1 Page History

[Marty Jopson]

Hi folks - before I go ahead and write this, I thought I should just check has anyone produced a one page summary of the history of Dragon Pass covering the events pertinent to character creation? I have hunted about in the tomes that I possess. The main rulebook has bits scattered around in the sections on Gloranthan history, the Family History rules and the Homelands chapter. The GM Pack has some more Colymar specific info and the Glorantha Sourcebook has many, many pages of information. But I can't find a handy summary to plop on the table so that when players (with no previous Gloranthan experience) are rolling up character history they can see it in context. Have I missed something lurking in an appendix? 

For that matter - a pick list of cults would be handy too. Again, it's on my list of things to write, but happy to snaffle someone else's work...

Cheers

[Arcadiagt5]

I haven't seen such, but agree it would be useful. 

[g33k]

16 minutes ago, Marty Jopson said:

... For that matter - a pick list of cults would be handy too. Again, it's on my list of things to write, but happy to snaffle someone else's work...

Note that the Cults project (probably TWO volumes, 100+ gods, spirits, sub-cults, cognates, etc) is coming "soon"(ish), FWIW.

 

[Nick Brooke]

Modify the old Sartar Players' Primer? It was written for HeroQuest not RuneQuest, but that only affects a few pages at the back, and it omits the most recent events (as HQ kicks off in 1621ish, RQG in 1627ish), but it should be a good place to start. And it's free!

[Marty Jopson]

I have a bunch of the HeroQuest stuff - but for some reason not the Primer you mention. It looks pretty good. I shall take a look. But in the end it may just be quicker to write it myself. 

It would be great if there was something like this for RQG - cough - cough - looking at you @Jason Durall, @Jeff, @MOB

I'm hoping there would be something like this in the Starter Set. Talking of which how's that going? 

[Austin]

I put this together for my home campaign, as part of a character creation packet I wrote. Is this something like what you'd want for the core cults? I make no promises that it's totally perfectly accurate to canon, but I don't remember making up anything wonky back when I wrote it.

• Common Homeland & Species Cults:

  • Sartar: Orlanth, Ernalda, Babeester Gor, Chalana Arroy, Eurmal, Humakt, Issaries, Lhankor Mhy, Maran Gor, Storm Bull, Yelmalio.

  • Esrolia: Ernalda, Argan Argar, Babeester Gor, Chalana Arroy, Eurmal, Issaries, Lhankor Mhy, Maran Gor, Orlanth.

  • The Grazelands: Yelm (Yu-Kargzant), Ernalda, Humakt, Issaries, Orlanth.

  • Prax:

    • Bison Tribe: Waha, Daka Fal, Eiritha, Storm Bull, Orlanth.

    • High Llama Tribe: Waha, Daka Fal, Eiritha, Storm Bull.

    • Impala Tribe: Waha, Daka Fal, Eiritha, Storm Bull, Yelmalio.

    • Sable Tribe: Waha, Seven Mothers, Eiritha, Yelmalio.

    • Pol-Joni Tribe: Orlanth, Humakt, Eiritha, Storm Bull.

  • Lunar Tarsh: Seven Mothers, Ernalda, Chalana Arroy, Humakt, Issaries, Lhankor Mhy, Yelmalio.

  • Old Tarsh: Maran Gor, Orlanth, Ernalda, Odayla.

  • New Pavis: Orlanth, Issaries, Seven Mothers, Daka Fal, Zola Fel

  • Sun County: Yelmalio, Ernalda, Chalana Arroy, Humakt.

  • Rone County: Seven Mothers, Yelmalio, Humakt, Ernalda.

  • Corflu: Seven Mothers, Zola Fel, Foundchild, Daka Fal.

  • Morokanth: Waha, Daka Fal, Eiritha, Storm Bull, Argan Argar.

  • Ducks: As Sartar.

  • Newtlings: Zola Fel, Daka Fal.

  • Dark Trolls & Trollkin: Kyger Litor, Zorak Zoran, Argan Argar.

  • Baboons: Grandfather Baboon (Daka Fal).

 

• Adventurer Cult Summaries:

  • Argan Argar: The God of Surface Darkness, he is worshiped by trolls and humans alike. He mediates interaction between the two races.

    • Runes: Darkness, Harmony

  • Babeester Gor: The Avenging Daughter. Worshiped by axe-wielding warrior women, who guard temples of her mother Ernalda.

    • Runes: Death, Earth

  • Chalana Arroy: The Goddess of Healing. Her worshipers take vows not to harm any intelligent creature, and heal all those who ask.

    • Runes: Harmony, Fertility

  • Daka Fal: The Judge of the Dead. Also called Grandfather Mortal. He was the first human who died. His shamanic cult helps humans contact their ancestors.

