Nimistor River Puzzle

[kr0p0s]

The Glorantha wiki says that the Nimistor River is the main river in Nimistor, but cryptically mentions that it may have been subsumed by its tributaries. In the italicised intro to Maniria in the GtG (p350) it is not mentioned as one of the four main rivers. This is honour is given to the Tigronior River. Was the Nimistor destroyed or replaced by the Tigronior at some point, perhaps during the Storm Age Flood? Even the Second Age map of Slontos depicts the Tigronior River going up what is generally called the Nimistor valley. 

What is the river? The Tigronior or the Nimistor, or both?

Any while I have got you here, what's with the Traxlera Valley in north Nimistor. It appears to be an important feature, but oddly nothing is written in the Guide, or elsewhere, about it.

[Nevermet]

In a previous publication (Blood over Gold), Nimistor was the name of the river after the Tigronior merged with the Merbuli, and the entire river valley was called the Nimistori river.

The Guide reorganized a lot of names in Maniria.  As I understand it, and I may be wrong, Nimistori is now a cultural subcategory of the Manirian Tribes that exist within the Tigronior river system, which includes the Tigronior, Darkel, Mislari, Noronior, Skontor, and Trader RIvers.  I assume Nimistor is a founding hero of some kind.   I also assume that "Ronior" / "Ranior" is the core river, with "No-" meaning "upper" and "Tig" meaning "Lower"

 

As for Traxlera... Yeah, there's nothing currently published, and to my knowledge it's a name that did not exist before the Guide (but I'm not 100% sure on that).  So... it's undefined.  Currently, IMG, it is a "failed Tallcastle."  The Manirians of Traxlera never managed to develop the fortifications one finds in Legros, or the traditions of co-existence found in Yolanda.  As a result, they were always a little more precarious than some other Northern Manirian communities, because they never institutionalized stable relations with the Aldryami.  Then the Opening happened, and the political implosion the occurred in Nimistor left the Traxlerans to fend for themselves, and there were several devastating battles and a forced migration out of the valley and the upper reaches of the Noranior Valley by most of the human populace.  This is why, again IMG, Nimistor is the most politically fractured of the Manirian groups.

Edited July 26, 2020 by Nevermet

[David Scott]

Firstly, the Guide is Glorantha viewed from from 30000'. Loads was edited from it as "too much detail". It was also done so that you can detail areas yourself.

Page 361 says:

Quote

Nimistor: Region drained by the Nimistor River and its tributaries.

It's an error. I've rechecked the maps and gone back to Greg's originals too. I would suggest:

Nimistor: Region drained by the Tigronior River and its tributaries.

or

Nimistor: Region drained by the Nimistor River system.

21 hours ago, kr0p0s said:

what's with the Traxlera Valley in north Nimistor

The Traxlera Valley appears on Greg's original map and so was included. It has never been mentioned anywhere else to my knowledge except on this original map. There are loads of places like this. 

Channelling Greg for answer to the Traxlera Valley: I had a cool name, go wild, make something up 🙂

[kr0p0s]

I have been looking at the shape of Trexlara Valley. To me it suggests agency and that hints at myth. So how about this explanation:

At the beginning of the Storm Age, Orlanth obtains Death which he uses to strike down Yelm, causing the Sky Dome to shudder and in places crack. At the place where he struck Yelm a large piece of the Sky Dome actually fell away and tumbled to Earth forming what was to become Selon Mountain in the Mislari Mountains. It no longer had the bright silvery glow of Yelm, but appeared a tarnished orange ( to this day the peak of Selon can be seen from a distance). At that time this was the land of Sevid, a peninsula to the west of the lands of Ernaldela. With the fall of Yelm, the Sea Tribe took advantage of the confusion and Lorien invaded the Sky realm turning the Sky Dome blue. But many fragments remained, most small and easily taken when the Sea Tribe inundated the land. The fragment that fell where Orlanth struck Yelm was large and fell in the lands of the Storm Tribe. Through the Early Storm Age the Sea and Storm tribes fought fiercely over this land as the Sea tried to recover the prized piece of the Sky Dome. Eventually the Storm Tribe prevail driving back the sea. Except the fierce undine Nimistor, who had vowed to recover the prize for his tribe. He raged up from the Sea reaching up toward Selon to grasp the last fragment of the Sky Dome not touched by Lorien. At this time Heler had disavowed the Sea and joined the Storm Tribe. Seeing Nimistor grasping towards Selon he sent a warrior from his clan, Ranior, who leapt down from Selon and with the aid of Heler rains pushed Nimistor back, but they were deadlocked in battle down the valley where the strength of Nimistor matched the torrent of Ranior. At this point Heler assumed the incarnation of the Fighting Storm, Helamakt and with Ranior pushed Nimistor back to the Sea. On certain Sea Tribe Holy days Nimistor returns to do battle with Ranior in the form of a churning tidal bore. The Nimistor Valley is the place where Nimistor was driven back by the Storm Tribe, and the people of the area are still called Nimistori.

