In Our Glorantha We Have

[jajagappa]

22 hours ago, Erol of Backford said:

Looking for ones on the Heortland Plateau and Sartar. We might think about Imtherian wine to go with the cheeses but less likely to send it as far as say Mt. Passant?

I don't think you'd find anything beyond local clans producing largely for local consumption in Heortland. The river valleys likely have some local grapes and other tree fruits, but it's not an area known for high-quality wines.  The place to go for that is Esrolia, particularly the Vinavale, and its red wines which are shipped all the way to the Lunar Empire. Ernalda temples with shrines to Minlister are likely the great producers of export wine.

I think Heortland is likely a producer of mead and local fruit wines. Mostly local consumption.

Imtherian fire wine is largely local to the Black Eel basin and tributaries. It's got a good bite/spice to it, but not to everyone's palate. Doubt it goes much beyond the Lunar provinces.

[Erol of Backford]

4 hours ago, dumuzid said:

The power of the dryads makes the gardens of the janns some of the most magnificent in the world outside of free elf forests, but their use and enjoyment is of course confined to the slaver lords and their favorites.

But why enslave, would they not be much more prosperous, fruitful and lush if not prisoners?

4 hours ago, dumuzid said:

The other elf forests of Pamaltela are well aware of the fate of the Fonritian dryads. 

So what ignites the forthcoming epic battle Aldryan forest-kingdoms versus Fonritian slavers? Is the Veldang Revolution incited by the aldryami and if so when and where?

[dumuzid]

1 hour ago, Erol of Backford said:

But why enslave, would they not be much more prosperous, fruitful and lush if not prisoners?

Because Garangordos was the champion-on-earth of Ompalam, the god of slavery, whose cult words are 'Life is Slavery.'  Everyone and everything in Fonrit is enslaved; if not to another mortal, then they're enslaved to a god.  That's the position of many janns, the kings or regional rulers of Fonrit.  Sadly, their magic is quite effective; Fonrit is one the the most magically sophisticated regions in Glorantha, partly because the rulers there have more extensive access to intact God Learner writings and artifacts than just about anywhere else on the lozenge.  If any raw fecundity is lost by forcing the dryads to serve rather than convincing them to help, the reliability with which the janns can compel their service would make up for it as far as the slavers are concerned.

Garangordos created Fonritian society in the Second Age by heroquesting the Necklace of Pamalt myth, the Pamaltelan equivalent of I-Fought-We-Won and the Lightbringers Saga combined, but perverted the myth to make it a story of establishing the chains of hierarchical authority in a slavery-based society rather than the voluntary association of friends and family under an elected chief that the Necklace originally represented.  There's some evidence that the God Learners actively assisted in this program, as a sort of massive field experiment in modifying a culture's most fundamental myths.

The simple answer to 'why enslave the dryads' is just "We (the Gargandites) are enslaving everything else around us, why stop at the trees?"

1 hour ago, Erol of Backford said:

So what ignites the forthcoming epic battle Aldryan forest-kingdoms versus Fonritian slavers? Is the Veldang Revolution incited by the aldryami and if so when and where?

Per the Guide, what's expected to happen is the escaped leader of a failed slave revolt in the 1610s, a Veldang man named Gabaryanga, is supposed to meet up with the Teshnan hero-sailor Gebel who helped bring the Boat Planet back into the sky in 1624.  The two of them go on a lozenge-spanning quest to find the lost Red Sword of Tolat, sacred to both the people of Melib in Teshnos and the Veldang of Pamaltela, plus the Bones of Artmal, the ancestor god of the Veldang peoples, which were scattered across the worlds after the storm god Baraku (usually recognized as Orlanth by Genertelans) drowned Artmal in the Sea of Fire at the southern edge of the world.

