Guide to Glorantha Group Read Week 2

[David Scott]

Index - https://basicroleplaying.org/topic/6558-guide-to-glorantha-group-read-index/

Before we start, a few points:

• Please don't forget to start reading the next section for week 3. From page 38 up to and including page 58. You've got until Monday 10th July.
• Any errors in the next section, please put in the week 3 errors https://basicroleplaying.org/topic/6466-guide-to-glorantha-group-read-week-3-errors/. 
• Please keep your discussions to the current section - it's easy to wander off.
• Please keep your discussions on the current section in this thread.
• Please only add to this if you've read the section. I'm trying to avoid derailments by non-participants.
• If you are having difficulty finding the threads - they are all tagged: guide to glorantha group read, click the tag and the treads will all appear:
• https://basicroleplaying.org/tags/guide to glorantha group read/

Well we did very well last week, only a few minor derailments and lots of great observations and insights.

We kick off this week with the first part of the Major Cultures section: Hsunchen, Doraddi, Praxians and Orlanthi. I'm going to do something different and create four different threads, one for each Culture, so we can keep the relevant sections together. We can use this thread for general and overview comments. The links are below:

https://basicroleplaying.org/topic/6468-guide-to-glorantha-group-read-week-2-hsunchen/

https://basicroleplaying.org/topic/6469-guide-to-glorantha-group-read-week-2-doraddi/

https://basicroleplaying.org/topic/6470-guide-to-glorantha-group-read-week-2-praxian

https://basicroleplaying.org/topic/6471-guide-to-glorantha-group-read-week-2-orlanthi

 

Edited July 25, 2017 by David Scott
links added

[Akhôrahil]

A look at the pictures. They are all really nice!

Hsunchen: Very much a Sami look to the outfits of the Uncoling, as we would expect. Both of the outfits are fairly similar-looking, though - almost too similar for two different tribes, in fact, although we shouldn't be surprised that similar material factors drive similar manufacture. Among the things I Iike: The Bear snowshoes. The rune tags - those make a lot of sense, as it's going to be hard to get runes on fur, and they look amazing (prominent Bear runes on the Rathoring). The snow-goggles on the Uncoling - I didn't notice those until I looked closer this time!

The Rathoring has found, just like Harrek did, that you look silly in a bear-head-hat if you keep the jaw part.

The text piece starts the trend that we, oddly enough, get what I assume was the description given to the artist, which always diverges at several points from the actual image. (Among others, the Rathoring isn't wearing his snow boots, and I'm fairly confident those aren't snake ribs the Uncoling is wearing.)

Doraddi: You can tell that the Kresh are traders, as the woman has access to exotic things like fabrics. The runes are... embroidered, it looks like? This being Glorantha, I'm almost surprised that the belt is decorated with something other than runes, but it makes a nice contrast. The Arbennan's scarification comes through nicely. Note also the Air runes in his earpieces. The metal spearhead must be worth a fortune. Does he have a moustache, or is that just shadowing?

Baobabs (?) in the background. The vegetation they're standing on looks suspiciously like grass...

Praxian: The image is very evocative, but one has to wonder if it wouldn't have been better to have someone more representative in them? The queen is obviously of very high rank, and that can't be her everyday outfit. The warrior has exceptional metal equipment for a Praxian (the text says leather, but that's clearly metal, and I've already told about my misgivings about the oversized spearhead and axehead elsewhere). At least one regular Praxian would have been welcome, with more typical clothing and equipment.

This said, it all looks great. Unlike in earlier examples of runic wear, the Queen's leather skirt now looks like the runes are painted. Wings and horns on the hat - certainly no minimalism here! I love how the dagger grip forms a moon crescent.

Not sure why the warriors has that odd second little pony-tail at the top of his head. I wonder if his helmet (he just took it off for the picture, right, surely he has one, having full armor but no helmet would be insane?) fits over that hairstyle. No tattoos on the warrior, and in fact very little in the way of runes at all, only a few smaller Air runes (including earpieces, once more). Water would be more common among the High Llamas, but there's nothing weird about an Air-aspected guy.

Orlanthi: The trend of high status people continue, in a way I'm starting to increasingly mislike - we haven't had an average Joe since the Doraddi Walker. That said, the Esroalian hair set-up looks equal parts cool and ridiculous. Bare feet makes excellent sense. Being bare-breasted is apparently not mandatory. Standard Ernalda rune-set, plus Illusion.

