Orlanthi Head hunters.

[Darius West]

So apparently there are tribes of the Orlanthi who take their enemies heads as magical trophies, not like Thanatari but in a less chaotic way.  I would suspect that this would be most prevalent among somewhat primitive Orlanthi like the Vantaros and the Tovtaros tribes in northern Sartar.  Has anything been written on this outside it being mentioned in GS lore auctions?  Fact check me while I rip this tool from Thanatar, to confound his presence in the scheme of being etc... 

[7Tigers]

The "Headhunters" were indeed one of the units of the Sartar Free Army in the White Bear and Red Moon wargame.

Jeff Richard gave his point of view 18 years ago in the digest:
http://glorantha.temppeli.org/digest/gd5/1998.03/4114.html

On the subject, there is also Killing People, And Having Them Stay Dead by David Cake in an old digest,
as well as The Fox King story by Nick Brooke.
 

 

 

[M Helsdon]

24 minutes ago, 7Tigers said:

The "Headhunters" were indeed one of the units of the Sartar Free Army in the White Bear and Red Moon wargame.

The Headhunters received this name for their treatment of the Lunars during their rebellion in 1622-1625.

[metcalph]

The headhunters are the Culbrea fyrd IIRC.  I did have an idea in which they take heads as a re-enactment of sorts of the dismemberment of the Giant Lant Ulfar (who lies in various pieces nearby).

[Noita]

There are headhunters around Engoli fort if I remember correctly.

[metcalph]

7 hours ago, Iskallor said:

There are headhunters around Engoli fort if I remember correctly.

The source of that is the RQ Adventures fanzine.

[Noita]

That's the one. We had a big scrap with some. So yeah not canon  

Edited October 5, 2016 by Iskallor

[Darius West]

Thanks for the info 7Tigers and M Heldson. That was some solid information to draw from.  I wonder if the Fox king refers in any way to the Red Fox clan of Colymar?  Pesky trickster kings eating people, head hunting and teasing folks by behaving chaotic.  Anyone would think trickster was a front for chaos worship...  We had a trickster who cut his own head off and then spoke to people just to "freak the normals".  When will tricksters learn that Thanatar isn't nice to joke about? Our Gray Sage had a conniption!

I think I read something in issue 1 of RQ Adventures had a local headhunting spirit cult based around the worship of "Otyan", perhaps the pre-chaotic form of Atyar?  Was it in Tradetalk too?  I think that is the Fort Engoli reference.

Did nothing show up on this topic in Guide to Glorantha?  I ask because I missed out on the first edition (but will be damned if I will miss the second).

Here is wiki's trimmed down summary on headhunting:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headhunting

Supposedly the Celts also had a magic weapon made of the brain of a Formorian dipped in lime (stone) called a Tathlum.  I know that Samurai had a whole system of etiquette and divination based on the severed heads of their enemies quite apart from the bare sketch that wiki provides.

I wonder if there is anything else in the RQ fanon or canon?  If not I will just have to write it I guess.  I am GMing  a refugee kid, born in Pavis who is "going home" to Tovtari lands, who needs a bit of culture shock.

 

Edited October 5, 2016 by Darius West

[7Tigers]

Nothing in the Guide about headhunters outside a reference to Lord Death On A Horse (the demigod ruler of the Kingdom of War).

And outside the sentence in RQA#5 "Engoli's Fold: This isolated spot is home to the much feared Headhunter Clan who worship O'tyan.", I don't remember anything else and of course, nothing at all in Engoli's Fold entry in Issaries's Dragon Pass - A Gazetteer of Kerofinela.

"The Fox King" is based on Foul King Brangbane of the Dinacoli tribe. 
In recent The Coming Storm, you even have reference to the Fox clan of the Dinacoli tribe.

Related to the subject: an old John Hugues point of view about "Why would anyone hunt heads?"
http://glorantha.temppeli.org/digest/gd5/1997.08/1186.html

[TRose]

 Taking the heads of your enemy has a long history. It was done by the Celts, Roman, Japanese among others. .During WWII the heads of Japanese soldier where taken by Allied Soldier and Marines and every now and then somebody in the US sends back to Japan  a skull their Grandfather kept as a trophy..

 One of my Old characters has a Chamber pot which has the skull of a certain Luner/Krasht official  incorporated into the bottom. into it.

