John Biles

They're going to have a field day, along with the Dog People.

She does now. (Also, I have to note that one of the very first official ST novels is, in fact, a ST/7 Brides for 7 Brothers crossover!)

The Sable People and Kostaddi Since the First Age, a branch of the Praxian Sable Riders were stuck in Peloria, often contained on the Hungry Plateau, but sometimes erupting out of it conquer nearby lands. The rise of the Blue Moon saw their conversion by the Seven Mothers and they underwent a conversion to the new ways... this wasn't always easy as it did involve a serious shift in their relationship to their herdbeasts. This culminated in a civil war during Sheng Seleris' invasion and some of the Sable People reverted to the old ways and fled east with his defeated forces. But the loyalists consolidated their control of Kostaddi. Queen Wind-Talker, a shaman, commands the winds that come down off the plateau and uses them to punish those who disobey her in Kostaddi. She is one of the forces pushing for forcible conversion of the remaining peoples of the Empire who have not embraced the Blue Moon way; her predecessors wiped out the inhabitants of the land closest to the plateau and turned it into more pasture-land, but left the rich farmlands of the west intact. For now. even she doesn't want to mess with Alkioth, which theoretically obeys her as long as she does not issue it many commands. Queen Wind-Talker has seven brothers, her Khans, all currently seeking brides. (A polite way of saying kidnapping people for their harem in many cases.) Each manages a seventh of the realm under her command. Many of their subjects have abandoned city and farm life and become goat hsunchen, roaming the plains with their herds of goats. Goat riders have become part of the Imperial army, noted for their powerful charges. The goat folk have constant problems with the Broo, who absolutely hate them and call them 'heretics'. A fair number of them live on the slopes of the Hungry Plateau; their nimble feet lets them go where normal people cannot. Dara Happans cling to their old ways along the rivers, farming rice and worshipping Lodril. A common punishment for the upper class Dara Happans if the Queen is irritated is to make them join the Lodril ceremonies, which leaves them ritually impure for weeks. This doesn't stop some Dara Happans getting in trouble. Cities of Note: Alkioth: Much like the canon, though since its submission to the Blue Moon, the demons all look like twisted, mutated animals. Also, there is a constant drumming, frenzied, which never ends, from Shargash's temple; everyone wonders, and worries, what happens if it ever stops. Once a year, Callicus comes to Alkioth and goes into the temple; a day long jam session of music ensues, then he goes back to his capital or to Raibanth. East Raibanth: This suburb of the Dara Happan capital is the most miserable part of Dara Happa. Forbidden to engage in the cleanliness rituals which also make the city clean, it is a filthy plague pit. Worse, the city's occupying force of Sable Riders basically force everyone to eat the foods which will create the foulest breath and the Queen's magics ensure the stink never blows away. Yet, its inhabitants stubbornly cling to their traditions as much as they can. One of these is the Counting of the Hours, shouted out from high towers, every hour on the hour. When people are awake, they will often join the shout. A past Queen tried to ban this, became unable to tell time, then went to sleep and never woke up again. The Goat Shrine: Carried on a platform by sixteen blessed goats, it travels between the goat people clans; it is about twenty by twenty feet; whatever happens inside brings fertility and prowness in war to goat people who it visits, but madness to those who have spied on the ceremonies and inevitably gouge their eyes out in horror. Hargoth: Winds off the plateau should not all converge on this city, but they do, an ongoing punishment for supporting Sheng Seleris. Despite, or maybe because of this, this is where tribute is brought from across the province - some is sent on to the Imperial Capital and the rest hauled by caravan to Two-Towers. The city is mostly unhappy Dara Happans. Admittedly, in Kostadi, 'unhappy' and 'Dara Happan' are usually synonyms. Two-Towers: Two ancient towers which resemble fangs flank the only entrance to the Plateau; some think the whole plateau is one big mouth waiting to close once enough suckers are in place. Whatever the truth, it hasn't eaten the Sable Riders or their subjects yet; a sprawling tent city surrounds this ancient citadel; it is the capital of the province. Ancient rituals and the disposal of the city's wastes ensure a roughly ten mile belt around the city on the plateau is especially thick with grasses. Perpetual winds blow the stink of the city off the plateau and off towards the city of Hargoth. The Vortex: A perpetual tornado found in the northern end of the Hungry Plateau; the Queen and her shamans go there during Sacred Time and fly about in it, performing rites.

