Grazeland adventures

[Squaredeal Sten]

1 hour ago, AlexS said:

The Ernalda temple should probably be a Major (or even Great) one given the magical role of the FHQ (Queen's Post is presumably her main base). Maybe a fairly modest upper level in the Grazer style (think Yurt-influenced architecture) as a nod to her La-Ungariant side, with a massive set of underground chambers in the more classic Sartar/Tarshite Ernaldan style (with echoes of Maran Gor, given that Sorana Tor's original home was in the Shaker Temple)?

The Seven Mothers temple may have been destroyed under the rule of Vistera, the Lunar-hating FHQ who took over when her predecessor was killed fighting for the Lunars in Esrolia in 1623. However, I think her successor (whose father was the King of Tarsh) may well have allowed the 7M missionaries back in.

Don't forget to include a sizeable Humakti barracks-temple, as this is probably the main centre of the Cult of Hiaa Swordsman.

With the Grazers' emphasis on nomadic, I would not expect the FHQ to locate her main temple in a ground man town.  This raises the question of what earth worship looks Iike to the Grazers.  They have their own mythology for the earth goddess and she (La-Ungariant)  is depicted with a horse's head.  She is a herd mother and should have a Praxian quairlty, as the Grazers were originally Praxians.

That doesn't mean she can't have an underground temple.  Look at the Paps.

But I am thinking it is a natural cavern, and not much improved by masonry since the Grazers do not practise that craft. It might be near Queen's post or not.  And a medium temple, because Maran Gor's great temple is nearby, so is Kero Fin - how many great temples to Earth can you have in that vicinity?

As for the Humakti -  I am thinking a small barracks.  The FHQ has a bodyguard of Hiia Humakti, not an army of them.  The barracks trains them, most guard the town(s)  perhaps working for the governors.  That way an elderly Grazer Elder-priest  governor doesn't have to fight some young rowdy.  The most talented are promoted to bodyguard. And accompany the FHQ as she journeys around the Grazelands. 

Queen's Post is not the FHQ's capital. Making a capital in a town would discredit her politically.  The Grazer style as I understand it  would be not to have a fixed capital.  Did Gehgis Khan have a fixed capital? Did the Sioux?  Commanches? Praxian tribes?   Where are the inspirations for the Grazers coming from?

 

Edited May 12, 2023 by Squaredeal Sten
Long post, long edit.

[jajagappa]

1 hour ago, Squaredeal Sten said:

I am not sure who thst additional transient population would be.

Merchant caravans heading between Esrolia and Tarsh. These posts are the main caravan stops between and there will be a host of muleteers, wagon drivers, guards, scribes, scouts, etc. Won't be all seasons, but when they arrive, the place will seem busy.

[Squaredeal Sten]

3 minutes ago, jajagappa said:

Merchant caravans heading between Esrolia and Tarsh. These posts are the main caravan stops between and there will be a host of muleteers, wagon drivers, guards, scribes, scouts, etc. Won't be all seasons, but when they arrive, the place will seem busy.

Yes, perhaps i should add an official caravanserai to Queesn's Post, and the other two Grazeland towns too.

 

[AlexS]

29 minutes ago, Squaredeal Sten said:

With the Grazers' emphasis on nomadic, I would not expect the FHQ to locate her main temple in a ground man town.

YGWV, but in our Glorantha the FHQ is both La-Ungariant (mobile) and Ernalda/Sorana Tor (non-mobile), both the Queen of the Grazers (mobile) and the protector of the vendref (non-mobile). 

So, it would make sense for her to progress around the Grazelands but also have a main base where she spends a sizeable chunk of the year (especially Earth Season, and probably other major Ernaldan Holy Days). What with it being called Queen's Post and all, that town seems like the most logical place for her major base/temple.

33 minutes ago, Squaredeal Sten said:

Queen's Post is not the FHQ's capital. Making a capital in a town would discredit her politically.

Not with the vendref, not with the merchants who are the main source of her wealth and not with the neighbouring kingdoms who come to seek her support (and sometimes her hand in marriage). Only with the PHP, and when they tried to stop her rise in 1470 she gave their king a sound magical thrashing, so they may well grumble but are hardly likely to question her right to rule.

If she visits each major clan/division out in its grazing grounds once a year and spends the odd ceremonial night under the stars with the LSK that is probably enough to keep the PHP from grumbling too much – the rest of the time she has business to attend to in Queen's Post.

38 minutes ago, Squaredeal Sten said:

I am thinking it is a natural cavern

I like that. According to the Glorantha Sourcebook, the first FHQ 'went deep into the womb of the Earth' (p. 19) to gather the magical resources to take on (and beat) the LSK in 1470 – so having the main temple be located at/over the cavern where she did this would make sense. Placing it in Queen's Post is logical because the town didn't exist before she and Sartar decided to build it there – so locating it at a place that was important for her origin story makes political as well as magical sense.

[Squaredeal Sten]

So after all the prep, the Adventurers paid  the usual Grazer protection racket; got to Queen;s post and got my description and talked to some folks.  The Adventurers didn't stay in Queen's Post long after they realized how long it was until most of their cult seasonal holy days, and that the Lhankor Mhy presence was just a shrine and various clerks: vastly inferior to that at Jonstown.. My Grazelands work is definitely not wasted though; it goes into the Locality binder.

They strategized -

Spoiler

they are beginning to figure out some of the magical things in Korolstead

-

and decided to

1) Go to Clearwine to ask for reinforcements- Yes they are going to try to clear Korolstead!  (They are getting this help: What they found has whetted the appetite of Leika and the Ernalda Temple group in Clearwine.)

And

2) go to Duck Point for help with

Spoiler

the water problem they found in Korolstead.

3) the LM  will go to Jonstown for scholarly analysis of things they found.  .

So I am going to prepare a big list of NPCs   for the next Korolstead expedition, and I am glad to have Duckpack to help me with Duck Point and Durulz NPCs.

It will be a little while until I return to this or another Grazers thread.  Thanks everyone for the help and the thought.   If we work on it the Grazelands can be a good updated area for flexible adventuring during the Hero Wars..

 

Edited May 13, 2023 by Squaredeal Sten
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