[soltakss]

On 10/4/2016 at 1:36 PM, Darius West said:

So apparently there are tribes of the Orlanthi who take their enemies heads as magical trophies, not like Thanatari but in a less chaotic way.  I would suspect that this would be most prevalent among somewhat primitive Orlanthi like the Vantaros and the Tovtaros tribes in northern Sartar.  Has anything been written on this outside it being mentioned in GS lore auctions?  Fact check me while I rip this tool from Thanatar, to confound his presence in the scheme of being etc... 

Tien was beheaded by one of Storm Bull's sons, in the traditional Storm way. headhunting seems to have been part of the Storm Tribe right from the start.I think it is seen as backward and primitive now, by most Orlanthi, but it is still seen as a Storm Tribe thing. Thanatar has muddied the waters by closely associating headhunting with Thanatar Heads, so some might think of it as inherently chaotic.

[Darius West]

Well, I think the reference in RQ Adventures says that the head hunting cult is called Otyan, probably a reference to Atyar and Tien. 

I have an alternative idea... what if the suggestively named Hedkoranth offers a specific Divine Spell to tribes with an interest in head hunting, quite apart from Create Thunderstone?  One based on the Tathlum of Irish legend?  Where the heads of fallen enemies are covered in lime in hidden caves, and prepared for the day when they will be hurled at the enemy along with the hidden clan stores of woad and thunderstone?

Enchant Hurling Head

Ritual, Enchant Spell, Stackable to 6 points, One use (special).

This spell may only be cast on Windsday of Mobility week each season by initiates and priests of Hedkoranth.  If cast on the High Holy Day of Orlanth it is reusable for priests of Hedkoranth.  It requires access to tar and gypsum, with which the head is coated, often leaving the hair in place as a convenient handle, and the heads are tended every season.  The important thing to note is that Blessed Heads are hostile to the wielder and must be disposed of carefully.  The face of the Hurling Head is still visibly the one of the victim from which it was taken.

1 Point:  The head is covered with layers of gypsum and a disorder rune is carved on its cheek.  The hardened head will now do 1d6 damage when thrown or slung as a missile and will demoralize all opponents who can see the head as if the caster were using the spell with their POW.  This demoralize effect is twice as effective on the victim who is struck by the head.  It requires 2 points of Countermagic or equivalent to resist this effect.

2 Points:  The head is covered with a heavier layer of gypsum, and has all the effects of the first point but now does +3 damage and weighs 2 enc.

3 Points:  The head is now covered in a layer of flammable corrosive tar and carved with a fire rune, and while providing demoralization it now acts as a 3d6+3 damage firearrow as well causing enemies struck to potentially catch fire.

4 Points:  As with the 3 point spell, but now the fire and force of the head do 4d6+3 damage, and the fire is more intense, causing the opponent struck to catch fire automatically when struck.

5 Points:  As with the above, but now it removes 1d6 MP from the opponent struck.

6 Points: As above, but now the damage done acts in place of POW for a Sever Spirit spell i.e. if 12 damage is done, the Sever Spirit is cast as if it were cast with 12 POW.

Blessed heads are generally considered vengeance weapons, and not for use in "clean" or honorable warfare.  They are used on occasion by Orlanthi as part of an intense feud, as generally decapitating an enemy and then throwing their head at their family as such a horrific weapon is either an impossible insult, or a sign that things have gone too far.  Humakti and Elmali will not countenance the use of Hurling Heads and will leave the side of a conflict that employs them.  Stormbulls however are surprisingly well disposed to the idea.  The Cult of Hedkoranth does not encourage the use of this magic as it has a bad reputation, and the connotations are verging on chaos, however as a cult secret to be employed against enemies with which no quarter is asked or given, they are a thing to be feared.  Most tribes with a strong Hedkoranthi presence will maintain a hidden cave or cellar where the arsenal of these terrible weapons are kept against the day when they may be needed.

[Ian Cooper]

On 04/10/2016 at 2:25 PM, 7Tigers said:

Jeff Richard gave his point of view 18 years ago in the digest:

http://glorantha.temppeli.org/digest/gd5/1998.03/4114.html

I'd be cautious, Jeff might have had new ideas in the last 18 years, certainly the old Germanic/Celtic division between Ralios and Dragon Pass is no longer what it was. Working on the Guide will do that for you.

[Ian Cooper]

On 04/10/2016 at 7:46 PM, metcalph said:

The headhunters are the Culbrea fyrd IIRC.  I did have an idea in which they take heads as a re-enactment of sorts of the dismemberment of the Giant Lant Ulfar (who lies in various pieces nearby).

Yes, that is the current thinking. The Culbrea tribe warband is described as such in The Eleven Lights for example. The Lant Ulfar idea is quite nice.