Peaceful Air Gods

[Jose]

A question for the Tribe. Which air/storm god/goddess can a more peacefull character follow beyond orlanth and violent valind/storm bull...etc.? It seems there are not air/storm deity who use the motto "speak first, use the big stick if the first part does not work". Thank you. 

[metcalph]

Entekos, Molanni,  Brastralos, Veldru, Kahar, Keraun, Mistress Calm, Kolat

[Jose]

1 hour ago, metcalph said:

Entekos, Molanni,  Brastralos, Veldru, Kahar, Keraun, Mistress Calm, Kolat

Thanks.

So, if I understand the guide and what Jeff explained, the situation is like this:

Entekos=Molanni and belongs to Yelm/pelandan pantheon (a very zone specific cult) 

Veldru seems nice but you have to live in the far east. Same thing with Kahar. 

Keraun another nice goddess but is a  Pamaltela thing. 

Kolat is for shamans. 

That let us with Mistress Calm (I don't know nothing about) and Brastalos I know about Her but I will have to imagine what kind of spells this so special goddess offers. 

You tell me if I am mistaken. 

[soltakss]

2 minutes ago, Jose said:

Entekos=Molanni and belongs to Yelm/pelandan pantheon (a very zone specific cult) 

Apparently so, but that doesn't fit my Glorantha at all, so I would keep them as separate deities with Entekos as Molanni's sister-in-law, as Molanni married Entekos's brother, Yelm.

3 minutes ago, Jose said:

That let us with Mistress Calm (I don't know nothing about)

Mistress Calm is a figure in the Nomad Gods game and is a kindly goddess of calm air. I think she might be connected to Brastalos.

4 minutes ago, Jose said:

Brastalos I know about Her but I will have to imagine what kind of spells this so special goddess offers. 

She used to get Decrease Wind, as I seem to recall. She is a mystical goddess, the calm Inner Wind which is still but moves. She is the Centre of the Storm. She is also the wife of Magasta and created the Whirlpool. 

[Jose]

I have been spoken with my player. She wants to play an orlanthi boy who is a little freak, he was born left-handed, his runes are air, earth, darkness, harmony and illusion. She wants him to be smart and sensible... And a little strange. A good boy who is a little freak. A boy that thinks that all that cattle raid thing is  a way to look for trouble. A boy who prefers to strike smarter than to strike hard. I hope I am have explained myself. So I think maybe Brastalos is his thing during his adulthood initiation rites. What do you think?  Your council would be much appreciated, because she doesn't want to play the typical farmer boy with grudges against  Lunar tax collectors and that kind of thing.

 

Thanks

[Brian Duguid]

I think the real question is why do they want to follow any kind of air or storm god at all? Any male in the Orlanthi culture can follow a different path, many of them more peaceful: Ernalda (as a Nandan initiate), Chalana Arroy, Lhankor Mhy, Issaries etc. Some of those make more sense for someone who leaves the clan and moves to the city.

[Jose]

21 minutes ago, Brian Duguid said:

I think the real question is why do they want to follow any kind of air or storm god at all? Any male in the Orlanthi culture can follow a different path, many of them more peaceful: Ernalda (as a Nandan initiate), Chalana Arroy, Lhankor Mhy, Issaries etc. Some of those make more sense for someone who leaves the clan and moves to the city.

Because she said that he hears whispers in the wind sometimes, he whispers poems to the breeze or play his flute to it. As I said she wants him a little freak. 

[Joerg]

Any boy would be subject to something like the "boys in the wld" (Koryonos) phase, or apprenticeship, like Jeff outlined for Vasana. (Is there an option for nandan-inclined boys to join the girls at the temple?)

In the end, Orlanth is the cult of the introspective, nerdy storm, but only after having gone through the Vadrudi phase of being out there with the boys causing trouble by (possibly pointless) raiding and cattle raiding.

 

[Ironwall]

Chalana arroy, lhankor mhy, and issaries probably replaced three peaceful air gods I know eleven lights mentioned a pre issaries and gustbran trade and craft god

[jajagappa]

5 hours ago, Jose said:

Entekos=Molanni and belongs to Yelm/pelandan pantheon (a very zone specific cult) 

Veldru seems nice but you have to live in the far east. Same thing with Kahar. 

Keraun another nice goddess but is a  Pamaltela thing. 

Kolat is for shamans. 

That let us with Mistress Calm (I don't know nothing about) and Brastalos I know about Her but I will have to imagine what kind of spells this so special goddess offers. 

Some things to think about: 

First, just because a deity is associated primarily with one region (e.g. Veldru with the far east, Keraun with Pamaltela) does not mean they might not appear elsewhere and contact your player's character.  There might not be a formal cult but there could still be the option of a personal relation with the deity (possibly as a great spirit).

