John Biles

Lanbril would probably seem more mythic if we had more myths about him. Also, he's an *urban* god and Gloranthan material has mostly focused on rural people so far.

Mysticism. Transcending limits also means transcending time.

The Satrapy of Spol The Satrapy of Spol is, once again, in a war with its own Witches. Not a war of armies, but a war of spell and counter-spell, of knives in the dark, a Tea Party Supreme. The Satrapy has a natural cycle in which witches infiltrate and take over the government, then someone discovers and purges them, then there is a lot of murder and conjuration and death and the survivors go into hiding for a generation or two. The Brass Count, Elsid the Bitter, is the angry man who rules Spol. More and more of his body has been cursed and destroyed or just cut off by witches and replaced with Brass. At this point, it's not clear if he has anything human left beyond a few internal organs and a brain, though he still eats food. He is in theory, a Bear Hsunchen, unusually for a Carmanian. Elsid fights swith two swords - Colado was forged by the Mostali out of cast Brass. Pino is a wooden blade obtained in trade with the Aldryami at Balovius by one of his ancestors; those it strikes are tangled in vines. He recently burned Dezarpovo to the ground due to it harboring witches and built an improved copy of the city a few miles away known as Elsid's Better Dezarpovo. Details below. He's also noted for inviting the Moonson's favorite chariot team to a Games he staged, then rigging it so they came in last. This is because he's angry about the Moonson not taking the Spolite Witch menace seriously. To the aggravation of the other Carmanian Satraps, Count Elsid regards the Chargite menace as essentially irrelevant. No one knows when they will come out and compared to witches, they are nothing. Throw the Char-Un at them, they both die, everyone else will be happy. His general 'throw the Char-Un at Charg' attitude has angered some Char-Un, while others are eager to try it. The Bureau of Righteous Thought has provided aid, but not *enough* aid. Elsid blames the trolls, the witches, possibly what Moonson had for breakfast. The Spolite Witches are an ancient Darkness worshipping tradition (Darkness, Illusion) common in this region which once ruled it. The Troll side of the Blue Moon Cult basically regard them like your little sister dressing up in your clothing and trying to act tough and this has hampered the never-ending war of the Spolite satraps with said cult. The Spolite Witches prefer subtlety to bloodshed on a large scale, but can unleash a variety of darkness monsters if need be and maintain hidden refuges for when the heat gets too intense. Most in the current age live among everyone else, appearing as ordinary Carmanians and Pelandans. Some even infiltrate the Changing Way. They have potent disguise magic and the ability to curse flesh. Their leader is known to be named Yolanda, but no one knows where she is or what she's doing. She is known to have several strong sons who have infiltrated the Changing Way. But who they are for sure... unknown. Spolite Witches and the Cult of Yelmalio have an ancient enmity and the cult of Yelmalio Witchhunter has arisen to assist the Satrapy in finding them in recent years. Elsid's Better Dezarpovo: Old Dezarpovo was controlled by the Witches of Spol, allied to the old Spolite Cult of Suffering. Shouting about suffering, Elsid burned the city to the ground and had a new version of the city built in which everything was bigger and better and moved the population to it. The Temple of Pain was replaced with a fancy Temple of the Changing Way. Every tree is now a fruit tree. Charity to the poor is twice as good. Enthyr: This burn-out shell was once the capital of the Spolite Empire; it long laid in ruins haunted by ghosts and monsters. Last year, Elsid rallied two legions and put them to work *burning everything*. Everything above ground is now nothing but ash and shards. Rumor states that the Mostali supplied a special engine for 'burning things which have already been burned'. However, the underground ruins remain and are said to be even more dangerous, yet lucrative now. Rafelios: This city has a long tradition of women who destroy abusive men by turning into man-eating deer. Dara Happan legend says that Emperor Murharzarm lured them off a cliff into a pit and then rained down cows on them until they died. Rafelian legend says that they tricked him into giving them free cows. Irregardless, the Changing Way has turned much of the area's population into Deer Hsunchen and the city supplies an all-female Deer Hsunchen Battle to the Imperial Army known as the Hinds of Pelanda. Zern: Some ancient battle of Darkness and Earth happened here; a mountain rises alongside the Poralistor River. A castle commands the heights which has stood since the First Age. It has had many names, but currently is known as the Castle of the Earth God's Rock. This mighty fortress, surrounded by a city on the lower slopes, is the capital of the Satrapy. The gate to enter the city has been turned into a Temple of Yelmalio to the surprise of everyone - the reason is that this should reveal any witches who try to enter the city. It has caught some.

