Manu Posted February 27, 2020 Share Posted February 27, 2020 While thinking of my next campaign, I was wondering... There is a lot of land-dweller in Glorantha. Most of the races are walking There is also many sea creatures. But nearly no flying creature. Which is weird as the most powerful gods of all are the gods of middle air. But noone is living there (ok, some but very few). Why? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minlister Posted February 27, 2020 Share Posted February 27, 2020 Did you take into account that apart from flying creatures you have all the cloud races? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manu Posted February 27, 2020 Author Share Posted February 27, 2020 3 minutes ago, Minlister said: Did you take into account that apart from flying creatures you have all the cloud races? Cloud races??? never heard of them!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir_Godspeed Posted February 27, 2020 Share Posted February 27, 2020 9 minutes ago, Manu said: Cloud races??? never heard of them!!! The Orlanthi consider the clouds, or at least certain types of clouds, to be living beings. Cloudhawks, cloudcats, cloudsheep and so on. They comprise Orlanth's flock, although they are also tied to Heler as both Orlanth's companion and (sometimes female) lover. There is a section on Orlanthi cloud lore in the Book of Heortling Mythology. The section can be understood literally (ie. clouds are literally living beings that would appear as animals when viewed from the Storm Realm), allegorically (ie. as a means to explain weather patterns, as cloudhawks are the wispiest clouds the highest up, while cloudsheep are the thickest clouds furthest down), or genealogically (explaining the creation of both natural phenomena, as well as sapient beings and even some clans that may claim descent from them). I believe also sandstorms are associated with Storm Bull in the same section. If we move beyond that, we have Heler's original people, who were the Helerings, a "Cloud People". Described as people in flying boats who raided the Vingkotlings in the God Time, they were originally sea beings who appear to have made the Middle Air their home - much like Lorion was a sea god who made the Sky his home and so on. The Helerings later "landed" on the ground and sea, and were absorbed into the Vingkotlings, but their ancestry sometimes shines through in blue-skinned Orlanthi - allegedly moreso in Maniria than other regions (but I'm not sure how canon this latter point is). There are also actual, flesh-and-bone hawks that are associated with Storm in Dragon Pass (although not in all of Glorantha). Then there are of course the Wind Children. Both of these make their home on the physical ground, but are intimately associated with the Air. The same probably goes for the Sky Bulls (who, despite the name, are not associated with Sky but with Storm, slip of the tongue I guess). There might be more. I haven't yet found evidence of any people living ON the clouds as if they were islands, but I think that would be cool as hell, so IMG it's likely that some kind of demigod race (or maybe just sufficiently "stormy"/"helerite" Wind Children) live like that. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Posted February 27, 2020 Share Posted February 27, 2020 There are an awful lot of Air Elementals (including sentient, self-willed ones), as well as wind children, sky bulls, griffins, hippogriffs, giant hawks, giant eagles, giant wasps, wyrms, wyverns, dragons, and other fliers. The skies are pretty full of beings! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minlister Posted February 27, 2020 Share Posted February 27, 2020 As I understand the question, it was more about people permanently living in the Middle Air, not people able to fly to reach it, but maybe I did not understand @Manu 's real point. Could you specify what you intended? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g33k Posted February 27, 2020 Share Posted February 27, 2020 2 hours ago, Jeff said: There are an awful lot of Air Elementals (including sentient, self-willed ones), as well as wind children, sky bulls, griffins, hippogriffs, giant hawks, giant eagles, giant wasps, wyrms, wyverns, dragons, and other fliers. The skies are pretty full of beings! Kyger Litor has worshipers who are "native" to some very Dark places. Wachaza & other sea-deities have natively "watery" followers in the Merfolk. Aldryami are plants, can't get much more runic than that! Etc... Orlanth has very few worshipers who are "native" to the Middle Air... I think the (relatively scarce, maybe 250K worldwide?) Wind Children are about it ... ? Which seems odd, given how powerful the Storm Tribe is, and Orlanth... Quote C'es ne pas un .sig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leingod Posted February 27, 2020 Share Posted February 27, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, g33k said: Kyger Litor has worshipers who are "native" to some very Dark places. Wachaza & other sea-deities have natively "watery" followers in the Merfolk. Aldryami are plants, can't get much more runic than that! Etc... Orlanth has very few worshipers who are "native" to the Middle Air... I think the (relatively scarce, maybe 250K worldwide?) Wind Children are about it ... ? Which seems odd, given how powerful the Storm Tribe is, and Orlanth... I always saw it as, anywhere between Earth and Sky that there's Air to breathe and you can feel wind on your skin? That's the Middle Air. Earth and Air are married, it only makes sense they're very close. Edited February 27, 2020 by Leingod 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joerg Posted February 27, 2020 Share Posted February 27, 2020 Just like Dehori aren't all disembodied, and they and shades may have permanently material presence in the surface world (in addition to the Underworld), there are bound to be a huge number of minor air and storm deities or cloud entities who may merge with larger ones. Quite a lot of the magical sea entities are not offspring of Triolina, yet still very alive - the tidal waves, the rivers and sea currents, whirlpools and other very local phenomena of water movement (or lack thereof). Many may be of similar mixed origin like Choralinthor, child of Esrola and the sea current then still body of water Faralinthor. If you look at the cult of Heler in Hero Wars Storm Tribe, all the ram manifestations of the deity are atmospheric entities, some with the ability to form a separate body, others content to form a body out of the rainclouds. Heler's offspring by Yinkin and Orlanth has already been mentioned, and while some may appear as ephemeral existences, it is as possible that these clouds can "discorporate" into a greater body of storm or cloud and re-appear when the conditions are fine. Another potential encounter in the Middle Air are low-hanging Fire Tribe or independent star folk, possibly with permanent outposts. If Liorn and Forosil were heroes of Orlanth who inhabited their own low-hanging stars, there may be other such entities, or possibly a few abandoned roosts that survived Tyram's invasion of the sky and defeat at the hands of Orlanth and his celestial host. 1 Quote Telling how it is excessive verbis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir_Godspeed Posted February 28, 2020 Share Posted February 28, 2020 7 hours ago, g33k said: Kyger Litor has worshipers who are "native" to some very Dark places. Wachaza & other sea-deities have natively "watery" followers in the Merfolk. Aldryami are plants, can't get much more runic than that! Etc... Orlanth has very few worshipers who are "native" to the Middle Air... I think the (relatively scarce, maybe 250K worldwide?) Wind Children are about it ... ? Which seems odd, given how powerful the Storm Tribe is, and Orlanth... In some ways I think it makes thematic sense. Umath did not originally have a domain or terrain of his own, he had to make it, counter to the Court's plans for the Cosmos. Orlanth did not originally have a kingdom or people of his own, but rather formed the Storm Tribe by accepting in many different outsiders in marriage-alliance with his wife. The Vingkotlings grew not just by conquest, but by allying and assimilating/integrating neighboring peoples. The story of the Storm Tribe is not the story of a self-sufficient, "pure" group procreating, it's very much a story of adoption, exploration and in many ways not really having a thing of their own, as it were, until they make or take something. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.