The heavy Lunar influence on Aggar shows nicely on the Thane (at least if we imagine the Lunars as Roman-style, which perhaps we shouldn't). The pattern on his tabard seems like it's woven, which again is a nice touch, showing how we're seeing technology increases as this chapter continues. He must have a shield in order for that sword to work (and also for Weapontake), but I guess he left it out of the picture - it's not something you carry around in everyday use, anyway. Standard Orlanth rune-set, prominently displayed. When the Lunars ban Orlanth worship, is it only in Sartar, or throughout the Empire? Or is it just that the locals don't care and the Lunars don't enforce it?

What's that thing in the background, and why does the symbol re-occur on the Thane's chestpiece?

 

[Akhôrahil]

Oh, and the Vingan painting is lovely. Even with its "female armor" of dubious protective worth. The sleeve style tattoos are nice. What's the metal of her bracelet? I wonder what the (supposedly Lhankor Mhy) Law-speaker thinks of the head-taking - it's a touchy subject...

[David Scott]

28 minutes ago, Akhôrahil said:

Hsunchen: Very much a Sami look to the outfits of the Uncoling, as we would expect. Both of the outfits are fairly similar-looking, though - almost too similar for two different tribes, in fact, although we shouldn't be surprised that similar material factors drive similar manufacture. Among the things I Iike: The Bear snowshoes. The rune tags - those make a lot of sense, as it's going to be hard to get runes on fur, and they look amazing (prominent Bear runes on the Rathoring). The snow-goggles on the Uncoling - I didn't notice those until I looked closer this time!

The Rathoring has found, just like Harrek did, that you look silly in a bear-head-hat if you keep the jaw part.

The text piece starts the trend that we, oddly enough, get what I assume was the description given to the artist, which always diverges at several points from the actual image. (Among others, the Rathoring isn't wearing his snow boots, and I'm fairly confident those aren't snake ribs the Uncoling is wearing.)

Here's the art direction from http://www.glorantha.com/docs/hsunchen-overview/

Weapons are Stone Age, and typically include bow and arrow, spear, stone and horn axes, flint daggers and so on. Here are some examples: http://outline-of-history.mindvessel.net/_images/0079.png

A good reference source for clothing is Ötzi the Iceman:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bozen_1_(177).JPG (summer clothes)

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Clothes_of_%C3%96tzi,_Naturhistorisches_Museum_Wien.jpg (winter clothes)

http://www.plantsciences.ucdavis.edu/gepts/pb143/Lec12/Oetzi%20Clothing1.gif (Ötzi’s undergarments)

http://www.plantsciences.ucdavis.edu/gepts/pb143/Lec12/Oetzi%20Clothing2.gif (Ötz’s clothes)

http://www.plantsciences.ucdavis.edu/gepts/pb143/Lec12/Oetzi%20Clothing3.gif (the fully kitted Ötzi)

http://www.iceman.it/en/clothing (more on Ötzi)

http://www.plantsciences.ucdavis.edu/gepts/pb143/Lec12/oetzgros.gif

Fig. 1. Bear Hsunchen hunter: The Bear Totem people (who call themselves Rathori) live in a vast sub-boreal pine forest (with some deciduous trees). The northern reaches of the forest is sub-arctic, the southern reaches are more temperate. The people themselves are, on the average, on the taller and heavier end of the human norm. Their skin color is brownish, their hair ranges from brown to black, and their eyes range from brown to black as well. They are hairy, and men tend to be bearded.

Our male Bear Totem hunter carries a spear, but his main weapon is a deadly bow and arrow. He also wears a bearskin cap with a leather chin strap. His shoes were waterproof and wide, seemingly designed for walking across the snow; they were constructed using bearskin for the soles, deer hide for the top panels, and a netting made of tree bark. He has pouches sewed on to him and probably a bear-skin cloak as well. He carries a variety of magical charms made from parts of the bear – claws and teeth definitely, but also plenty of other magical charms that help him with other spirits. He’s a rugged survivor, self-reliant, and something a more civilized warrior would not want to encounter in his home woods!