Writing in the Empire of the Blue Moon Many city-folk are at least a little literate; most rural folk are illiterate. There are two official writing systems - Dara Happan Script and Claw Script. The Dara Happans adopted the Pelandan script long ago, making certain changes to accommodate linguistic difference. It is designed to be brushed onto papyrus, parchment, or paper. Claw Script is designed to be made with claws and is usually dug into dirt or carved into stone, though you can write it passably with a brush or chalk. Claw Script is not a full alphabet - it is more like a set of code sigils for simple messages like 'Don't eat this', 'danger', or 'I hate you'. It is mainly used by Hsunchen and True Animals. Most writing is in the form of scrolls of papyrus (made from the reeds of the Thunder Delta), parchment (made from animal skins) or paper (made from processed clothing or wood pulp). The closer you are to the Thunder Delta, the more papyrus is used. It is easier to write on than parchment. Parchment is predominant in the rest of the empire because of easy access to hides. Paper is used by the cults of Lhankor Mhy and Irrippi Ontor, who have magical secrets to turn fibers into paper. (And other local gods of knowledge). All books/codexes and the like are produced by the cults of Knowledge gods, who have the magic to make them work. Both cults are famous for their Compendiums - codexes built of snippets of information copied from old scrolls. Because many people are illiterate, the Empire makes heavy use of Messenger spirits to deliver and store information. A particular style of metal bound book is forbidden in the Empire - the reason is that this is how the God-Learners made their books and it helps ensure the Bureau of Righteous Thought doesn't mistake your innocent recipe collection for a God-Learner work. In theory, all new works must be approved by the BRT; in practice, the BRT is understaffed and bribeable.

Satrapy of Jhor Satrap Jhon XXIV is known to hate his regnal title but is bound by magical traditions - if you don't take the name, you don't get the power of the office. This was imposed as a punishment centuries ago by the Moonson; he spends a lot of time trying to accumulate the political capital to get this punishment removed from the office. He is fortunate in that he controls the lucrative trade with the Brass Mountain Mostali. He is a Lion Hsunchen initiate of the Changing Way; he has strong magic, but it's inherent in his office and mainly connects to the War and Harmony runes. He commands the Brass Monkey, a fifty foot tall automaton war machine created by the Brass Mountain Mostali for the first Satrap. Horrible discordant music plays when it is used, but it is a powerful weapon. It's used only in the gravest of emergencies, however, as it requires large amounts of sacrifice to power it. The Brass Mountain Mostali are the smallest of these groups. They mostly keep to themselves, but they formed a contract with the Carmanians centuries ago to trade Brass and lesser metals to the Carmanians in return for a variety of substances. Little Sister now controls that right and ensures the trade happens every year in late Sea Season. The trade is set at a fixed level. It is known at least one Brass Mostali survives here and there's some reason to think the trade enables them to either keep him alive or periodically make a replacement. Jhor is home to a mixture of Carmanian-descent Hsunchen, some Pelandan-descent Hsunchen, and a lot of Pelandan descent normal humans. There is a constant political conflict between Carmanian and Pelandan descended Hsunchen groups. Carmanians are Horse, Lion, Panther, or Falcon Hsunchen. Pelandans tend to be Dog, Cat, Chicken, Pig, or Cattle Hsunchen, though a few are Eagle Hsunchen. The Satrapy has wobbled back and forth between the two groups; a dispute over who should be Satrap was what led to the whole 'Satrap Jhon' thing. The cities are largely Pelandan in structure and culture, paying tribute in goods and magic to their Hsunchen overlords. The cities have a caste system, derived from the collision of Carmanian and Pelandan ideas: The Brass Caste are any leaders of the Hsunchen The Golden Caste are any other Hsunchen The Silver Caste are leaders of guilds and the city leaders The Copper Caste are any members of a guild. The Tin Caste are unmarried workers and resident foreigners The Wheat Caste are slaves. Cities have a Mayor elected by the Guild heads, who swears fealty to the local Hsunchen overlord. Balovius: This city along the Oronin River is built around a petrified Tree; This tree was sacred to the Aldryami during the God-Time but the Elves were driven from here long ago. Elves come and worship here and give the city a gift once a year - fine woods and wooden weapons. This has always been the heart of the city's prosperity, though it also functions as a major market for the surrounding farmlands. In the last twenty years, the Ancient And Honorable Society of Frontier Explorers has spent a great deal of money to buy it all. What they want with it is unknown. Beasts and Boys is a travelling entertainment troupe who operates out of Kitor but goes all over Carmania. They are the creation of Centurion Plesarius, who served twenty years in the Legions, then retired and used his money to find a bunch of pretty young boy Hsunchen and their True Animal companions and forged them into a band nearly worshipped as gods themselves by every young lady of the West. They travel around the cities of the West and sometimes elsewhere in the Empire, throwing concerts and providing their magical and musical talents for big religious ceremonies and Games. When a boy gets too old / gets in too much trouble, he is rotated out and a fresh young face takes his place. Beasts and Boys has even performed for Catticus, who often helps former members to find a good role in life; competition to get into this group is now intense. Kitor, the City of Brass: This city is built into the cliff slopes of Mount Jalardo in the Brass Mountains. Staircases and elevators connect each level of the city in complex and confusing ways. Great walls at the base of the cliff protect the lower levels of the city; beyond the gates are an area still devastated by the battle with Sheng Seleris, though that was over a century ago (1460). Ruined buildings, weapons and strange craters dot the land. Kitor is home to both Satrap Jhor and to Little Sister's Deputy (and sometimes Little Sister). Deputy Paramedes is of Pelandan stock and is a normal human, but exerts her authority over the Hsunchen Satraps, which irritates them all. He is a powerful Pelandan Sorceror noted for his fire and illusion magic. The Satrap and the Deputy have rival palaces at the north and south ends of the city respectively. Kitor is noteworthy for the heavy use of Brass enchanted in the Pelandan style. Thus comes the name. There is also rumored to be a god under the city of Kitor who has Mostali slaves. Certain texts assert it is a 'dog', but most people assume this is a spelling error. The Satrap has been delving deeper into the rock, creating great chambers for living; it is generally assumed this is in anticipation of refugees whenever Charg invades. Lasadag, City of Lions: Lion Hsunchen rule this town, which is centered around the great temple of the Lion God. The city once supplied the Lion Guard of the Lion Shahs of Carmania and still produces elite Lion Hsunchen for the Imperial Army. A quarter of the city is home to migrant Bismoli Lion Hsunchen, who remain more animist than the Carmanian Lion Hsunchen, which sometimes leads to conflict. When the city is attacked, the Temple is known to command five divine Lions, one attuned to each of the five elements, who come forth to destroy the city's foes. Lions roam the streets of the city; wise city folk bribe them with meat and have no problems. Mentinus, the City of Love, pays tribute to Dog Hsunchen of Pelandan descent and is ruled pretty gently as the cultural ties remain strong. Or maybe they just want access to the temples of Uleria and Bentus, God of Pleasure. The frequent riotous festivals, brothels, sex toy shops, and dirty libraries and book stores drive Little Sister insane and she never visits the city, though it is where those seeking to visit her take a boat to reach her city in the middle of Lake Oronin. It's also home to fishermen and water-related Hsunchen and to many traders. And to a lot of Hare Hsunchen. Orastler is not exactly a ruins. It's a sacred site of Earth cults, most especially Lodril. Huge rune-covered pillars have stood here since the God Time and people gather periodically for religious ceremonies. Once a year, the Brass Mountain Dwarves send an expedition here during Earth Season and take measurements, then get frustrated. It is an excellent location to begin Earth-related heroquests. The Bureau of Righteous Thought keeps a watch here for renegade Ernalda worshippers. Osthens: This city sits on the border between the mostly Hsunchen-occupied forested uplands and the endless farm fields of the eastern part of the Satrapy. It is a huge trading point which bustles with life. It's also sometimes called the City of Prophesy because Turos the Shaker broke the earth open to the west of the city and now an Oracle sits on the crack, breathes fumes, gets high out of her mind, and delivers prophecies. She has prophesied that Charg will soon break free and invade the West, that the Moonson will one day choke on a hairball, and that the Great Dragon will soon devour many souls. Anyone willing to donate can get a prophesy.