The Blue Moon is another broken thing which could be fixed and this lets me make lots of were-person jokes. (And there was a Blue Moon empire in the past in Pamaltela.) Ahaha. A great idea. Heh. I'll have to see if I have enough time/energy.

In the Life of Moonson thread, someone pointed out all the top sellers at Rpg.net today had a connection to the Moon, so I couldn't help but imagine this. So I slammed Exalted Lunars and the Lunar Empire together and got the Blue Moon Lunar Empire. Faced with Carmanian invasion, the Seven Mothers tried to revive a goddess who could smite the Carmanians. What they got was the Blue Moon Goddess, whose power over water enabled them to command Peloria's waters, drowning the Carmanian homeland and smiting their armies whenever they came near a river. But further, the light of the Blue Moon brought a revival of the Hsunchen traditions of Peloria. All who embraced the light of the Blue Moon could unlock and command their animal nature; the Telmori streamed north, finding their ancient curse could be cured by the power of the Blue Moon. Further, the light of the Blue Moon shielded devout Uz from the sun, bringing them to the banner. The Empire's biggest problem is that adopting your Hsunchen nature isn't very compatible with a well-organized empire. Their military is pretty well organized and disciplined but bureaucracy is... poor. The Empire thus struggles to really fully exploit its full strength as it tries to bring its gospel of the animal soul to everyone. Dara Happans who have been conquered but refuse to convert do a lot of the bureaucratic work that does get done and keep the empire from deciding to turn new conquests into just massive pasture. The Empire is led by the Moonson, who like the canon one is periodically reborn. He is currently Callicus, a Calico Cat Hsunchen who just wants to eat and nap, which is causing problems for the Empire. (Jar-Eel is, of course, an Eel Hsunchen, who killed the Pharoah in his bath.) The conquest of Sartar has gone badly because this reminds Sartarites way too much of the EWF.

Produced on too small a scale.

She isn't called the Razoress because she's good at shaving people. She goes out and kills people for Monsoon. Murder is her job and it's what she's good at. And Argath's massive bodycount is another issue. To be fair, Beat-Pot Aelwin is a demonstration of her Harmony Rune in action

Probably the same reason that Jar-Eel the Razoress, most noted for murdering the Pharoah, has Harmony, when she leaves a trail of bodies in her wake.

Ethilrist is a hard-bitten Malkioni mercenary warrior; the current Red Emperor is basically old, sad Elvis, who lacks the energy to even be creatively decadent. I have to imagine that the Red Emperor ruling despite being useless annoys him deeply.

There's a stage magician like that and he's amazing.

A few thoughts on mining in Dragon Pass: 1. The existence of smiths with magical powers (Gustbran initiates, etc) likely means a fair amount of metal is recycled from broken weapons and tools in ways not possible in the real world. 2. Some clans may live in the mountains and make their living by mining and trading ore. 3. Trolls likely trade some metals for things more tasty to eat. 4. Most farming clans can work metal but have to trade for it, having used up any easily mined metals on their lands long ago. 5. During the occupation, the Lunars likely use slave labor to mine in the Quivini Mountains and then process the ore in Boldhome. 6. Ernalda-related cults would have magic to find various kinds of ore and likely heroquests which let you find a lode on your lands if they work. 7. Esrolia probably imports a lot of copper; it's mostly flat land (I think) and the Earth cults need lots of it. Adventure Seeds: The bones of those slaughtered in the Dragonkill have turned into some kind of metal - a special metal, or maybe just the usual ones. The Lunars are now mining it because they can handle the many angry ghosts at those sites. The Earthshaker Temple needs copper and is shaking down mining clans for it with threats of earthquakes. Gold is being mined by slaves and shipped to Peloria for the solar folk to use; let's free some slaves and liberate the precious metal! Raiders made off with the clan's metal supply - now the blacksmith can't make weapons or tools. Time for a roadtrip to one of the cities to trade for metals. A special Heler ceremony requires getting a lot of silver (That's the water metal, right?), but the clan/tribe doesn't want to wipe out all its coin/jewelry wealth. But there's an abandoned silver mine; if you can clear it out and then collect some ore, everyone wins, save the monsters in it. No one liked them anyway. Dwarves show up with a contract in which your ancestors agreed to present them with 1 ton of bronze at the start of the next season. Otherwise, they can take all your tools and weapons. You need to get some bronze FAST.