    • Runes: Man.

    • Baboons worship Daka Fal as Grandfather Baboon. The cult is identical, except that it has the Beast Rune.

  • Eiritha: The Herd Mother, all the Praxian beasts descend from her. She's worshipped by female Praxians, and herders in general.

    • Runes: Fertility, Beast.

  • Ernalda: The Earth Queen, who is the source of life. She is worshiped all across Glorantha and has many husbands, including Orlanth.

    • Runes: Fertility, Earth, Harmony

  • Eurmal: The Trickster. He is anything from harmless prankster to thief and kinslayer. He brought Death into the world as a trick. There is no formal Eurmal cult, but varied shrines. Worshipers are generally outside the law (both its protection and its restrictions).

    • Runes: Disorder, Illusion, Movement

  • Foundchild: Hunting God. He taught humans to use Death to foster Life.

    • Runes: Death, Harmony

  • Humakt: God of Death and War. His followers must ritually separate themselves of bonds. Does not allow resurrection, and followers must take a gift & geas.

    • Runes: Death, Truth

  • Issaries: God of Communication & Trade. Worshiped by merchants, traders, caravaners, etc. His cult language, Tradetalk, is the common second language across Glorantha.

    • Runes: Movement, Harmony

  • Lhankor Mhy: The Lord of Knowledge, who is worshiped by scribes and sages. He and his cult are always in pursuit of more knowledge. Some initiates are taught sorcery (ask me for more details).

    • Runes: Truth, Stasis

  • Maran Gor: The Earthshaker, often worshiped alongside her mother Ernalda. Worshiped by those who seek the destructive powers of the earth.

    • Runes: Death, Earth, Disorder

  • Odayla: The Bear God, and one of the sons of Orlanth. Worshiped in Sartar and Tarsh by hunters and others who thrive in the wilderness.

    • Runes: Beast, Air

  • Orlanth: Storm God and King of the Gods. He killed Yelm the Sun God, then went to the Underworld to bring Yelm back. Claims overlordship by right of strength and deeds done. Has three subcults: Orlanth Adventurous, Orlanth Thunderous, and female-only Vinga Adventurous.

    • Runes: Air, Movement

  • The Seven Mothers: The ReCreators of the Red Goddess. Provincial cult of the Lunar Empire, worshiping seven Lunar New Gods who gave birth to the Red Goddess, who later created the Red Moon and ascended to Godhood within Time. There are many other Lunar cults (yet unstatted for RQG, but if you're really interested, we could look...)

    • Runes: Death, Moon, Fertility

  • Storm Bull: The Chaos Killer, worshiped widely by Praxians and Orlanthi. He fought Wakboth the Devil in the God Time. His initiates are berserkers and can Sense Chaos.

    • Runes: Air, Death, Beast

  • Waha: The Butcher, he helped the Praxians survive and founded the Survival Pact. Helps determine social structure and survival for the nomad tribes.

    • Runes: Man, Death

  • Yelm/Yu-Kargzant: The Sun God, called the Sun Horse by Grazelanders. Worshiped widely, but the written version focuses on the Grazeland version.

    • Runes: Fertility, Fire/Sky, Death

  • Yelmalio: Son of Yelm, the Cold Sun when the sky is lit, but no sun visible. The cult is small and very hierarchical, restricted to Sun Counties across Dragon Pass. Initiates may take a gift & geas.

    • Runes: Fire/Sky, Truth

  • Yinkin: The God of Shadowcats, half-brother of Orlanth. Fought alongside the storm gods against Chaos. Worshiped by hunters in particular.

    • Runes: Air, Beast

  • Kyger Litor: Mother of Trolls, worshiped and revered by all trolls (even non-initiates). Humans can join, but rarely do. Greatest of the Darkness gods.

    • Runes: Death, Man

  • Zorak Zoran: God of Hate and Vengeance, a troll war god, but also worshiped as a war god among other species. His worshipers act against both Law and Chaos with mindless violence.

    • Runes: Darkness, Death, Disorder

  • Zola Fel: God of the River of Cradles, which runs through New Pavis and Prax. Uses same cult description as Engizi, the god of the Creek-Stream river in Sartar.

[PhilHibbs]

8 hours ago, Crel said:

• • Sartar: Orlanth, Ernalda, Babeester Gor, Chalana Arroy, Eurmal, Humakt, Issaries, Lhankor Mhy, Maran Gor, Storm Bull, Yelmalio.

  • Ducks: As Sartar.

Imma gunna playa Yelmalian duck!🤪

[Ian Absentia]

12 hours ago, Crel said:

I put this together for my home campaign, as part of a character creation packet I wrote. Is this something like what you'd want for the core cults? I make no promises that it's totally perfectly accurate to canon, but I don't remember making up anything wonky back when I wrote it.