Mostali of the Empire There are three groups of Mostali in the Empire. They have varying relations to the Empire. The Brass Mountain Mostali are the smallest of these groups. They mostly keep to themselves, but they formed a contract with the Carmanians centuries ago to trade Brass and lesser metals to the Carmanians in return for a variety of substances. Little Sister now controls that right and ensures the trade happens every year in late Sea Season. The trade is set at a fixed level. It is known at least one Brass Mostali survives here and there's some reason to think the trade enables them to either keep him alive or periodically make a replacement. Only once have they gone to war - when Sheng Seleris attacked Kitor, Mostali forces sallied forth and helped trap and destroy his army. There's an ongoing rumor that they took Sheng Seleris and strapped him into some kind of machine. What this machine does, if it even exists, no one is sure. There are other ongoing rumors about these Mostali - they're in contact with a thieves' guild in Fonrit, that they supplied the gates of Sog City, and that Sartar traded something to them to get the brazier in which the Flame of Sartar burns. Or would burn if it was burning. But if they are willing to make other trades, no one knows what to offer them for it. There is also rumored to be a god under the city of Kitor who has Mostali slaves. Certain texts assert it is a 'dog', but most people assume this is a spelling error. The Jord Mountain Mostali are the most numerous Mostali of the Empire. The Jord Mountain Mostali were initially friendly to the Empire, but retained their own way of life, coming down into Vanch to trade metals and goods for various items. Sheng Seleris attempted to force them into submission and they fought him tooth and nail but suffered huge losses. The Moonson rewarded them with as much help as possible once Sheng was defeated, and to the surprise of all, they chose to create a force of Mostali who would adopt the Changing Way and serve the Emperor; when one dies, they are replaced by a new Mostali. The Mostali Guard are 5,000 strong. They are usually stationed guarding the capital but are sometimes sent into the field. They are a mixture of heavy pike infantry, crossbowmen, and engineers. Their initiation into the Changing Way enables them to tap into the power of the Blue Moon to strengthen their devices and to navigate flawlessly. They also, like initiated Trolls, can operate freely underwater. The Guard has a small fleet of advanced ships they use when needed or to transport the guard. The Imther Mountain Dwarves, like those of the Brass Mountains are fairly isolationist. They sealed themselves off when Sheng Seleris came, until he departed. They have since come out and trade with the Royal Fami9ly of Imther. That trade is in danger as Imther is slowly devoured by its stronger neighbors. The Moonson is believed to be trying to get the still childless king to spawn so that the trade doesn't die out. Past interactions have led scholars to the conclusion that the Imther Mountain Dwarves believe Tork needs to be replaced with a mountain range. Given its issues, not many in the Empire would stop them if they have some way to make this happen.

Leading an army of Praxian nomads against Pavis is inevitably going to result in a huge number of dead people. Most Praxians would wipe the whole place off the face of Glorantha if given the chance.

