Need a Waha heroquest

[Noita]

Hey there. So my pc's need to divert a Serpent in the Wastes.
Waha has dug a canal before, so there's a myth and heroquest right there.

What might this involve for my adventurers?

Not sure on the details yet, so the river might in fact just be trapped underground so there could be the option of another quest there too.

[David Scott]

You may have noticed in HeroQuest Glorantha, Waha cult write up the mention of the Tasks of Waha. The HQG write up isn't complete as the tasks section which is basically the detailed mythology of Waha is missing. The Tasks are basically what Waha did. They are the source of his magics, the source of the tradition spirit societies and the structure of Praxian society. His Tasks are mainly used during initiating and Khan making (as per HQG). The current list is:

Waha and Daka Fal, Waha and Foundchild, Waha and Oakfed, Waha and Dark Eater, Waha Commands the River, Waha and the River, Waha and the Star Captains, Waha and The Storm Children, Waha and the Twin Stars, Waha and Zola Fel, Waha and Baba Ulodra, Waha and Basmol, Waha and The Monkey King, Waha and Great Rhino, Waha and the Pure Horse Founder, Waha and Yelorna, Waha and the Newt God, Waha and the Cannibals, Waha and the Zebra tribe, Waha and Ernalda, Waha does the right thing, Waha and the Priestess, Waha and Death, Waha and His Brother, Waha and the Garden, Waha and the Wastelands, Waha and the Covenant, Waha the Raider, Waha and Hyena, Waha and Gagarth, Waha and Thed, Waha and Mallia.

The four that may be of help to you are Waha Commands the River, Waha and the River, Waha and the Serpents, Waha and Zola Fel. 

Waha Commands the River

The Devil had been crushed beneath the Block. His body was purifying the land around and chaos was rising in new forms. Waha had to wash the Earth clean. Waha asked the Earth itself for help and with his Grandmother's sacred axe he dug the Good Canal, and diverted a river from its path. He commanded a river and its creatures to follow the canal, and to devour the Devil and take it away to the sea. The river did as commanded, but eroding the Devil polluted and weakened it and it had no strength left reach the sea. The river was shamed and tried to hide by burying into the Earth. The Earth rejected it, forcing it to the surface where possible. The mixing of Water, Earth and Chaos produced the Devil’s Marsh, the river’s shame.

The forces of chaos overwhelmed the river and Earth. The ugly creatures which now inhabit this corrupted place are the half-digested portions of the river, and the Devil. The Water Serpents of the Wastelands were appalled at what Waha had done, enslaving the river, and vowed always to be his enemy.

This version of the task is for those who have no Water Rune. In the Wastelands, Waha is the enemy of all Water spirits.

Tasks: Ask sleeping Ernalda for her sacred Axe, dig the canal, command the river.

Applicable Task(s): Waha and Ernalda.

Boon: There are no boons for this task. It acts a negative modifier when dealing with water based activity, social, martial, water spirits, and the Thirstless spirit society.

Associated Charms and Rituals

W Command Earth Elementals

W Command Water elementals

W Fight Water elementals

Waha and the River is the version for those who have the Water Rune, there's no commanding, the river does the work voluntarily and the water spirits remain friendly. Like wise Waha and Zola feel is for those with the Water rune, its the founding of the Thirstless Spirit society.

Waha and the Serpents

The Water Serpents of the Wastelands were angered by Waha's enslavement of the Sounder's River. They became his enemy. Waha waits at Serpent Ground. Waiting to fight the Great Serpent. It rises from the ground as a huge water serpent, and Waha and his minions fight against it. Khans of this Task know the ritual of subdue Water elementals.

Tasks: go to the Serpent Ground and fight the serpent. You must win or drown trying.

Applicable Task(s): Waha and Death. If the Khan or initiate has done Waha and the Sounders River it counts as a minus.

 

New Tasks are always being discovered (Argrath's initiation is Waha and the Dragon). All the tasks have a standard format, but not all have all the parts:

Task name (Group or Solo)

Intro to Task 

Holy or Spirit place: 

Applicable Task(s): (maybe negative)

Benefit(s) of Victory: 

Associated Charms and Rituals

I suspect your player would enjoy battering the serpent into submission or going deeper into the Earth to Meet Ernalda in the Goddesses Dream to get her axe and carving out a new passage and forcing it into it. If there are any Water rune holders then the fun starts.

 

[soltakss]

If you have the River Voices in the game, then you can use something of their history for them to sweet-talk the river into moving.

In my current game, the River Voices awakened more and more powers through HeroQuesting, until the became the Voice of the rivers of Prax, then the Wastes.

[Noita]

No they are't river voices. I have two pcs with water runes, one who has already heroquested and made friends with a serpent.

The group is slowly over coming the serpents' dislike of nomads.

One of them plans to try and mythically  marry kinope in the next few years.

 

[Darius West]

While serpents are associated with rivers, it might also be mentioned that serpents also have Earth associations, and of course there are mutant chaos snakes too.  

Potentially Waha goes to the Paps and there makes claim on his kinship with the Earth to gain control of serpents. In their turn the Goddesses of the Paps in council underground speak about poor dead Genert and Tada his son.  Now all that is left of Genert is hyenas, but one of those hyenas is unusually large and intelligent.  Find a way to bring that beast alive to the secret place beneath Tada's High Tumulus and we will speak further of the mysteries and help you with this serpent that troubles you.