Likely Runes: Beast, Spirit, Air, Plant, Movement, Death

Fig. 2. Reindeer People shaman: The Reindeer Totem people (who call themselves the Uncolings) live in a vast tundra region just below a gigantic thousand mile glacier (imagine something like the Ice Age continental ice sheets). They subsist almost entirely on their herds of reindeer, making use of their milk, meat, antlers, and so on. Despite their low technological level, the Uncolings are socially and magically sophisticated. Each spring they meet in huge gatherings, and perform magical ceremonies that require thousands of participants. The Reindeer Totem people are slightly taller than average height (but shorter than Bear Totem folk). Their skin is dark, but their hair ranges from white to almost black. Their clothing is made largely out of reindeer hide and looks somewhat similar to that of the Sami nomads of northern Finland, Norway, and Sweden (and other subarctic reindeer herders).

Our female Reindeer Totem snake dancer shaman carries a magical drum with lots of magical Runes painted on it (http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pHnvwWQtpgI/TvBdMzY1cpI/AAAAAAAABIw/dpSen6R9IIU/s1600/Sami+Shaman.jpg). She wears clothes made of reindeer hide, with a tall reindeer-fur hat with feathers, bones, and other magical charms. In fact, she is simply covered with magical charms of every description – bones, feathers, stones, knots, you name it. She wears an apron made our of snake ribs (something like a Plains Indian breastplate http://thegrandfathersspeak.blogspot.de/2009/02/short-history-of-hair-pipe.html) and a necklace with a snake head (maybe a real snake head, maybe a magical stone carved to be a snake head). Her leggings are decorated with vertical stripes (symbolizing the Cosmic Dragon which is the source of her power).

Likely Runes: Spirit, Earth, Beast, Mastery, Magic, Fertility, really any rune except Chaos.

Edited July 4, 2017 by David Scott

[David Scott]

26 minutes ago, Akhôrahil said:

Orlanthi: The trend of high status people continue, in a way I'm starting to increasingly mislike - we haven't had an average Joe since the Doraddi Walker. That said, the Esroalian hair set-up looks equal parts cool and ridiculous. Bare feet makes excellent sense. Being bare-breasted is apparently not mandatory. Standard Ernalda rune-set, plus Illusion.

The heavy Lunar influence on Aggar shows nicely on the Thane (at least if we imagine the Lunars as Roman-style, which perhaps we shouldn't). The pattern on his tabard seems like it's woven, which again is a nice touch, showing how we're seeing technology increases as this chapter continues. He must have a shield in order for that sword to work (and also for Weapontake), but I guess he left it out of the picture - it's not something you carry around in everyday use, anyway. Standard Orlanth rune-set, prominently displayed. When the Lunars ban Orlanth worship, is it only in Sartar, or throughout the Empire? Or is it just that the locals don't care and the Lunars don't enforce it?

What's that thing in the background, and why does the symbol re-occur on the Thane's chestpiece?

Here's the art direction for the piece from http://www.glorantha.com/docs/orlanthi-overview/:

The Orlanthi are olive-skinned, with black, brown, or reddish hair. Both genders tattoo their bodies with magical runes of the gods, cults, ancestors, clan, tribe, and other sacred events. Each clan and tribe has its own tattoo; at initiation, new adults are marked with those signs as well as the marks of the gods and personal runes. Status, profession, and important life events are also marked with tattoos. Orlanthi tattoos can be located on many places of the body: the face, the shoulder, the arms, legs, the back, the abdomen, and so on.

Fig. 1. Aggari thane. Aggar is a kingdom uniting numerous warlike tribes from rugged hill country with more civilized and sedentary lowland folk. It is a wild land of hills and ridges, cut by rivers and deep gorges, small farms, and meadows. They domesticate large cats called alynxes for hunting and companionship. The inhabitants are notorious for raiding and feuds. The people are average size for humans.

Our male Aggari thane is armed and equipped very similar to the Bronze Age horsemen picture.

He carries a long leaf-shaped bronze sword (equally usable for slashing and thrusting) with an ornately decorated scabbard. If the blade is out of its scabbard, various runes should be seen on the blade – Death, Air, and Movement.

He wears heavy-soled leather sandals with a long lace that is winds up his leg. As leg protection, he wears elaborately decorated bronze greaves.

His cuirass is bronze, decorated, and of high quality. Here are some examples of a good cuirass: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mharrsch/548462755/, http://www.flickr.com/photos/mharrsch/566130967/

Underneath the cuirass he wears a long wool tunic, perhaps embroidered at the edges, and a short skirt (not patterned like a Scottish kilt, but more like that depicted on this helmet http://www.flickr.com/photos/mharrsch/548417427/).