• Common Homeland & Species Cults:

  [...snip...]

Is there a reason you omitted the Men-and-a-Half / Agimori?

!i!

[jajagappa]

17 hours ago, Marty Jopson said:

check has anyone produced a one page summary of the history of Dragon Pass covering the events pertinent to character creation? I have hunted about in the tomes that I possess.

I good list is in the Guide p.144, which covers up to 1621.  I've trimmed out entries irrelevant to the immediate regions from RQG.

1550 Wastelands: New Pavis founded by member of Sartarite royal house.
1555 Dragon Pass: Tarsh and Sartar defeat Lunar Army and kill the Lunar king at Battle of Karnge Farm. After armies have disbanded, Lunars ambush Tarsh king and Tarsh falls to the Lunar Empire.
1580 Holy Country: Dormal the Sailor sets sail and begins the Opening of the Oceans.
1581 Seshnela: Dormal the Sailor lands in Nolos, beginning the Opening of the Oceans for that region.
1582 Fronela: Dormal the Sailor sails along coast, initiating both the Opening of the Oceans and the Thaw of the Syndics Ban for that region.
1582 Dragon Pass: Lunar Empire defeats King Tarkalor of Dragon Pass at Battle of Grizzly Peak.
1586 Teshnos: Fleet from the Holy Country starts Opening of Ocean.
1587 Kralorela: Foreign fleet from the Holy Country destroyed by Godunya’s navy.
1602 Dragon Pass: Sartar conquered by Lunar Empire.
1605 Holy Country: Building Wall Battle thwarts invasion of the Lunar Empire into the Holy Country.
1616 Holy Country: Holy Country fleet destroyed by Wolf Pirates; Belintar dies, and is not rebodied. Political dissolution of the Holy Country begins.
1620 Holy Country: Lunar Empire conquers Heortland.
1621 Dragon Pass/Holy Country: Lunar Empire conquers Whitewall & kills Orlanth & Ernalda; Great Winter begins

Then there is also a good list in RQ2 p.7.

1550 Pavis Outside the Walls is settled by Sartarite colonists.
1555 Palashee Longaxe is killed in battle, and the Lunar Governor Kings retake Tarsh.
1582 Tarsh rebels and Sartar forces are smashed at the battle of Grizzly Peak, and all unified Tarsh rebel activity is halted forever as part of that force joins Sartar. This is the region of the Far Point.
1602 Boldhome is sacked by the Lunar army, and the last known heirs of Sartar are slain or driven away.
1605 Lunar Empire defeated in Holy Country at Building Wall battle.
1610 Pavis falls, as do the Prax barbarians as the Lunar Empire searches for a route to the sea.
1613 Kallyr Starbrow leads another Sartarite rebellion, quickly crushed by the Empire.
1616 God-King of the Holy Country disappears and the Masters of Luck and Death fail to bring forth a new incarnation.
1619 Lunar Empire invades Heortland.
1621 Whitewall falls to Lunar Empire.
1624 Lunar Empire defeated in Esrolia by Harrek the Berserk.
1625 True Dragon devours new Lunar Temple in Sartar.
1626 Sartarites repel Lunar invasion but Kallyr Starbrow is killed in battle.
1627 Argrath becomes Prince of Sartar.

And then Wyrms Footnotes #15 has the Dragons Past article of military campaigns p.54 & 56, which is probably the best summary of the past 2 decades.  I've paraphrased some here.

1. The Boldhome Campaign (1602) The Lunar army invaded the kingdom of Sartar with great success... and extinguishing the Flame that united the legendary kingdom.
2. Building Wall Battle (1605) A major thrust by the Lunar army to invade the Holy Country.... Countering with magical strength, the god-king Belintar stopped the Lunars by inflicting a decisive and humiliating defeat.
3. Feint to the Sea (1605) Minor thrust of the Lunar army reached the city of Karse and laid siege, but withdrew without permanent success.
4. Annihilation of Maboder (1606) The Telmori wiped out a whole tribe under their fangs.
5. Conquest of the Telmori (1607) Jomes Wulf, a Lunar general, led a brilliant campaign, and tracked down the wolf-people in their own territory.
6. (First) Invasion of Prax (1608) The Lunar army hopped from oasis to oasis but was raided and harried until it accepted peace before being allowed to enter the Paps. Despite propaganda,
this was a nomad victory.
7. The Boar Hunt (1609) Persistent raiding by the tusk riders rallied their foes, and many lands sent their best hunters and warriors to hunt down the raiders. Success was, as usual, questionable.
8. Conquest of Pavis (1610) The Lunar army, better prepared and equipped this time, marched into Prax and defeated the nomads in battle, then occupied the surrendering city of Pavis.
9. Defeat of the Righteous Wind (1611) Cruel civil war in northern Sartar climaxed when the Prince of Alda-Chur suppressed the local Orlanthi cult with fire, sword, and blood.
10. Starbrow’s Rebellion (1613) Outraged by Lunar presence and urged by social unrest, the Sartarites rebelled in strength, and temporarily expelled the Lunar army. The Lunars regrouped and, under the leadership of General Fazzur Wideread, soundly defeated the rebels.

