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Mixed species


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As a general rule I think its good that we dont have half elves or half orcs or whatever in Glorantha. At the same time we have stories about the Gods having relations with different species and official RQG products mentions NPCs with ”troll lovers”. Have anyone thought about having characters or NPC from mixed species. My take is that it is extremely rare with such relations and that it cant produce kids without strong magic. Maybe an Uleria heroquest or divine intervention.

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From a Jeff facebook post, which you can find on the Well: https://wellofdaliath.chaosium.com/home/catalogue/websites/facebook/runequest-on-facebook-january-2021-highlights/#ib-toc-anchor-17

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"Are there are “half-elves” in Glorantha?

The answer is of course. We know adventurers fall in love with dryads, and those spirits of Fertility and Plant no doubt produce offspring, which humans would indelicately call “half-elves.” Given that the elves are also Man Rune entities, this is entirely mythically appropriate. This also means that there are no doubt half-elves that result when humans and elves mate, half-trolls when humans and dark trolls (let us not imagine what would happen if a human and a mistress race troll mated), and even half-dwarves. In fact we know this to be the case, for Lord Pavis was the son of a human and an aldryami, and Karandstand Half-Troll had human ancestry, and so on.

And if your character gets a high enough Elemental Rune, perhaps they are verging on that sort of thing all by themselves!

There might also be half-rivers, and even half-winds!

This of course is how the world was created."

 

I believe Ginkizzie is a Half-Dwarf, too, or a half-dwarf-three-eighths-human-one-eighth-elf 😛

Edited by Richard S.
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n.b. the case of Pavis seems to have included a fair amount of magical meddling -- possibly even some Heroquesting -- in order to create Pavis himself.

I think these hybrids are pretty rare... although there is the case of the Tusk-Riders...

I suspect (in the "half elf" case) that it's most often an intentional act by the Aldryami, specific to a project or goal (such as begetting a more-human(ish) offspring, for the purpose of interacting better with humans and/or gaining some of the "human advantages" accruing from the "human dominance" in the Third Age).

I might wonder if Troll crosses are sometimes an attempt to bypass (or just investigate the parameters of) the Curse of Kin.

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Good point on the 'half-pigs'.

But, of course, you have to apply the Glorantha definition to the various Elder Race halves.

Playing a 'half-elf' is lot less appealing when you find out that your skin is thin bark and Iron burns like Orlanth's Backblast....

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Given that the three main elf species don't appear to be interfertile, interfertility with non-elf man rune  individuals doesn't look that hopeful, other than for fertility spirits and nymphs (dryads), or semi-divine entities like the offspring of Damol and Serpent King Bertalor by their aldryami wives, two daughters of the neighboring forest king (i.e. a minor land god). But then, the closer you get to divinity, the less impact your species will have.

There is powerful fertiity magic that enables interbreeding, with fringe groups conducting research starting during the Second Council, and picking up again during the EWF. They tend to use a "Proximate Holy Realm" effect where and when Godtime properties are allowed to enliven the mundane world. Otherwise, my idea about forest wives is that they are lesser goddesses taking the shape but not all of the biology of female aldryami (i.e. brown or green elf females, as there are no yellow elf females, they "only" have dryads to mate with).

Weirdly enough, green elf males don't (usually) produce offspring with dryads. No idea whether that is biological, or whether this is a cultural taboo. But if evven their own forests' dryads are taboo, how would a fertile mating with humans happen? (Other than on the Other Side in Godtime?)

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Telling how it is excessive verbis

 

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28 minutes ago, Joerg said:

... But if evven their own forests' dryads are taboo, how would a fertile mating with humans happen? (Other than on the Other Side in Godtime?)

Heroquesting (or just an accidental straying into the Other Side) visit to Godtime -- particularly if associated with Fertility rites -- and consequent pregnancy...  But maybe that's what you meant?

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19 minutes ago, g33k said:

Heroquesting (or just an accidental straying into the Other Side) visit to Godtime -- particularly if associated with Fertility rites -- and consequent pregnancy...  But maybe that's what you meant?

There might be some danger to experimental fertility heroquests. The god who truly opened the door to interspecies fertility was Ragnaglar.

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12 minutes ago, g33k said:

Heroquesting (or just an accidental straying into the Other Side) visit to Godtime -- particularly if associated with Fertility rites -- and consequent pregnancy...  But maybe that's what you meant?