King of Sartar says every Lunar soldier was put to the blade and killed but says nothing about the treatment of non-soldier (p. 125) The Nomads plundered for two days, then passed out drunk (p. 153) After taking the city. Argath's Saga, p. 16, seems to indicate that some of the Lunar Soldiers surrendered after Pavis came out of his temple-tomb.

Professor Gelkoza Hurka-Hurk of the Imperial University Darkness College (Darkness, Movement, Communications) Professor Gelkoza teaches Human-Troll relations; she is a Devotee of Argan Argar and initiate of the Blue Moon Goddess. She spends one season a year acquiring goods for the university and spreading the gospel of Argan Argar. She is noted for her taste for travelling at the bottom of rivers, sometimes hitching an unseen ride on a boat's bottom. She understands human culture better than most Trolls and enjoys the company of Hsunchen. She also enjoys messing with the still fully human members of the faculty and students. She is usually loud and crude like most Trolls, but skilled at code-switching when necessary and a skilled negotiator. She has cult magic which allows her to appear as a member of any species with the Man Rune if need be. She often needs adventurers who can handle travelling during Dark Season to aid her in hauling goods through the snow and fending off bandits and monsters. Obash the All-Mighty (Darkness, Movement, Beast) Obash is, in theory, a citizen of the Empire, initiated into the Changing Way. But he quickly realized that Imperial Troll society is as matriarchal as normal Troll society, even if Annilla is calling the shots. He also realized he had a talent for communicating with spirits. The result is that he fled to Balazar and raised an army of animals and became a threat to the Imperial Colonies there. Obash is a cunning hunter and guerilla, who has long evaded imperial authority. He may be an aid to rebels against the Empire or someone they are sent to hunt if allied to it. Good luck! Melzorki Moon-Crusher (Darkness, Disorder, Spirit) As a priestess of Kygor Litor, she is keenly aware that she would be on top of troll society elsewhere, but in the Empire, the usurper Annilla has stolen the rightful place of Kygor Litor. So one night, she beat her clan's top priestess to death, stole everything stealable, and fled to start a revolution. Unfortunately, most Trolls *do not care*. If anything, they see her beautiful, powerful goddess as an annoyance, a fool who got the whole race cursed by Nysalor. So she has begun searching for the Emperor's Shadow, the being who can bring him down. It can't be Sheng Seleris - he failed. But there must be some doom. She has even flirted with Nysaloreans and is now Illuminated, but that's just made her more determined to destroy the Blue Moon and feast on Annila's flesh. She is in touch with most sources of would-be revolution, supplying them with spirit allies and somehow always knowing when the Empire is coming for her. But she keeps looking for something, someone, who can destroy Annilla and 'free the Trolls from her tyranny.' This includes looking for the pieces of Nysalor - perhaps he can be revived to smite Annila as he did Kygor Litor. It's worth a shot.

Professor Erika of the Imperial University Water College (Water, Truth, Harmony) Professor Erika is a Pelandan from Karasal. Enslaved by a Hsunchen clan, she poisoned the entire ruling council and sacrificed them to Jernotius, who made her a priestess on the spot, though he normally isn't into human sacrifice. Arrested by the Bureau of Righteous Thought, she succesfully argued she was only following the Jernotian Way - in which all gods must understand they will sometimes lose. Her words caused the judge to release her and impressed a law professor of the Imperial University. She is an Illuminate of the Jernotian Way - this frees her from the burden of guilt or shame for failure, and enables her to impose the lesson of failure upon devotees of other gods who act against her. It also has taught her the fundamental truth - laws can't enforce themselves and only work if people enforce them. This has made her an advocate for law reform and an enemy of corruption in the Empire. It also means she needs bodyguards a lot. When not getting in trouble with the powerful, she is an expert on marine law and enjoys boating. Professor Erika and Professor Kamash-Nadab have a feud - he hates her and she finds him hilarious, which angers him more. Professor Kamash-Nadab Equipo of the Imperial University Fire College (Fire, Truth, Stasis) Professor Kamash is from one of the conservative Dara Happan families, specifically he is from Yuthuppa. He hates the Empire, he hates Hsunchen, he hates the fact that he's risen as high as he's ever going to get. He hates having women on the staff, and he probably hates you, who is reading this. What he loves are the stars and planets and observing them and seeking out the mysteries hidden in their motion. Get him started on this and he will ramble on about it forever, even if you are everything he hates. His family is struggling for cash but won't admit it. He sells his services for predicting future events and providing guidance on using conjunctions to augment your magic; you just have to be discreet and make it look like you are a grateful client gifting hm and then he gifts you back with what you want to know. Professor Erika and Professor Kamash-Nadab have a feud - he hates her and she finds him hilarious, which angers him more.