Edit: the protective Storm god at Jaraz is Helemakt.

Edit: Noranior is the part of the river where the rains of Heler turned it to a fast churning torrent. Tigranior is the wider stronger part that pushed and holds Nimistor back in the sea.

Edited July 26, 2020 by kr0p0s

[kr0p0s]

Further, Trexlara Valley may be named after a hero who sheltered clans from the fury of the Sea when Slontos sank. You can imagine Nimistor raging back up the valley pushing Ranior away as it tries to reach Selon again. Only to be stopped by an Orlanthi Hero and his band who invoke the power of the Fighting Storm by carring out a Heroquest into the Storm Age.

[Nevermet]

6 hours ago, kr0p0s said:

Edit: the protective Storm god at Jaraz is Helemakt.

 

I LOVE this.  I will eventually get around to making a Manirian Scratchpad more about Manirian religion, and trying to emphasize the role of Heler will be important.

[kr0p0s]

Heler must be more important here than Dragon Pass.

• The climate tends to be wetter.
• He is an enemy of the Sea Tribe and given the events of the Sinking of Slontos and the subsequent flood, everyone has half and eye on the sea. 
• When he incarnates as Helamakt he has the Sivin feat that can be used against elves.

And the myth above gives the Nimistori reason to pay homage to him. They don't want the Sea Tribe churning back up their river.

Though, I imagine that Trexlara Valley is a point of friction between the Orlanthi and the Aldryami, not to mention the difficult matter of access to Selon Mountain.

Edited July 28, 2020 by kr0p0s

[Nevermet]

8 hours ago, kr0p0s said:

Heler must be more important here than Dragon Pass.

• The climate tends to be wetter.
• He is an enemy of the Sea Tribe and given the events of the Sinking of Slontos and the subsequent flood, everyone has half and eye on the sea. 
• When he incarnates as Helamakt he has the Sivin feat that can be used against elves.

And the myth above gives the Nimistori reason to pay homage to him. They don't want the Sea Tribe churning back up their river.

Though, I imagine that Trexlara Valley is a point of friction between the Orlanthi and the Aldryami, not to mention the difficult matter of access to Selon Mountain.

I've definitely wondered about what the Helering / Entruling version of the Plundering of Aron looks like, and I've toyed with the idea that Aron was in what is now Maniria before the Dawn.

 

And in terms of climate, I view Maniria as very much the Gulf Coast of the United States: very warm, very humid, very much a wooded environment, etc.

Edited July 28, 2020 by Nevermet

[kr0p0s]

On 7/28/2020 at 6:46 PM, Nevermet said:

 I've toyed with the idea that Aron was in what is now Maniria before the Dawn.

The wiki suggests that it was in what now is Ralio, mentioning a trek through a hidden mountain pass, possibly via Dorastor (Odalya was given Syllia as a reward for finding it). How about through the Mislari Mountains into where Wonderwood is after Dawn? This is suitable for a vestige of a Gods Age forest, and close enough to Maniria for the Arstola Aldryami to remember Helamakts feat?

On 7/28/2020 at 6:46 PM, Nevermet said:

And in terms of climate, I view Maniria as very much the Gulf Coast of the United States: very warm, very humid, very much a wooded environment, etc.

It would be on the coastal areas - Wenelia and up the river valleys. But I imagine it would transition into temperate rain forest as you begin to approach the mountains. 

[Sir_Godspeed]

2 hours ago, kr0p0s said:

The wiki suggests that it was in what now is Ralio, mentioning a trek through a hidden mountain pass, possibly via Dorastor (Odalya was given Syllia as a reward for finding it). How about through the Mislari Mountains into where Wonderwood is after Dawn? This is suitable for a vestige of a Gods Age forest, and close enough to Maniria for the Arstola Aldryami to remember Helamakts feat?

It would be on the coastal areas - Wenelia and up the river valleys. But I imagine it would transition into temperate rain forest as you begin to approach the mountains. 

Like a mix between Gulf USA and ancient Ireland.

[Nevermet]

4 hours ago, kr0p0s said:

It would be on the coastal areas - Wenelia and up the river valleys. But I imagine it would transition into temperate rain forest as you begin to approach the mountains. 

Yep.  Tallcastle is probably not the hottest place, though I doubt anything is dry there, ever.

[Nevermet]

As for Aron and Wonderwood... I need to read more before I post, cuz I got no clue.

[Nevermet]

This is a picture of Nantahala Lake in North Carolina, in the Blue Ridge Mountains.  I feel this is what the Manirian Highlands look like before one gets to the Mislari.