Second, while a local Kolat cult will be led by a shaman-priest, that does not preclude others worshiping and gaining magic from Kolat.  This is the Spirit Cult described in RQG.  They won't offer much magic, but it may be a good option.  Also Kolating shamans could connect to ANY Storm spirit/deity, so this does not represent only Kolat, but opportunity to worship several lesser Storm deities.  E.g. the Kolat shaman-priest might lead a shrine of worshipers that include Kolat, Mistress Calm, and Brastalos the No-wind.  And the PC could gain the magics of each as part of this blended background.

Regarding Entekos=Molanni, they also =Mistress Calm.  She is the Calm Wind - many names, same deity.  Just depends on where you are.  Her magic is pretty much what you'd expect from the Calm Air:  Decrease Wind.  I'd be quite willing to allow her cult to offer Wind Words as well, though in her case, it is by reducing the wind that makes it easier to hear the words.

Brastalos is the Eye of the Hurricane, and the goddess of the Doldrums at sea.  She is calm at the center, but around her the winds swirl and rage (whether closely or distantly is another question).  She is mostly met at sea, or in areas where hurricanes and cyclones land.  She can create Waterspouts at sea, often in conjunction with her husband Magasta's whirlpools.  She might also be connected with more meditative practices and control of the breath - potentially you could work out unusual Rune spells related to that.

55 minutes ago, Joerg said:

In the end, Orlanth is the cult of the introspective, nerdy storm, but only after having gone through the Vadrudi phase of being out there with the boys causing trouble by (possibly pointless) raiding and cattle raiding.

I think there are other options.  It really depends upon what happens during initiation.  Given the notes provided about the player's interests for the character, I'd have the PC follow Orlanth's path to meet the Strange Gods.  This might include the dragons (left-handedness) and even the Moon deities (rivals to the air), but could include the calm winds, Kolat and the many wind spirits, and Brastalos.  On their return, this character might well reject the group activity from the start, but instead turn to meditation - potentially even a hermetic existence for a time (this is where I see Kolat as a useful model, even if they don't pursue a shamanic path).

[Richard S.]

It's also quite possible for the character to follow Orlanth (probably thunderous) without being the classic no-on-can-make-me-do-anything violence-is-always-an-option attitude. He's a big god, and his worshipers are by no means all cut from the same cloth despite the stereotypes. Hell, the guys up at Old Wind are some of Orlanth's greatest worshipers and they're all generally peaceful (for now) mystic types who just sit around breathing really hard. He's a god of poets and musicians as well as warriors and kings.

[Joerg]

26 minutes ago, jajagappa said:

I think there are other options.  It really depends upon what happens during initiation.  Given the notes provided about the player's interests for the character, I'd have the PC follow Orlanth's path to meet the Strange Gods.  This might include the dragons (left-handedness) and even the Moon deities (rivals to the air), but could include the calm winds, Kolat and the many wind spirits, and Brastalos.  On their return, this character might well reject the group activity from the start, but instead turn to meditation - potentially even a hermetic existence for a time (this is where I see Kolat as a useful model, even if they don't pursue a shamanic path).

I wasn't talking about Heortling initation (evil uncles, strange gods, I Fought We Won) but about what follows afterwards. The nominally adults undergo a period of adapting to adulthood, and gaining their basic cultural education. For the boys, that seems to be a phase of "Vadrudi" existence - a group of like-minded companions going about surviving on their own strengths and wits, raiding for their food or hunting, and likewise for anything beyond their basic equipment.

They also engage in sexual activities and (battle) magic, which means they have undergone their adulthood initiation.

They may be contacted by the tribe (or whichever entity oversees this phase of becoming an adult) to perform certain quests. Some of those may be real, others may just be training exercises where their activities may trigger some magical response and confront them with Other Side experiences but otherwise they bring back tokens of success.

See also Andrew Logan Montgomery's recent blog entry on this subject.

[Orlanthatemyhamster]

10 hours ago, metcalph said:

Entekos, Molanni,  Brastralos, Veldru, Kahar, Keraun, Mistress Calm, Kolat

I don't think Kolat should be in there, he's the link between the wind spirits and the physical wind. He's no less violent than his brothers. Just because you are connected to the spirit world doesn't mean you aren't violent. 

[Akhôrahil]

Odayla isn’t exactly non-violent, but perhaps moreso than most of the Air gods. Even if it’s just from staying away from other people.

Edited January 29, 2022 by Akhôrahil

[jajagappa]

2 hours ago, Joerg said:

I wasn't talking about Heortling initation (evil uncles, strange gods, I Fought We Won) but about what follows afterwards.

Yes, I understood that.