I forgot about these guys! 'The Cult of Invisible Orlanth Imperial Scholars continue to try to figure out where this cult came from. It probably came out of the half-converted Orlanthi clans found in western Carmania. Even those which have stubbornly clung to their old ways have shifted some under Imperial pressure, identifying Mahome, Heler (in a female aspect), various River Goddesses, various handmaidens of Ernalda, and so on as Orlanth's wife, since Ernalda worship is banned. The efforts of Carmanians to push their religion on them created the oddest cult in the Empire - Invisible Orlanth. No one officially initiates to him - Orlanth initiate to one of Orlanth's normal aspects, non-Orlanthi are defined in part by not worshipping him. But he is blamed for *everything*. Rats in your pantry? Invisible Orlanth. Your wife ran off with a stranger? She was seduced by Invisible Orlanth. Your husband is drunk for no apparent reason? Invisible Orlanth got him drunk. The more he is blamed, the stronger he has become; there is a small army of spirits and petty godlings who serve him now and cause havoc across Carmania. Worse, Pelandan philosophers have begun using him to patch holes in their theories. There should be twelve major planets? Invisible Orlanth *ate* the missing ones. Why is the wind invisible? Because Orlanth is invisible! And he is the wind! Imperials of the Bureau of Rightful Thought can see trouble coming but can't find the transmission vectors or how it's going to explode. They just know it will. The Bureau of Rightful Thought Stefan of Oronin once said 'You can't make war on ideas'. The Bureau has been waging this war for centuries. Their job is to destroy ideas which undercut the Empire. The Black King and the White Queen head up this bureau - the Black King handles covert operations and the White Queen operates openly. Both have hidden true names. The Black King's forces infiltrate heresies and then use a combination of police action and assassination to destroy them. Sometimes they accidentally kill agents of other spy groups in the Empire and then everyone dies in a bloodbath and there is soon a new Black King but this is rarer than some think and more common than is hoped. The White Queen sends her agents to preach rightheous thought and to openly debate and humiliate religions hostile to the Empire. She also deals with out of control philsophers. The Red Moon movement is the biggest menace they are fighting, though the White Queen is more concerned with the Cult of Invisible Orlanth. Professor Walnut Corpus of the Imperial University Earth College (Earth, Truth, Fate) True Animals are as smart as people, but most of them live an animal-like life, just smarter. Professor Walnut Corpus is a True Dog who is part of a Jajagappa Dog Clan in the southern Empire. He and his companion, Manshuroy, have travelled to the capital and become part of the faculty of the Imperial University Earth College. Specifically, he is a history professor and priest of Irripi Ontor. Professor Walnut has an assistant who handles all the things a dog can't do - writing, picking things up with hands, and so on. Manshuroy (Water, Beast, Movement) is an initiate of the Changing Way but a strong warrior who also acts as bodyguard to his companion. The two of them roam the Empire and beyond, exploring historical sights and triggering historical Heroquests to learn more of the past. The Professor has frequent need to employ adventurers to deal with threats in ruins too big for Manshuroy alone to deal with. Professor Aristodeme Firehair of the Imperial University Air College (Air, Truth, Movement) Professor Aristodeme is a Pelandan Sorceress who follows ancient Pelandan Philosophical teachings which are the core of her sorcerous powers. She is a lay member of the cult of Irippi Ontor because it keeps trouble off her back. The entire Air College flies over the Imperial Capital, slowly circling it over the course of the day; you either need to use a Moon boat, have flying ability, or use one of the ladders which dangles down. Only the bravest take classes there or join the faculty, and Professor Aristodeme is a brave, perhaps even foolhardy woman. She is noted for her hair, which is the color of fire, despite her *total lack of aptitude for fire magic*. During Storm Season, those students brave enough to go along take off in her flying classroom, heading high into the sky and going to every storm, tornado, or other interesting air phenomenon. It is a combination of dormitory, laboratory, and flying warship, since sometimes air creatures attack. She generally hires several adventurers during this trip as security.

It is most definitely.

Eurmal is not one to create peace and stability.