Eventually Gebel and Gabaryanga are supposed to return to Pamaltela, having restored the paths into the Artmali gods world that Garangordos and his followers fought to close or destroy during the founding of Fonrit.  According to the Guide, the revolution sees initial success, but starts to unravel as the Fonritians resort to worse and worse Chaos magic as their desperation deepens, then the rebels begin delving into the same sources of power to fight back, turning the Hero Wars in Fonrit into the 'Demon Wars'.  Of course a lot of the 'Prophecies of the Hero Wars' in the Guide depict pretty bad endings for much of the world, which it's usually the duty of your player characters to change or otherwise overcome. 

The return to Pamaltela of the Red Sword, which was either the sword of the Artmali Emperors or its child (there's a parthenogenic lineage of magical red swords descended from the original Sword of Tolat, long story), would be the main signal to the Pamaltelan jungle realms that the time for vengeance has come.  Assuming its bearer could prove to the elves that they are indeed a new Artmali Emperor, the first since the Great Darkness.

Edited March 20, 2023 by dumuzid

[Erol of Backford]

40 minutes ago, dumuzid said:

Because Garangordos was the champion-on-earth of Ompalam, the god of slavery, whose cult words are 'Life is Slavery.'

Didn't know that and so they should likely be impaled.

41 minutes ago, dumuzid said:

most magically sophisticated regions in Glorantha

Send assassins with absorption on them.

42 minutes ago, dumuzid said:

perverted the myth to make it a story of establishing the chains of hierarchical authority in a slavery-based society

Who are the descendants of the perverters, provide a list and have the PC's off them.

48 minutes ago, dumuzid said:

escaped leader of a failed slave revolt in the 1610s

Sounds like a good contact in the south for my PC's once they meet the Baron and or ride the Cradle, have to sort out what year but I like it.

 

50 minutes ago, dumuzid said:

The two of them go on a lozenge-spanning quest to find the lost Red Sword of Tolat, sacred to both the people of Melib in Teshnos and the Veldang of Pamaltela, plus the Bones of Artmal, the ancestor god of the Veldang peoples, which were scattered across the worlds after the storm god Baraku (usually recognized as Orlanth by Genertelans) drowned Artmal in the Sea of Fire at the southern edge of the world.

This sounds good as well as one PC is from Melib. Who doesn't want the sword.

57 minutes ago, dumuzid said:

(there's a parthenogenic lineage of magical red swords descended from the original Sword of Tolat, long story)

I am still sorting that out, one of these weekends I'll take deeper dive.

58 minutes ago, dumuzid said:

Assuming its bearer could prove to the elves that they are indeed a new Artmali Emperor, the first since the Great Darkness.

We made it so one PC is a half elven daughter of Pavis, she doesn't know this and would likely not know for years of game play but maybe she could be the new Artmali Empress, then again the Amazon might be destined to fill this spot being of Agimori decent, form the south continent.

Any dragons in the south that may be called to assist in eating the oppressors?

Its a really interesting campaign setting Dumuzid, I like it a lot, especially after reading Petersen's RuneQuest III Campaign Log, running crazy all over Pamaltela. Thanks.

[dumuzid]

1 hour ago, Erol of Backford said:

Didn't know that and so they should likely be impaled.

Yeah, that was my reaction, it's why I'm now in the third real-world year of what's become a Red Sword & Bones of Artmal campaign.  At the end of the first in-game year my players were given the choice of joining Argrath's march into Sartar or sailing off with Gebel and Gabaryanga, and they chose the latter.

1 hour ago, Erol of Backford said:

Send assassins with absorption on them.

The Blue Moon offers both Invisibility and Absorption, incidentally.

1 hour ago, Erol of Backford said:

Who are the descendants of the perverters, provide a list and have the PC's off them.

Garangordos was followed by seventeen Glorious Ones, who each took on a role from Pamalt's Necklace.  One of them was Jokotu, Garangordos's steward.  Just as the conquest of Fonrit was ending Jokotu murdered Garangordos, and was dismembered by the other Glorious Ones for it.  The remaining Glorious Ones spread out to found the cities and kingdoms of Fonrit.  So the descendants of the perverters are, essentially, the entire ruling stratum of Fonritian society, both those who actually descend biologically from the founders and those who have risen in their system from below or joined it from outside.