11. Greymane’s (First) Raid (1614) Led by the renowned Solanthi warlord Greymane, a barbarian army plundered the border cities of the Holy Country.

12. Grazelands Campaign (1615) A squabble broke into open war between the Grazelanders and the Lunars....
13. Lion King’s Feast (1616) A large army from the Holy Country was ambushed and slaughtered by the Ditali barbarians.
14. Greymane’s (Great) Raid (1618) The Solanthi warlord led a massive army through Ditali and deep into the Holy Country, taking great plunder and avoiding a decisive battle.
15. Hendriking Campaign (1619) The Lunar army invaded northern Hendriking lands and took the city of Karse.
16. Conquest of Malkonwal (1620) The Lunar army decisively defeated the Malkonwal army in battle and accepted their surrender. The Hendriking king and his companions hold out at Whitewall, defeating everything the Lunar army throws against them, including the Crimson Bat.
17. Fall of Whitewall (1621) After more than two years of siege and tremendous cost in blood, treasure, and souls, the sacred fortress of Whitewall and its Orlanthi defenders falls to the
Lunar army. The gods Orlanth and Ernalda are proclaimed dead and the Great Winter comes to Dragon Pass, the Holy Country, and Prax.
18. Battle of the Porkers (1622) A large Tusker army from the Stinking Forest invades Tarsh ... It is ambushed and slaughtered by local Tarshite militia under the leadership of Fazzur Wideread, the former General of Dragon Pass.
19. Orlanth is Dead (1622) The Great Winter freezes all in Dragon Pass, the Holy Country, and Prax, Orlanthi rebel and Lunar supporter alike. Chaos erupts from the Print. The Hendriking king
reappears and decisively defeats the Lunar army at the Battle of Iceland, reviving Orlanth and Ernalda, and ending the Great Winter.
20. The Swarm (1623) A great Swarm of thousands of trolls, trollkin, dehori, and insects of every variety cross over the Western Rockwoods from Halikiv and enter Dragon Pass.... Despite ambushes by solar cultists and elves, the Swarm makes its way to Dagori Inkarth and the Castle of Lead.
21. Red Earth, Old Earth (1623) The Hendriking king arrives in Esrolia, defeating a Grazeland invasion force. The Old Earth Alliance, comprised of traditionalist Esrolians and the Hendrikings, attack the pro-Lunar Red Earth Alliance. The Lunar army comes to the aid of the Red Earth Alliance and besieges Nochet, trapping the Old Earth Alliance inside. The Queendom of Jab expands towards southern Heortland.
22. The Sky Ship (1624) ... a band of heroquesters ... raise a new planet in the heavens.
23. Battle of Pennel (1624) A makeshift army, composed of cooperative remnants of the Holy Country led by King Broyan and the Wolf Pirates led by Harrek the Beserk and Argrath, defeat
the Lunars in a decisive battle in Esrolia. Lunar dominance over the Holy Country is broken and Broyan the Liberator is acclaimed King of Kethaela. The handful of Lunar survivors retreat
into Dragon Pass.

24. Liberation of Pavis (1625) In Prax, Argrath Whitebull raised a huge army and marched on the city of Pavis. The Lunar soldiers were massacred and the Praxians marched on Sartar. A demon was released by Lunars, forcing the Praxians to retreat back to Prax.
25. Dragon Rise (1625) Amid ongoing rebellion in Dragon Pass, the Hidden Ring of Sartar raise, release, or awaken a True Dragon to devour the New Lunar Temple as it is being consecrated in 1625. As a result, Kallyr Starbrow destroys most of the key leaders in the Lunar Provinces, and many from the inner Lunar Empire. In an instant, Lunar rule of the Provinces collapses, with rebellion and civil war filling the vacuum.

If you merge the three you'll have most of want you likely want. (And then add in any other events from the character generation of interest.)

[Austin]

7 hours ago, Ian Absentia said:

Is there a reason you omitted the Men-and-a-Half / Agimori?

... Nope, not that I can recall.

I figured it was lack of rules for play, but the Glorantha Bestiary does include them, and doesn't have rules for newtlings, which I did include as a playable species so... *shrugs cluelessly*.

You can't hold me responsible for the actions of Past Austin. That guy's a lunatic!