Satrapy of Bindle Jahangir Paisan is the Satrap of Bindle. Unlike most Carmanians, he is a Sweet Sea Sturgeon Hsunchen; many Bindle Hsunchen are some kind of fish Hsunchen, thanks to the presence of the Sweet Sea; he retains the appetite for various lesser fish and crabs of his True Sturgeon Kin. He is greatly worried that Charg will eventually be released from the Syndic's Ban and has been building both a bigger fleet and castles for when that comes. He regards the Liberation Crusade as a fool's dream when the western frontier is in danger. He spends a lot of time petitioning Little Sister for more resources, but she seems more worried about other issues, like how degenerate the Moonson's parties are. Jahangir could care less if the Moonson sleeps with frogs and potatoes, if he would only send more troops, stone, and other resources. Bindle is a pleasant land despite its ruler's paranoia. Carmanian Hsunchen rule over Orlanthi and Pelandan peasantry, who herd sheep, grow barley and wheat, and fish for crabs and other fish in the Sweet Sea. Most of the Satrapy is flat lands gently sloping down to the Sweet Sea shore. Eastern Bindle rises into hills that eventually turn into the Brass Mountains in Spol. A fair number of fish Hsunchen roam the Sweet Sea in great houseboats, accompanied by Schools of True Animals of the same kind as themselves; some never even visit the shore in their lifetime. The Paisan clan is one such clan, though they also maintain homes in Bindle City. Like the Satrap, they are Sweet Sea Sturgeon Hsunchen. Aldog should be bigger than it actually is. The problem is the necessity of paying tribute to the Char-Un if you pass through the city, even though it is technically inside Bindle. The Satrap tolerates this because he will need the Char-Un whenever Charg breaks free of the Ban. The Imperial Navy has a base here and refuses to pay tribute and the Char-Un haven't pressed the matter, but tension is high. Bindle City is home mainly to Pelandans and what few Carmanians don't embrace the Changing Way. There is a naval base for the Sweet Sea Fleet, and extensive fortifications thrown up in the last ten years. The city bustles with trade on the Sweet Sea, thanks to the Syndic's ban mostly ending. Formerly the capital, the Satrap has moved it for fear what will come out of Charg soon. Bindle has massive employment in the ship-building industry. Harandash: This city was founded long ago by Pelandans and is organized into eight rings - once upon a time, this was used to socially organize the city but now it just means this city has a LOT of walls. That's why the paranoid satrap has made it his capital. There is a 'ninth ring' of sprawling new growth since the Syndic's Ban went down, outside the walls but he's building a wall for that. The innermost ring is basically his palace; the major temples are in the second ring; everything beyond that is a jumble of neighborhoods with common occupations. Storal is a tense city whose prosperity comes from controlling passage between the Esel river and the Sweet Sea; it intercepts Worlan's trade with the sea and points beyond. It is massively fortified because it is expected to be the first city hit when Charg opens; the inhabitants are somewhat paranoid. There is a large monument here to the Blue Moon forces who took out the last Prince of Worlan here many years ago. There is a new temple of Humakt, created by the local Orlanthi in anticipation of the war to come. The Morvarid Tribe are a tribe of Carmanian Horse Hsunchen who roam the lands around Storal. They are eager for the Ban to come down so they can conquer Charg and have their own Satrapy. That's the dream of Israfael, their leader, anyway. The Blue People are humans of various amounts of Blueness who dwell along the shore and in the Sweet Sea on great houseboats; many of them have become Fish Hsunchen but the rest initiate to the Goddess of the Sweet Sea and to Heler.

I am probably going to work on the Carmanian lands next, unless anyone has a suggestion.

Arrolian League The Arrolian cities were settled/taken over/fled into by Imperial Refugees during the Seleran Wars. During the Syndic's Ban, all five cities were cut off from each other; all five are out of the Ban now, but one of them is just *gone*; details of Donaros below. The surviving cities have formed a league against the White Bear Empire. Some within the league wish to join the Blue Moon Empire and gain its protection. Others basically see it as corrupt and no longer trust it. Many, as usual, have incoherent opinions or are too busy surviving to care. The River Goddess Janube is seen as the daughter of the Blue Moon; she is important to Arrolian culture and is the second most common goddess for women to initiate to after the Blue Moon herself. The Arrolian cities are home to refugees from the cities of the Blue Moon Empire, while the Hsunchen live in the countryside around the cities. Each city has a ruling council and trades goods for food with the countryside folk; in theory, this is tribute and gifts, but the Hsunchen don't have as much power in Arrolia. The city folk need them, though, in order to eat. The Hsunchen rule over Orlanthi clans, who worship Orlanth and Janube, with Heler as a popular god (he acts as God of both Rain and Fishermen here). The Arrolian Orlanthi live in houses built on stilts; the reason is that the Janube floods their lands during the first week of Sea Season, depositing silt. This makes the land fertile. Some Arrolian Orlanthi are able to build on high ground and certain facilities, like smithies, are built either on a hill or rock formations or something else very stable and elevated. Alorket, City of Philosophers: This city is dominated by Pelandan refugees who spent the period of the Ban organizing their state upon the principals of Anatoli's Ideal Republic. This involves seven castes, based upon the Seven Sailors. This seemed to work fine under the Ban, but people are no longer being called to the castes in the right proportions to make society function and the lower castes are getting cranky about being on the bottom. Donaros, Home of the Hungry Dead: Once the biggest city in Arrolia, during the Ban, the city was cut off from the countryside. Hsunchen and Orlanthi clans fought each other bloodily outside it, in their own pocket, ending in both groups being wrecked, while in the city, unable to get out or get food, they killed and ate each other. Now the city is full of hungry ghosts and undead, and the countryside around it is a wasteland home to crazed cannibals, some of whom have turned into ogres. This is a problem for river traffic. Eastpoint, City of Sorcery: This city goes back to the Jrustelli Empire, when it marked the eastern border (in Fronela). Lunar refugees took over in 1392 and have ruled it ever since. It was settled by a mixture of Carmanians and Dara Happans who have joined with the local into their own micro-culture of Eastpoint. The College of Many Arts is the center of society; those who can pass the entrance exams and learn sorcery join the ruling class - everyone else is second class. Initiation to Jakeel or Irrippi Ontor is common here. There is a strong tension between city folk and the country Hsunchen. In 1598, the high priestess of Jakeel built an impossible monument in the heart of the city; it shouldn't be able to hold itself up and looking at it for too long hurts your mind. But it opened the way for Moon Boat traffic to and from the Empire. Riverjoin, City of Guilds: This city has been controlled by artisans and the Lunar refugees were simply integrated into the city's guilds on their arrival. During the Ban, they defeated the Hsunchen and forced *them* to pay tribute; the Changing Way and its deities are common here, but the city folk are driving the bus and rural Hsunchen and Orlanthi both pay tribute to the city. It is run by a council of guilds. Southbank, the Eleventh Dara Happan City: Taken over by Dara Happans, the city is run as much like one of the Ten Cities as possible. Or so they think - the city is a strange fusion of Blue Moon and Solar religion, with Yelm as the husband of the Blue Moon. The city is a matriarchy, but they will insist this is the true way to worship Yelm and the Solar gods. Southbank has the most intense conflict between those who see the Empire as 'having gone astray from the true Path of the Moon and the Sun' and those who know only the Empire can save them from the White Bear Empire. (Loksalm could try but they are sad little heretics.)

