield in his left hand and a scimitar in his right and he cruelly controlled his horse with bridle and spur, for it was no True Animal and no kin to him. Given how many of his own kin he murdered, perhaps the horse was better off that way. "Yannistar Fireblade!" the Blue Moon Goddess shouted. "I hold in my hands all the power of the gods of all these lands! It is not too late to embrace the truth!" Yannistar laughed and brandished his sword and shield. "There is only one god who matters and he gave me these!" His blade was suffused with fire and his shield shone so bright that Yanafal Tarnils had to close his helm and blind himself and the rest of the Seven Sailors had to shield their eyes. But the Blue Moon Goddess knew that Water came before Fire. That Water had invaded the Sky and mastered it, turnng it blue. And she was Water incarnate in all its forms. "Name what each of my hands holds!" the Blue Moon Goddess demanded. "Your left hand is empty and your right hand holds a *whip*, a weapon useless to strike anyone but a slave!", Yannistar shouted. "And I am the Shah of Shahs, the King of Kings, the Emperor of Peloria! Yelm licks my feet and Navaria is the head of my maids and the Head of Orlanth sits on a stick in my trophy room!" The story of the Head of Orlanth is a story for another time. 'My right hand is civilization, my left is the wilderness," she said, then struck his shield with her clawed hand and darkness snuffed out the fire. "My right hand is law and my left hand is freedom." She struck with her whip and water drenched the flames of the sword, putting it out and then throwing his sword away. "My right hand cannot kill," she said, now knocking his shield away. Then she seized him by the throat with her left hand. "My left hand kills without guilt or hesitation." "The right hand path is weak!" he shouted, despite being choked, for while Yannistar had nearly infinite flaws, he was not a coward, only a bully. "Both paths are weak if you do not balance them," she said. "Jakaleel, show him the TRUTH!" And Jakaleel stared into his eyes and whispered the seven secrets to Yannistar. Each peeled away one of the seven lies, until he stood naked before the Blue Moon Goddess and dwindled, becoming what he was in truth, an angry bull, who only knew how to charge. But bulls have their uses, so the Blue Moon Goddess removed his rage with a kiss (for now, for nothing can get rid of anger forever, and indeed, anger too is part of the way), then handed him over to Deezola to find him a herd to rule over. That, he could manage now. She Who Eats watched him go, regretting she was not allowed to eat him. Eventually, she would, but only when he became old and it was his time to go. For remember, all of us eventually become food. Thus the cycle turns. You may well ask - should the Goddess not have *six* arms and one mouth? That is a later revelation for another day.

Heh! Pigs on the wing!

That sounds pretty great and introduces some cool ideas. '

I can't help but imagine a version of the Death of Yelm where he keeps eating rival sun gods until he's utterly overloaded and barely able to contain them, then Orlanth gives him a thin mint (that he got from Naveria) and Yelm explodes, releasing them all and dies and sinks into Hell until Orlanth descends and reconciles with him.

Humakti have variable oaths. This essentially means what is honorable and what is oath-breaking is different for every Humakti. So Humakti just find the guy whose oath says X is okay to do X. Yanafal... doesn't have oaths. I suspect their honor is something like 'following your commander's orders and crushing your enemies is the heart of honor'. Humakti are warriors and Yanafal's followers are soldiers.