So Ethilrist dates back to the First Age? I did not know that.

I would presume the Aldryami with their big 'COVER THE EARTH IN TREES' plan.

Buddhism was a revolt against the kind of 'reincarnate 1000 times until you get it right' approach of the Dragonnewts. The religious leaders of India when Buddhism existed believed in something closer to the Dragonnewt approach; the Buddhists taught that you could escape the cycle *right now* if you followed the correct procedures (the Eightfold Path).

Or Arkat. Really, in Glorantha, if you think violence will solve your problems, it will just make more problems and if you think copious amounts of violence will solve your problems, you become a monster. (Also, if you have a vision for improving Glorantha which requires violence to implement, you also end up like this.)

The easiest way is to make drinks up! Aro-Noa, Sacred Drink of the West Aro-Noa is a popular drink in Seshnela, but its consumption is regulated as part of the caste system. Aro-Noa is a colorful bush with beautiful leaves; steeped in hot water, it produces a sweet but also bitter drink that may sometimes induce visions. The first steeping is only for Zzaburs, who then pass the leaves on to the Talars, who get the second pressing. Then the soldiers, and then the commoners get the dregs; each stage reduces the taste and the mystical potency of the leaves. Some wealthy commoners add various spices to the drink or even mix it with booze of various kinds. This is frowned on, especially when they use the black market to get hold of higher pressings.

I think we all know Sartar(kat) was the actual Arkat. Ralzakark inherited the job of 'shadow of Arkat' when he went to the bathroom during the will reading but he's still crank about it.

The Emperors of Kralorela and a bunch of Kralorelans.

The Red Goddess was basically created to kick people's ass and anything else was a side benefit. Which is why she ended up creating an empire which goes out and kicks people's ass. The White Moon basically reflects the inequities in Lunar society, I expect the White Moon ranges from cults which want to overthrow the rulers of Lunar society to cults which have the agenda you hypothesized to cults which are intended to keep those angry at Lunar inequalities from doing anything actually *dangerous*.

Fonrit enslaves everyone, which is repugnant to the Orlanthi, as the Orlanthi who keep thralls justify their keeping thralls while pretending to worship a god of freedom by saying 'they were weak and had it coming'. But in Fonrit, even the strong are slaves.

The number one enemy of Orlanthi is usually other Orlanthi. Plus, I have to imagine the Orlanthi of Umathela see Fonrit as Public Enemy Number One. A country which exalts slavery for everyone is going to rub them the wrong way.

Darkness was the first Element to emerge from Chaos because it espoused 'I AM', a scream of 'I exist and I am different'. If we are all us, then the road by which the world dissolves back into Chaos is clear. Without individuation, everyone dissolves back into the Red Goddess and the Red Goddess herself ceases to exist. Basically, we're talking End of Evangelion, in Glorantha. All of the children of the Man rune and everything else turn into red goo, are absorbed into the Red Godess and then we are all us in truth.

So what you're saying is that Argath is actually the brother of Galactus. That explains a lot.

Nysalorean illumination - the Riddlers - strikes me as the form of illumination which is most like walking through a town throwing molotov cocktails everywhere. While there *is* Draconic Orlanth traditions, they were largely stomped out when the EWF went down. I think an Orlanthi tradition would have to do with realizing that violence to others is violence against yourself and thus transcending that other/self division. Which also transforms 'no one can make you do anything', when you realize you are that other person trying to coerce you too. Ernaldan Illumination would have to do with dying like Ernalda and being reborn, having shed some of your self, but also recognizing life and death are the same thing.

Covenant would not want to rule the Holy Country. Covenant would blunder around, having adventures, then eventually, he would laugh at Ralkazark until he died. (With regard to the ongoing illumination thread, the end of the first Chronicles of Thomas Covenant is him achieving illumination.) (Covenant would also point out to the Crimson Bat that if it doesn't kill whoever it's sent to kill *it doesn't have to go back*.) (In fact, Covenant is a pretty good example of one mystical path to illumination. )