The New White Bear Empire The spread of the Changing Way has sometimes taken odd turns and twists. The Seleran Wars of the 1300 and 1400s drove refugees into Fronela, who settled along the Janube in which is now known as Arrolia. From there, the servants of Etryes built a trade network which further spread the Changing Way outside the Empire. The Rathori accepted it eagerly and used its teachings to resurrect their ancient mentor, the White Bear. It was Black Hralf who turned the Rathori into the White Bear Empire. Imperial Scholars have reason to believe that he tampered with the Gate of Banir and vanished; he later returned, now commanding powers of Chaos and took command of the Rathori, leading them to conquer everything and its dog. He might well have conquered all of Fronela, but the Syndics, a conspiracy led by Prince Snodal of Loksalm, murdered Etryes and brought down the Syndic's Ban. (We think he also killed Black Hralf as part of this process, but it's unclear.) The Rathori were cast into endless hibernation during the period of the Ban. Eventually, they began to awaken and the one known now as Harrek the Berserk would pass into the Empire, where he became a gladiator and eventually killed Emperor Igneous. He fled the Empire before he could be apprehended and passed back into Rathori lands where he slew the White Bear or possibly was slain by it... whatever happened, he now became White Bear King of the Rathori, who he led into battle with the Kingdom of War. The death of Lord Death on a Horse, who Harrek beat to death with his own limbs, cemented both Harrek's position as the Superhero of the Death Rune, and left him free to contemplate other conquests. Most expect he will seize Arrolia, then push east into the Empire; certain Imperial prophesies make it clear he and Jar-Eel will one day do battle for the fate of two empires. Given the ongoing tensions between Loksalm and the White Bear Empire, he may well get bogged down in warfare there for a while, however. The White Bear Empire practices the Changing Way but does not recognize the authority of the Moonson. Nor does it have much of an organizational structure - everything is *personal* in the White Bear Empire. Tribute is the heart of the system - there is no real taxation. The Char-Un have been skirmishing with the White Bear forces, whose heavy bear cavalry hits like a hammer but struggles to keep up with the faster Char-Un forces. The White Bear also fields spear wielding infantry and deadly archers. The four western Satraps are all calling for abandoning Sartar and focusing on the growing threat in the West, but the Moonson doesn't seem concerned, oddly enough.

To be honest, Sartar strikes me as someone far more appropriate to be the Superhero of the Harmony Rune than Jar-Eel.

Arkat's real name is Coldmiser.

Hmm, an interesting idea. Using a diety who doesn't exist solely to die makes it more interesting, anyway. The God of the Silver Feet is the Mr. Body of Glorantha. Etryes, the Dead Goddess of Conversion Through Trade (Communications, Earth) The precise origin of Etryes is unclear to historical scholars. She was born in the first century of the Empire, a poor girl in a Dara Happan City. But when the Moonson passed the Ten Tests, she had a vision and spontaneously became a member of the Changing Way, a Horse Hsunchen. The Moonson felt her awakening and passed her into the care of the Seven Sailors, who saw her purpose. She would spread the Changing Way through Trade - her followers would be the advance agents of the Changing Way, introducing it to new peoples, who would then be brought into the Empire. (Trade inside the Empire was handled by both Argan Argar and Etryes initiates and the two cults often clashed.) Etryes served the Empire for many years and apothesized, going to dwell on the Blue Moon, though she sometimes returned to Glorantha (when people heroformed her). The flight of many Imperials into Fronela during the murder-rape-theft spree of Sheng Seleris led to the foundation of the colony of Arrolia, but it also panicked many Fronelans; a group of wicked thugs and thieves gathered in a secret place, then forced one of the Arrolians to heroform Etryes and then killed her. They claimed they were saving Fronela from being drowned by Zzabur, but from what is known of Zzabur, what reason would he have to drown Fronela? She is now locked in a Hell the Empire has been unable to pierce, though they have been steadily whittling away the defenses and that seems to be gradually breaking the 'Syndic's Ban', as it is called. In her absence, Argan Argar has taken over her job, but simply isn't as good at it, though he has a talent for trade with non-humans that she never did. Any hero who could break her out of Hell would most certainly earn themselves vast glory and a place as one of the Immortals of the Empire. A post on the White Bear Empire will come later.

Sheng is a horrible monster by any standard higher than the Pentans, but from the Pentan perspective, yes, he is the good guy -- he unites the tribes of Pent against outsiders -- he burns, rapes, and murders the weak (non-Pentans), which is a good thing from their perspective -- he brings wealth and plunder to the Pentan clans -- he stacks Kralorelans to the ceiling, who are all dragon-freaks -- he kills the Moonson, who has repeatedly slaughtered Pentans Since the Pentan definition of good is 'good to us, genocidal monster to everyone else', he easily fills that definition.