The Queendom of Holay This land has been burned and plundered a lot over the centuries; it fell under the sway of the Bright Empire, then Arkat burned everything and then threw it into a cauldron to burn things which had already been burnt (or so the legends say). Then it fell under the sway of the EWF, then it was laid waste by the Golden Horde, then the Dragons laid it waste, just to be sure. The result of this is that it ended up as a bunch of petty states in the early Third age with extremely rich black soil, due to layer after layer of burnt things being laid down over the years. At some point in this long history of being burned, one of the sons of a Dara Happan emperor founded the Kingdom of Saird when his father died and the Empire was split three ways, which went exactly as badly as you think. Saird continued the tradition of dividing the kingdom among your heirs and then everyone fights over the scraps. You would think a giant Dragon attack would have stopped this, but you would be wrong. In the third age, Saird was a collection of petty states, theoretically ruled by a High King whose main job was to be killed and replaced by a new High King who would die if he tried to assert his authority. Tired of this, some of the population converted to Yelmalio worship, built Sun Domes, then proceeded to impale would-be kings on their pole-arms as need be. When the Conquering Daughter came, overrunning the powerful lands to the North, High King Ferenil managed to unite the lords behind him and rode out to challenge her, for he rejected the idea a woman could rule. The Sapphire Knight rejected the idea that he should continue to live. Their debate ended in the debacle of Mirin's Cross in 1347, where all the great lords of Saird were trampled into the dirt and the survivors hunted like rats by loperbeasts and slain. Ferenil's head was mounted on a pike. Queen Hallia of Filichet surrendered in the name of the newly widowed queens and swore fealty. The land of Holay was created, a tributary to the Empire, ruled by Queens. Holay fought alongside Sylila during the War with Sheng Seleris. It suffered heavy damage, but Holay folk are used to the idea of getting up in the morning and everything you have ever known is ashes. They continued to fight and troops from Holay contributed to the final defeat of Sheng, though they were not allowed to use him for the ritual slaying of Ferenil as they requested. The Jajalaring Dog People dominate northern Holay today, while central Holay, Saird proper, is a mixture of many peoples, and southern Holay is home to traditionalist Orlanthi who are gradually becoming imperlalized. The Jajalaring have virtually entirely become Hsunchen. Some of the Orlanthi have but most hold to old ways. Raids from Balazar and from out of control Aggarite Orlanthi have required the kingdom to develop a potent force of horse archers and light cavalry. They also rely on Dog Warriors (heavily armored and accompanied by trained war dogs), and the Trained Bands of the cities, along with the Sundomer Pikemen. Holay is noted for producing a variety of oils, ranging from bath soaps to weapon polishing to grease for squeaky wheels. Much of this oil comes from reeds grown along the rivers of the province, said to be a blessing of the Reed Goddess Imali, who created them to aid her water-going people during the Great Darkness. High Queen Feerinsta (Earth, Beast, Motion) is an ambitious priestess of Redayla, the goddess of horses and sovereignty in Holay. Aided by her strong but not so bright husband Hyalor, Redayla became the dominant goddess of Holay thanks to the Conquering Daughter. Feerinsta fights from horseback, firing deadly copper arrows and using her magic to enhance the mobility and strength of her cavalry. She is young, ambitious, and unmarried. Local prophecies claim she will marry *the King of the World*, whoever that is. The Moonson has never actually *married*, so it's not clear who that is. She possesses a powerful artifact from the Godtime, the Necklace of Radiance, which grants her powers of Fire and Light magic and ensures the loyalty of the Sun Domes. Imperial Viceroy Victor (Water, Harmony, Stasis) looks like he is made of ice, the result of a Heroquesting mishap in the past. He is a Cat Hsunchen - it is traditional for the Moonson to appoint a Viceroy of the same Hsunchen type as his current steed. Victor is a man who prizes calm and order and thus is always aggravated with the disorder and conflict to be found in many of the Southern provinces. At the same time, he is pretty good at bringing calm and ordr to things and is one of the reasons why Aggar hasn't 100% blown up. Just partly. He resides in Mirin's Cross. Places of Note: Barnborn: This city is noted for being where Alakoring Dragonkiller died and for having a massive tomb to him that gets fancier every time the city's rulers can afford it; it draws many pilgrims and heroquestors. He was ambushed and shot by an Aldryami who he had offended. Dragons sacked the city during the Dragonkill, though thankfully they didn't stay. Many suspect Alakoring's remains were eaten by a dragon but the site remains holy and he is worshipped here. During the Sheng Seleris wars, when his armies besieged the city, a dragon showed up, devastated the invaders, then set the Temple-Tomb of Alakoring on fire. It was last seen flying off, gnawing idly on the severed head of Ronke, the Selerian commander. The Black Eel River: Tamed by the Conquering