[Patrick]

On 21 juin 2016 at 6:53 PM, Darius West said:

While serpents are associated with rivers, it might also be mentioned that serpents also have Earth associations, and of course there are mutant chaos snakes too.  

 

Mmmm, there might be a misunderstanding here.

Snakes (aka serpents in English) are indeed Earth-related animals, and Ernalda can command them.

But Serpent, in Prax, is the word designating a seasonal river. It is a Water flow, albeit a weak one. Nothing to do with snakes.

[David Scott]

1 hour ago, Patrick said:

Mmmm, there might be a misunderstanding here.

Snakes (aka serpents in English) are indeed Earth-related animals, and Ernalda can command them.

But Serpent, in Prax, is the word designating a seasonal river. It is a Water flow, albeit a weak one. Nothing to do with snakes.

Certainly a misunderstanding, however. The water serpents are definitely snake like, but not related to earth snakes. They are certainly not weak water flows. They are raging flash floods destroying anything in their paths, or dragging it with them. Have a look at real world flash floods along season river beds. They are awesome. To prevent the damage to the land and drowning, Waha fights them. They rear up as huge serpents and try to smash him. I'll post the task for Waha and the Sepents later and some YouTube links. If you are a Waha Khan with a water rune, there's an alternate Task in which you ask them to be less destructive. 

[Patrick]

Sorry, I was thinking weak debit compared to Magasta, Engizi, Oslir... You're right, instant speed can be high.

[David Scott]

Flash Floods on Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90KI3j0aLe0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7EN5jqykVE

 

[David Scott]

Waha and the Serpents

The Water Serpents of the Wastelands were angered by Waha's enslavement of the Sounder's River. They became his enemy. Waha waits at Serpent Ground. Waiting to fight the Great Serpent. It rises from the ground as a huge water serpent, and Waha and his minions fight against it. Khans of this Task know the ritual of subdue Water elementals.

Tasks: go to the Serpent Ground and fight the serpent. You must win or be drowned.

 

[Noita]

2 hours ago, David Scott said:

Waha and the Serpents

The Water Serpents of the Wastelands were angered by Waha's enslavement of the Sounder's River. They became his enemy. Waha waits at Serpent Ground. Waiting to fight the Great Serpent. It rises from the ground as a huge water serpent, and Waha and his minions fight against it. Khans of this Task know the ritual of subdue Water elementals.

Tasks: go to the Serpent Ground and fight the serpent. You must win or be drowned.

 

Where is the Serpent Ground? I ran this heroquest at the Bison Khan and Rainman grasslands..

[soltakss]

11 minutes ago, Iskallor said:

Where is the Serpent Ground? I ran this heroquest at the Bison Khan and Rainman grasslands..

The Argan Argar Atlas has it on Map 31, Dead Bottom, between the Cactus Desert and Sandstorm Hills.

There is a map of the Wastes on the web that has this as "Place where serpents fight and love", between the Firedust and Storbiorn Mountains, but the text isn't very clear.

We call it Soggy Bottom, as the rivers drain here.

[David Scott]

15 hours ago, Iskallor said:

Where is the Serpent Ground?

In the Spirit World:

Serpent Ground

Waha is here, waiting to fight the Great Serpent. The Great Serpent hates Waha for his enslavement of the Sounders River. It rises from the ground as a huge water serpent, and Waha and his heroes fight to stop it flooding the land and drowning the herds. Those who are not Waha cultists and possess the Water Rune may visit as friends and meet the Water spirits there.

 

Visible in the distance

The Wide Plains.

 

At the Edges of Serpent Ground

The Wide Plains.

 

Who can be met there?

Waha, Heroes, the Great Serpent, Zola Fel.

 

Middle World connections

Any of the Wicked Writhers serpents, Dead Bottom.

 

Associated societies

Waha, The Thirstless.

 

Tasks of Waha

Waha and the Serpents

[Noita]

I wish your Prax book was coming out now.

[Kim]

1) Hungry peeps

2) Hangry me!

3) Food elsewhere

4) TOTES MY FODDER NAO.

5) Repeat until illumination and/or satisfaction

[David Scott]

On 3 July 2016 at 0:18 PM, Kim said:

1) Hungry peeps

2) Hangry me!

3) Food elsewhere

4) TOTES MY FODDER NAO.

5) Repeat until illumination and/or satisfaction

Do you have more details on these HeroQuest stations?

And could you clarify station 4 as I don't understand it, thanks. 

[Kim]

On 7/5/2016 at 3:03 AM, David Scott said:

Do you have more details on these HeroQuest stations?

And could you clarify station 4 as I don't understand it, thanks. 

Why, you libelous swine!!! The implication that I had scripted Waha heroquesting as cannibalistic todger-wars is insane and unwarranted! I am shocked and dismayed. In truth, it says far more about you for immediately leaping to that conclusion, than it does about me!!!!!!!!!!!!

Liek, OBVIOUSLY, the burden of "Station 4" is that the culturally-sensitive, nature-protecting Wahans go frell off into heroquesty land or whatever and mystically discover that in fact FODDER was in fact ALWEEZ all about them already, and that when coming back to the mundane world, they can confirm that in NAO-time it is indeed theirs theirs theirs since forever. And is theirs.

(Fodder isn't human people!!! Unless you're morokanth, and then it's OK!!!)