The Char-Un If you can't beat them, join them. The Char-Un were one of many Pentan tribes who kept invading the Empire. Most of them still haven't learned to stop doing so, but the Char-Un realized that if you can't beat them, join them. The Empire had shown its strength. So they adopted the Changing Way and became Horse Hsunchen. But at their heart, they're still a collection of people who believe that they are the greatest and everyone else must submit to them or die. They're really good at burning, pillaging, and murder, and basically useless for anything else. So they are a war tribe and have been ever since they joined. The Empire has never been on good terms with Elves - the basic problem is that they compete for forests with some of the Hsunchen nations and they are not interested in the Changing Way. So when the Char-Un joined up, the Moonson called down a great hailstorm that laid waste to an Elf Forest, then the Char-Un burned most of the forest away and took over the new steppe - Erigia. It's not very good land but since they bring in huge amounts of war plunder, it doesn't matter. Ironically, the 'Tame Forest' which remains is tended by their slaves and they sell a lot of timber to the eastern Empire. The Char-Un conduct a yearly ritual in which they kill the old Mother of the Forest. This staves off her taking revenge on them for another year. Great Khan Orgun the Fat is their leader; outsiders bet on which one of his khans will murder him, since he's basically become unfit for combat. He remains a cruel, hateful man and any khans who don't do a good job of rebelling will end up dead by slow torture. Orgun remains confident he will not be overthrown - prophecy says he will die at the hands of 'someone greater than himself', and none of his khans are greater than he is. Etregia, Great Khanate of the Char-Un For thousands of years, this area was taiga - semi-arctic forest. Ideal for some forest hsunchen but mainly occupied by Elves. They were slaughtered by the Moonfall and then their goddess was killed by Great Khan Panishi, and the Mother of the Forest keeps being killed annually. It is now mostly half-frozen grassland of low quality, a lousy place to live. It contains a patch of harvested forest known as the Tame Forest; every so often, an elf is born and has to be hunted down. Mostly, it's harvested for timber. The Char-Un serve as a war tribe all the time so they can get plunder and tribute to keep themselves afloat; any time of peace means the gravy train stops running. The Char-Un keep slaves - some of them are to run the timbering business. Others fish in Lake Char; the capital, Char-Un City, sits by the lake; it's basically a palace complex for the Great Khan; each Khan has a Dark Season refuge and otherwise, they roam, forming tent communities. Tribute and loot are brought to these palaces for distribution. Most of the menfolk are away at war for most of the year or somethings all of the year, leaving the women to run the place themselves. The remaining slaves do the grunt work, freeing Khanate women to work on becoming as horrible as their husbands. The Changing Way and the Elves Elves have largely rejected the Changing Way; they need the bright light of the Sun to flourish (which is why they backed Nyaslor) and they have no interest in becoming linked to meat creatures. A few elves *have* converted. They become just about any kind of forest-dwelling animal and typically are adopted into an appropriate clan, though they remain an elf in their mannish form. This has resulted in several elf nations being wiped out by Moonfalls -- hideously destructive rains of hail, usually followed by mundane troops burning the remains of the woods in the normal way. The Elven Kingdoms of Rist and Erigia were both destroyed in this way. The Elves have an especial hatred of the Char-Un, because of the destruction of Eregia and its occupation by the Char-Un. They have tried several times to ruin the annual killing of the Mother of the Forest without success. One group of elves has headed to Southeastern Genertla on a special mission related to this, though outsiders don't know what their goal is. Calaskar the Relentless, known to have sworn revenge on the Char-Un, leads this expedition. He is a powerful and angry priest of Halmalio (known as Yelmalio among humans). Unusually for an Elf, he wears armor made out of trollskin leather. The Hellwood of Dorastor is another such response to Imperial persecution of Elves.

Thanks. I didn't think to look there even though it makes sense of everything. I was looking on the Oraya/First Blessed map

I can't figure out exactly where the Char-Un live. I can't find it on the maps in the Guide.

Satraps The empire is divided into Provinces, each of which is ruled by a Satrap. (In the South, Satraps are also usually King or Queen of a country which has been brought under the Empire's sway). Each Satrap is a member of the Changing Way, though most have a deputy who is not and who does the tedious parts of the job for them. Satraps oversee the enforcement of Imperial Law, the collection of Taxes and Tribute, and military affairs. They can issue regulations for their province so long as they don't contradict Imperial Law. Satraps are typically drawn from a different province than the one they govern. (Kostaddi, ruled by the Sable People, is an exception to this rule.) Several War Tribes + Imperial forces answer to them. Many Satraps die at Tea Parties because ambitious underlings want their job, but the power is so great that people keep accepting the job anyway. Carmanians refer to the four Carmanian Satraps as 'Lion Satraps', which doesn't mean anything but lets the pretend they are not just subjects of the Empire. The War Provinces South of Tarsh are the War Provinces, which are governed by Hyparchs, military governors. Sartar, the Holy Country, and Prax are the three War Provinces. They are under military rule and military law until the rebellions can be put down. Imperial citizens can appeal to imperial courts if accused of a crime in these areas. Subject peoples cannot. If a foothold is gained in Fonrit, a fourth War Province is planned there.