Daughter, the Black Eel has to be killed again every five years to keep the river calm and controlled. The Nogatendites,are an alliance of Bird Hsunchen of various kinds who travel the river in great boats covered with feathers. Their most potent holy people can make the boats fly for short times. Bostok: This city is a small trade hub run by Dara Happans and Pelandans, but it's tightly allied to Otter Hsunchen, who use their True Animal allies to drive fish into nets. They trade much of the catch to Bostok, who salt and flavor the fish, then ship them elsewhere to get goods, some of which are used to pay the Otter Hsunchen. A Temple of Issaries in the city is the linchpin of the trading arrangement. Dolmisk: In the Great Darkness, a Star Captain descended to the city and ringed it with a wall of fire which still stands today. Creatures of Darkness cannot enter without burning. Sheng's armies found out they couldn't enter without burning either. However, Earth goddesses are worshipped here in profusion, especially Uralda, Esrola, and Pela, goddess of Barley. Orlanthi clans live around the city, trading with it. Dolsonin: This market city has bounced back and forth between Tarsh and Holay as the fortunes of war have ebbed and flowed. Right now, it answers to Holay. Uralda is worshipped here; tribes of Cattle Hsunchen roam the country side around the trade city. Dolsonin is basically the lynchpin of an alliance of Orlanthi tribes, like the cities of Sartar. Some normal Orlanthi clans farm in the area and follow Barntar. Dwernapple: This small market town is most noted for its temple of Ernalda in Chains, which features Yelm and Dendara dragging Ernalda, dressed as a slave, through a street in a massive mosaic. Ernalda cultists are sent here to be punished for their sins and the punishment generates magic that brings fertility to fields, crops, and cattle. Some Imperials, especially those linked to the Liberation Crusade, find this place disturbing. Others say Ernaldans brought this on themselves by her refusal to submit to the Blue Moon Goddess. Dendara worshippers shout something about adultery and what goes around, comes around. Fillichet: The capital of the Queendom of Holay. This large, wealthy city is a perfect square, thus enhancing the power of the Earth Rune within its walls; it is noted for the Great Bells of Fillichet, which ring to delight the Earth goddesses, especially Redayla, whose greatest temple is found here. Many Horse Hsunchen dwell in the lands around the city. One of the roads of the Conquering Daughter connects the city to Mirin's Cross and ultimately to Jillaro. The city is noted for its annual Music Festival, which includes Games, theater, and music contests. Hojasinestel: This old hill fort is the spiritual center of the Jajalaring Dog People. They are actual Dog Hsunchen from before the Empire, highly respected now because they held onto the Changing Way when so many others abandoned it. Jajagappa, God of Death, is their highest god, for they understand all things die. Their greatest honor is to be buried under the fort/temple. Those who die in Jajagappa's good graces, he comes for their soul and escorts it to his home, a great hunting ground and fights off any demons who seek to take your soul, especially the Name Eater; all whose souls fall into the Name Eater's hands have their great deeds and their name forgotten, as if they never existed. Jajagappa can kill but is not a god of killing and his priests and priestesses frown at gods like Humakt and Shargash who can only kill and destroy. Holay Fort is simultaneously a clan hold and a temple of Issaries, and a fort; controlling this ford has made this clan wealthy... by Orlanthi standards. Mirin's Cross: This city is unusually large because the Imperial Viceroy who oversees the tributary kingdoms resides here. Mirin's Cross is part of the Holay history of being destroyed over and over. It survived the Great Darkness, only to get trashed by invading horsemen during the early years of the First Age. The Bright Empire rebuilt and built a Sun Dome. Arkat set the Sun Dome on fire, threw flaming chunks everywhere, burned the city down, and danced in the ashes. A new Sun Dome was founded, which was then conquered, sacked, and rebuilt by the EWF, who introduced Draconic Yelmalio and turned the city into a training place for troops. Then the Dragons burned it down, but the location strategically strong, so it ended up as a fortress of Saird, being sacked several times. Then the Conquering Daughter obliterated the armies of Saird at the Battle of Mirin Cross and now there's a huge graveyard east of the city to the dead of that battle. Yet another Sun Dome has been built here; the city actually repelled Sheng's forces to everyone's surprise, so the cycle of the city being obliterated may have come to an end (cross your fingers). The Imperial Viceroy has a citadel here and there is a great temple complex to the Seven Sailors. There is also a major temple to Redaylda and her husband Hyalor and their attendant gods and goddesses. The Daughter's Road links the city to Jillaro and Fillichet and helps make it a huge trade hub; the Bazaar of Mirin's Cross is a place where anything can be bought and sold. Nodnor: This city survived the Great Darkness by going to sleep until it was over. They then got conquered by everyone and their dog, but were very good at surrendering and not being destroyed. Their luck finally ran out during the