And I think it follows the typical Orlanthi "all".  Roughly 85% of these new adults will be part of this gathering.  Others may be sent to the Lhankor Mhy temple, or join with a local shaman who puts them through a different but equally challenging year or more of ordeals, or follow the path of Odayla or Yinkin to live alone in the wilds, etc.

[jajagappa]

10 minutes ago, Orlanthatemyhamster said:

He's no less violent than his brothers. Just because you are connected to the spirit world doesn't mean you aren't violent. 

But... he offers a way to learn about the other wind spirits.  He will certainly test candidates with powerful winds, but for those who endure, they can find their way to the calm at the center of the storms.

[Orlanthatemyhamster]

Richard S said, "He's a god of poets and musicians." 

Huh? 

He's obviously the god of Bad poets, but musicians? 

I've not heard that. Or maybe I wouldn't want to...

😉

 

 

 

 

 

[Orlanthatemyhamster]

6 minutes ago, Akhôrahil said:

Odayla isn’t exactly non-violent, but perhaps moreso than most of the Air gods. Even if it’s just from staying away from other people.

Doesn't he have have the Death Rune? And I don't mean dying in your bed asleep type rune... 

 

[Akhôrahil]

While Orlanth is violent in most aspects, that doesn’t mean a PC initiate has to be (especially not in Thunderous). Pick Charisma, Heal Body and Command Sheep for your Rune Spells, and you have presumably chosen a less violent path (violence is always an option, but it doesn’t have to be the first option). It can look a lot like the Allfather aspect in HW.

Edited January 29, 2022 by Akhôrahil

[Akhôrahil]

3 minutes ago, Orlanthatemyhamster said:

Doesn't he have have the Death Rune? And I don't mean dying in your bed asleep type rune... 

Air and Beast in RQG.

[Richard S.]

24 minutes ago, Orlanthatemyhamster said:

Richard S said, "He's a god of poets and musicians." 

Huh? 

He's obviously the god of Bad poets, but musicians? 

I've not heard that. Or maybe I wouldn't want to...

😉

A god of music, not the god. As Adventurous, Orlanth was praised as a poet and lover, and he's a suggested cult for entertainers. He also invented the bagpipes and the war dance to use against Yelm, and I'll bet we'll see Orlanthi skalds return in some form in the Sartar supplement. Donadar might be the lord of all music, but many other gods share in parts of that domain, Orlanth not the least.

Edited January 29, 2022 by Richard S.

[Ludo Bagman]

12 hours ago, Jose said:

Which air/storm god/goddess can a more peacefull character follow beyond orlanth and violent valind/storm bull...etc.?

Heler (gained the Air Rune in RQG), the God of Rain, but he was originally a more militant (defeated and rescued) water deity.

Voriof, son of Orlanth or Heler, God of Boys and Sheeps, but I don't know if he is worshipped independently. Otherwise, treat him as a more peaceful subcult of Orlanth or Heler. (Edit: He gives Command Sheep to Orlanth in the rulebook).

Barntar the Plowman, son of Orlanth and Ernalda. He is the most likely replacement for Orlanth wherever Orlanth worship is prohibited, so he gets some independent worship.

https://wellofdaliath.chaosium.com/home/gloranthan-documents/prosopaedia/deities/h/heler/

https://wellofdaliath.chaosium.com/home/gloranthan-documents/prosopaedia/deities/b/barntar/

 

Edited January 29, 2022 by Ludo Bagman
Added note

[Orlanthatemyhamster]

33 minutes ago, Richard S. said:

A god of music, not the god. As Adventurous, Orlanth was praised as a poet and lover, and he's a suggested cult for entertainers. He also invented the bagpipes and the war dance to use against Yelm, and I'll bet we'll see Orlanthi skalds return in some form in the Sartar supplement. Donadar might be the lord of all music, but many other gods share in parts of that domain, Orlanth not the least.

Beg pardon, A god of music.

God of bagpipes, is that like being the best living Sci Fi writer in Australia? 

 

I'm sure inventers of pleasant musical noises will play a part.

 

[Orlanthatemyhamster]

1 hour ago, Akhôrahil said:

Air and Beast in RQG.

Oh yeah, he's the Bear Walker shoe in, isn't he. 

Weird to have a hunting god without the Death Rune. I suppose he just hugs his prey to sleep? 

[Alex]

57 minutes ago, Orlanthatemyhamster said:

God of bagpipes, is that like being the best living Sci Fi writer in Australia? 

Many Moons ago, Tales had a couple of Rumours related to this.  Paraphrasing from memory as best I can...

"The national instrument of Sartar is, unfortunately, the bagpipes."
"The national instrument of the Uz is, unfortunately, the trollkin."