Jokotu is also the name of the City of the Free, a mountain refuge for escaped slaves in southern Fonrit.  

1 hour ago, Erol of Backford said:

Sounds like a good contact in the south for my PC's once they meet the Baron and or ride the Cradle, have to sort out what year but I like it.

The version of events in the Guide is that Gabaryanga's revolt is defeated in 1613, the same year as Kallyr's in Sartar.  Afterwards he makes his way to Jokotu, where he dedicates himself to the Blue Moon.  The next thing written about about his life is that some time in the 1620s he joins up with Gebel and the two go on a quest that recovers the Red Sword of Tolat, heals Artmal son of the Blue Moon, and grants them his tidal magic.  Then Gabaryanga returns to Fonrit and begin the rebellion with the liberation of the city of Tarahorn.  

1 hour ago, Erol of Backford said:

Any dragons in the south that may be called to assist in eating the oppressors?

Pamaltela is notably dragon-free, I think one explanation for that is that Pamalt killed them all.  The biggest monsters there are Chaos creatures like hydras.  In Pamaltela they don't normally see man-sized Chaos manifestation like broo, ogres, man-scorpions etc.  Instead, when Chaos creatures emerge they're single enormous monsters rather than armies, on the scale of Cwim or the Bat.  If they get desperate enough the slavers may resort to trying to exploit those, or bring new ones into the world.

Edited March 21, 2023 by dumuzid

[Erol of Backford]

47 minutes ago, dumuzid said:

Jokotu is also the name of the City of the Free

As a tribute or sarcasm? Did Jokotu kill to be number 1 or to rid the world of Garangordos?

49 minutes ago, dumuzid said:

Blue Moon offers both Invisibility and Absorption, incidentally

They usually work for the Lunars I thought? Also didn't they kill most of the remaining Hose of Sartar?

51 minutes ago, dumuzid said:

In Pamaltela they don't normally see man-sized Chaos manifestation like broo, ogres, man-scorpions etc.

I thought in Petersen's Campaign the giant traveling wagons were attacked by broo, ogres and giants? I'll go back and read again.

54 minutes ago, dumuzid said:

Gebel and Gabaryanga

I'll need to do a bit of reading on them and the Blue Moon. Thanks again.

How long does it take to transverse the Homeward ocean from north to south at a normal speed... 

[Erol of Backford]

In our Glorantha - Lagor is one of Naimless' two troll lovers, was with her at Tourney Altar and in about 1617-18 gains possession of the Wooden Sword... referenced in Masters of Luck & Death, not the lover part...

Edited March 21, 2023 by Erol of Backford

[Joerg]

12 hours ago, Erol of Backford said:

But why enslave, would they not be much more prosperous, fruitful and lush if not prisoners?

Asking that question might get you killed in Fonrit. Or sold.

You might as well ask Orlanth why he storms, or Yelm why he shines.

[dumuzid]

12 hours ago, Erol of Backford said:

As a tribute or sarcasm? Did Jokotu kill to be number 1 or to rid the world of Garangordos?

The only text I know of that gives a detailed version of the murder is a section of Revealed Mythologies written from a mainly Fonritian perspective, and it describes Jokotu as a 'traitor' for slaying Garangordos.  The killing also gave Jokotu a posthumous place in the Necklace of Pamalt: he's considered the embodiment of Bolongo, the Pamaltelan Trickster.  I think there's more tribute than sarcasm in the city's name, but the story can be interpreted many different ways.

12 hours ago, Erol of Backford said:

They usually work for the Lunars I thought? Also didn't they kill most of the remaining Hose of Sartar?