EWF era, when the Dragonkill led to them being slaughtered; there's nothing left but draconic ghosts now; every so often, Dragonnewts do rites in the ruins. Plain of Stones: This appears to be an endless army of menhirs in strange formations; some form geometric shapes and others are scattered. Tradition holds that they were turned to stone by some threat in the Great Darkness. Spirits flock around the area and lots of shamans come here to get Earth-related spirits. Some of the menhirs have gone missing over the centuries - many believe Postikar took them for study / to turn into Jolanti. Riyestan: This once thriving city has been a ruins since the Arkat Wars. During the Great Darkness, Rivesta Earth Mother and Kemar Seed Father taught the secrets of night farming to the people of Rivestan, enabling them to survive. Riyestan was laid waste by Arkat, who turned Kemar Seed Father into a torch and used him to burn the city. But two sacred trees grew in the ruins and their followers still worship them there, learning the secrets of night farming. Soldier's Ferry: Queen Dushrenalva became obsessed with the idea Holay would be destroyed unless it obtained a port on the Elf Sea. This led to a war with Imther and the seizure of this area. This is basically an old hill fort which controls a river ferry and it's staffed with a mixture of Sairdite cavalry, Orlanthi infantry, and Dog People. Thernan, City of Peace: This peaceful market town is sacred to Chalanna Arroy, whose priestesses oversee the Healing Baths of Thernan, which even the Moonson has used. It is nearly impossible to commit violence here; you just can't bring yourself to do it. When Sheng's forces threatened the city, the commander repented everything, handed himself over, and became a monk. Many locals are descended from soldiers of Sheng who quietly surrendered and integrated into society. Zalan Sun Dome: In most ways, this is a very normal Sun Dome; its soldiers hold the line against Aggarite raiders. Once a decade, trolls boil out of the ground and try to eat everyone, then die. It's unclear why but this has been going on for centuries. This led to the controversial book, '101 Ways To Kill Trolls', banned in the Empire, which guaranteed its heavy circulation. Adventure Seeds: Carmanian Lunatics: A crazed cult spin off of Carmanian traditional religion believes if they burn Mirin's Cross to the ground, they can prevent the Hero Wars. Or bring back Carmania. Or... something. Find them, deal with them. Dial E for Elmal: Elmal Horsefriend cultists from Aggar have been harrassing the Sundomes, trying to get them to abandon Yelmalio worship, pointing out Yelmalio lost his fire magic because he is just Elmal's incompetent punk brother. The Kingdom needs the Yelmalio Phalanxes since no one else in this kingdom knows what 'discipline' is. Find a peaceful way to end this so we don't get invaded by angry Elmal cavalry hordes. Ghosts of Nivorah: Before the Great Darkness, a Solar city stood in these lands, Nivorah, crushed by the great ice. Or drowned in the great flood. Anyway, it got trashed. Now raiding bands of chariot-riding ghosts from that land are stalking the land at night. Something has gone horribly wrong and must be fixed. Into Hell and Back: The Guard Who Cried Lion has taken the soul of an important hero of the Jajalarings at his death and they must attempt a dangerous Heroquest to recover his soul. They need help. That means you. Oil of Holay: Marcus Gaius, a Dara Happan of a traditional family, has kept his family afloat by selling 'authentic Oil of Holay' to other Dara Happans as a cleanser and skin-purifier. The Imperial Arteries think he's actually just selling olive oil with a few spices mixed in. Please investigate. The Land of Nod: Dragonnewts did a rite inside the ruins of Nodnor and now a curse of sleep is slowly spreading across the area. Everyone is panicking; find out why they did it and how to *stop* it. The Stone Army: Ernalda cultists are trying to awaken the Plain of Stones. You must stop them before they have an unstoppable army of stone people. A Treasonous Book: Someone is bulk-producing 101 Ways to Kill Trolls again, in Mirin Cross. Find out who so the BRT can deal with them.

In Heroquest, Initiates couldn't do any *blatant* magic. Just about everyone in Dragon Pass was an initiate, but it meant they could use magic to boost mundane things. Use the Earth Rune to give your axe a keener edge, use the Fire Rune to boost your endurance of heat, and so on. In Runequest, Inititiates can do some limited blatant magic but not huge amounts of it, as starting PCs, anyway. The rulebook also explicitly says nearly every adult (in the lands the rules cover, anyway) is an iniitiate. With three points of Rune Magic, an Argan Argar Initiate might start out able to summon Darkness Elementals. A Babeester Gor might start with magical berserking. And so on. I think part of the answer, though, is that the cults PCs join are not the cults that most of the population is joining, or at least not the subcult. The average Orlanthi farmer has rune magics that let him make his crops better and his bulls plow more land. The average Ernalda head of household has magics that lets her stretch her barley reserve and turn bad meat into good meat, or let her somehow sew three dresses from enough cloth for one. People with 'bash 'em and dash 'em' magic are the people who need it on a regular basis, like thanes, wandering bands of heroes, and so on.