There are canon sources in RQG that discuss human elf-friends participating in Aldryami Fertility rituals... and getting STDs from it! 😆 And KODP has clan events where men are seduced by dryads with some pretty dire consequence depending on the Magical protections of the clan.

So obviously humans can and do participate. The question is whether that participation results in children.

IMRQG, the fertility of such interactions depends on how strong the human is in the Earth and Fertility Runes. Even if the human is particularly strong in those Runes, they have to roll on their Runic attunement. A fumble indicates the aforementioned STD. Children from such unions are either Aldryami or human depending on the species of the mother. Such children will be strong in the appropriate Rune of the other parent... a man and a dryad might conceive an Aldryami Green Elf child that's strong in the Man rune for example, or a human woman might conceive a child strong in the Fertility rune.

[As I understand it, humans can't possess Form Runes that are foreign to their natures... Plant or Dragonewt Runes for example]

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1 minute ago, svensson said:

There are canon sources in RQG that discuss human elf-friends participating in Aldryami Fertility rituals... and getting STDs from it! 😆 And KODP has clan events where men are seduced by dryads with some pretty dire consequence depending on the Magical protections of the clan.

So obviously humans can and do participate. The question is whether that participation results in children.

IMRQG, the fertility of such interactions depends on how strong the human is in the Earth and Fertility Runes. Even if the human is particularly strong in those Runes, they have to roll on their Runic attunement. A fumble indicates the aforementioned STD. Children from such unions are either Aldryami or human depending on the species of the mother. Such children will be strong in the appropriate Rune of the other parent... a man and a dryad might conceive an Aldryami Green Elf child that's strong in the Man rune for example, or a human woman might conceive a child strong in the Fertility rune.

[As I understand it, humans can't possess Form Runes that are foreign to their natures... Plant or Dragonewt Runes for example]

Personally I'd let a human gain another Form rune through a heroquest or somesuch, but it'd be a seperate rating rather than part of a binary. Or maybe it would turn into a form rune trinity of 33/33/34?

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I would say to obtain a mixed blood (is the word correct ?) the conceptors (at least the mother) may have to create a ritual or something like that. No child by accident (except if some heroic power, 99 fertility rune, etc...)

However I would be cautious to let a player create such character. Woud ask a strong background, lineage, and reason. And of course passion (hate or love, after all, people may be rejected by a part of their relatives or shameful of their origin).

But if the challenge is achieved, some interesting hooks

 

Note that, for me, the issue is big when the pc's parents are from different species. That means some little power (what about a windchild wings and ability to comment wind spirits, trolls darksense, etc)

When the "alliance" is older, that's a standard character, with some secrets, some physical differences, and few exotic knowledge.

 

16 hours ago, Richard S. said:

Or maybe it would turn into a form rune trinity of 33/33/34?

I would say trinity . no change for a troll / windchild / beastman / human / hunshen mix (but player has to choose the right elemental runes at high level), but if you arrange a marriage between vegetable and meat, you complexify the soup

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I think that would be more frequent in the magic rich past than in the present, and probably become also more frequent in the near future, with many heroes breaking the rules. That said dryads are probably the easiest way out.

Alternately, if you want the high Fantasy version you could have Androgeus as one of your parents, and whatever you want as the other. 

Finally, many people could prefer a lover that was not interfertile, specially if tradition or myth would preclude the use of anticonceptive methods. Sex does not necessarily mean children. 

I would expect dryads can choose their pregnancies, and will be attractive to practically anything with a man rune, so great lover potential. I wonder why they do not breed with green elves. However that would mean that only in special occasions will they do the same with humans. 

I would keep duality in the runes for any dryad born, but the dryad chooses the runes. In most cases I would use Human / Plant rather than Human / Beast. That would make them weak in animal cults, as they should, but could be great in Aldrya, again as they should. I also would expect a strong Earth, unless justified. 

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I thought that humans who have sex with Aldryami generally get some sort of nasty long term rash?  Or does that depend on the Dryad?

As to Lord Pavis, he may have been far more of a hybrid than just Elf-Human.  He might have been the product of a plan to recreate the Green Age man rune by cross-breeding pretty much all the man-rune races.

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