The Blue Moon is a big enough topic for its own thread.  Suffice it to say that the Blue Moon's influence extends much farther than the Lunar Empire, goes back deep into the god time, and continues actively regardless of the 'new' Lunar tradition.  The strongest cult to the Blue Moon within Time at the end of the Third Age is that of the Blue Moon Trolls, in their Plateau north of Peloria.  The Blue Moon Trolls assisted the Empire at several crucial junctures, but in recent years have withdrawn that active support.  They've played games like this before: at the end of the Second Age, they orchestrated the assassinations that collapsed the EWF with the Inhuman King of Dragon Pass.  The Lunar Empire's Blue Moon assassins are a cadre of humans trained by the trolls on the Red Emperor's behalf to act as his agents.

The Blue Moon is also worshipped by many humans in Melib off the coast of Teshnos, where she's recognized as the sister of Tolat.  She's worshiped wherever the Veldang people of Pamaltela live free, whether escaped slaves and their descendants or the nomads of Zamokil far to the south: they consider her their ultimate ancestress as the mother of Artmal, and their people's original homeworld.

Finally there are the Zaranistangi, a people who mostly exist in the otherworlds but sometimes still return to the Middle World, usually with historically dramatic results.  They claim descent from the Blue Moon by a different father than the Veldang, and are known as the Loper People for riding Loper Beasts (see the RQG Bestiary, there's even a picture).  Their powers of teleportation allow them to move over the world faster than just about anyone.  They tend to pop up in myth or history, perform some daring deeds of cavalry violence, then fade out again, only to re-emerge in the most unexpected places.  Like the Blue Moon, worth their own thread to explore.

12 hours ago, Erol of Backford said:

I thought in Petersen's Campaign the giant traveling wagons were attacked by broo, ogres and giants? I'll go back and read again.

There's a subplot in the Hero Wars explored in some older material called the Chaos Warp or Chaos Swap.  Basically, as the Hero Wars escalate and Chaos irruptions bloom across Glorantha, the Chaotic tendencies in Genertela and Pamaltela will switch.  Genertela will see the emergence of Pamaltela-style gigantic Chaos terrors, while Pamaltela will see its first hordes of Broo and similar beings since the Great Darkness.  It takes the normal Chaos-fighters in both continents off-guard: tactics for battling swarms of broo and scorpion-men seeping out of the Footprint or Snakepipe Hollow are irrelevant against a Chaos kaiju, while in large parts of inland Pamaltela 'warfare' as such is regarded as something between preposterous foolishness and a terrible crime, leaving its people sorely unprepared for that kind of conflict.  If Sandy Petersen's campaign ran into broos and ogres attacking a Kresh caravan, I expect he was playing with Chaos Warp ideas.

Edited March 21, 2023 by dumuzid

[SDLeary]

16 hours ago, Erol of Backford said:

I thought in Petersen's Campaign the giant traveling wagons were attacked by broo, ogres and giants? I'll go back and read again.

Not sure of his other campaigns, but during the early-mid eighties one (iirc, there has been more than one Sandy campaign in Pamaltela), there were broo, but not the "normal" broo you see in Genertela. These things were alligator broos, scorpion broos, dinosaur broos, and so on, along with some bigger monstrosities coming out of Nargan.

As far as attacks, while attacks on the Kresh were not unheard of, the majority of the attacks fell on the Arbennan and other semi-nomadic Doraddi the most.

SDLeary

[Erol of Backford]

On 3/21/2023 at 9:04 AM, dumuzid said:

The Blue Moon is a big enough topic for its own thread. 

There are hundreds of Blue Moon results found when searching this forum...

I might bring it all together this weekend in one thread!? (sound like a lot of wine sipping and cheese nibbling is in order)

[g33k]

On 3/22/2023 at 1:03 PM, Erol of Backford said:

There are hundreds of Blue Moon results found when searching this forum...

IMG, the Blue Moon is a mystery even to Sedenya.

The Blue Moon sometimes -- often, even -- cooperates with the Red, serves it.  They are both aspects of the Moon Rune, after all.

But nobody really knows it.  It may be playing a "long game," hiding opposition to Sedenya behind a cooperative mask.  It may be genuinely cooperating, genuinely another "face of the moon" (the same moon) alongside the Red Moon, the White Moon, etc.

[John Biles]

In my Glorantha, the nation of Holay is noted for producing skin cleansing oils with alleged youthening effects.

 

[ZedAlpha]

In my Glorantha, Caladraland has a long tradition of teaching its volcano priests (and bright local kids who show enough promise) several deadly techniques of unarmed combat, including the feared Bronze Arms School. 

Also, in my Glorantha, Hueymakt was the original version of Humakt, who was later syncretized into local Orlanthi cultures who had early contact with the Ducks, and then (in the Ducks' opinion) "stolen" by them as the Orlanthi God of Death. Also in the short-lived HeroQuest campaign I ran, a Duck Hueymakti warrior stabbed Harrek the Berserk to death, but that's a different story. 

Also also in my Glorantha, there were a few esoteric cults out there: Eurmal the Lucid, the helpful trickster who points out truths nobody wants to see, Babeester Gor the Drunk, the goddess of angry drunks everywhere, a sorta-kinda God Learner-y cult dedicated to reviving the original name and worship of Hippogriff/Gamari, before Redalda took her over in Orlanthi/Hyaloring-descended cultures, and a surprisingly widespread society of ancestor-shamans who primarily worshipped Flesh Man and were able to (I ripped this off directly from Dune!) remember all their past lives, and "remember" the future lives of their descendants to assume their skills and knowledge.

 

 

Plus, there was a "lost clan" of Praxian-related folks in the mangrove swamps of Caladraland who rode giant capybaras.

[Erol of Backford]

7 hours ago, ZedAlpha said:

deadly techniques of unarmed combat

In RQ3 it was Martial Arts at base 00% that would have covered these unarmed combat techniques/styles. We never got specific as to what or how, just kick, punch, etc. but didn't get into the Land of Ninja details on martial arts.

Curious what damage Bronze Arms School attacks would do? 

7 hours ago, ZedAlpha said:

Duck Hueymakti warrior stabbed Harrek the Berserk to death

That is brilliant.

7 hours ago, ZedAlpha said:

Babeester Gor the Drunk

Perfect for Euramli until he tries to seduce her, she's likely to consent but then turn into Sinjota or a black widow of sorts.

Wait, 150# rodents!? Never heard of them being that size!

Edited May 13, 2023 by Erol of Backford

[ZedAlpha]

1 hour ago, Erol of Backford said:

Curious what damage Bronze Arms School attacks would do? 

Uh, we used HeroQuest rules instead of RuneQuest, so treated it as a Fire rune mastery/signature stunt for the character in a fight. He was able to punch all the way through people, walls, horses, all sorts of stuff; he could hold flaming coals in his hands, deflect swords with his palms, etc.

1 hour ago, Erol of Backford said:

That is brilliant.

wrote about this more here: 

 

[Erol of Backford]

24 minutes ago, ZedAlpha said:

He was able to punch all the way through people, walls, horses, all sorts of stuff; he could hold flaming coals in his hands, deflect swords with his palms, etc.

I posted this in another thread but seems relevant, buddha palm:

[Erol of Backford]

12 hours ago, ZedAlpha said:

Fire rune mastery/signature stunt

I wonder how this would pan out as an Okfed/Lodri/Ingenew Redson/Caladra & Aurelion subcult where martial arts meets magic and metallurgy?

Iron hands, heat metal, diamond hands?

[ZedAlpha]

Sure, that all sounds about right. And it started out as a Caladralander warrior cult of Vestkarthan/Gustbran/Lowfires in general so yeah, that absolutely tracks. 

[ZedAlpha]

Also in our Glorantha, we'd had saltwater crocodile beastfolk in the Rightarm Islands. They were...mostly friendly to humans, so long as they got tribute of enough fish and nobody stole their Sacred Basking Rock, inscribed with the runes of their ancestors.