He wears a fancy bronze helmet with cheek-pieces and decorated with feathers as in the Bronze Age horseman picture.

He wears bracelets of gold or silver that displays his status. Many items are decorated with Gloranthan runes or stylized faces, beasts (especially dragons, bears, and rams) and so on.

His arms and neck are tattooed with runes – particularly Air (signifying the Storm God), Mastery (also signifying the Storm God), and Movement (speed and violence) – as well as other symbols signifying his clan, tribe, and status as a professional warrior for his king. Feel free to make up cool looking symbolic tattoos.

He is bearded, with reddish hair (I know this is B&W but what the heck) and likely scarred from battles and duels.

Fig. 2. Esrolian priestess. Esrolia is a densely populated land consisting of several rich valleys and rolling hills between them. It is a warm, verdant, and civilized land whose people are ruled by matriarchal queens and worship Ernalda the Earth Goddess above all other deities.

Our female Esrolian priestess serves the goddess Ernalda and is marked with her runes: Earth, Fertility, and Harmony. She should be an attractive woman of child-bearing years (early twenties). She is tattooed with those runes, as are her clothes and accoutrements. She has long brown hair that has been elaborately braided (see the Minoans in http://www.nmia.com/~jaybird/ThomasBakerPaintings/images.html/minoan_costumes/Minoan_palace_scene_enlarged.jpg) and wears an ornate headress like the Hindu Sigiriya ladies (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sigiriya_ladies_01.jpg).

She uses kohl to rim the eyes, paint eyebrows, darken eyelashes, and to give a “ceremonial” appearance.

She wears a tight bodice with short sleeves (made out of cotton or even silk) and a flounced and pleated skirt – something Minoan with Ancient Hindu influences would have the right look. Here’s some examples of Minoan attire: http://www.nmia.com/~jaybird/ThomasBakerPaintings/ancient_minoan_costumes.html, http://gamesmuseum.uwaterloo.ca/About%20Games/minoan%20board.jpg ,

Please feel free to change details and add more Hindu influences – ideally something that makes one think of both Minoan Greece and ancient Hindu goddesses would be perfect!

Our priestess displays her status and power with gold and silver bracelets, gold pendants, brooches, cameos, bangles, and golden earrings, all with complex patters and fine details. Most impressive is her large ornate golden necklace with emeralds. Examples include: http://farm1.static.flickr.com/29/63089422_1b2a54e531.jpg, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Earring_Mycenae_Louvre_Bj135.jpg, http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2792/4289902094_76493d1ed6.jpg, etc.

Edited July 4, 2017 by David Scott

[Rick Meints]

The Major Cultures section of the book had some debates concerning how big to have the cultural distribution maps. We tried them spanning all three columns, which made the few text entries easier to read, but that left little other room on the page for text. Also, the relatively little info on the maps, great as it is, didn't really impart more info when enlarged. I also really like the population boxes. A lot of "how many people could this area support" discussions went into the numbers, and it was something that Greg had spent quite some time on many years ago, including for the Genertela: CotHW boxed set.

The Hsunchen section always starts a pronunciation debate (I usually say SUN-chen). Laubenstein's B&W drawings are very detailed. One thing that struck me is that many of the humans portrayed are not particularly tall in stature, which goes against a common RPG trope. The art direction grey boxed text really helps with each illustration. Because many of the ills are full page in nature we didn't want to shrink them to put the text below the picture. The art direction boxed text is also vastly edited down in content. Many illustrations involved Jeff writing pages of information, including many hyperlinks to websites with inspirational images. I think the art notes and early sketches could fill a 128 page book all on their own. 

For the Doraddi, a culture I knew little about, I fell prey to the temptation to spend more time reading the text than getting pages laid out. I probably pondered the "We Tried That Already" boxed text for about an hour. 

I got to use one of our favorite Lisa Free illustrations in the Praxian section. While we tried to re-use art very sparingly, some art from decades ago is just "too right" to not include. That Morokanth on page 26 is definitely one of those. We knew that the incomplete list of Independent minor tribes would get challenged for leaving someone's favorite out, but even at 800 pages we knew the book couldn't contain all the Gloranthan info created over 45 years. The Praxian pic on page 28 certainly put to rest the "Praxians are Native Americans" trope. 

The Orlanthi section also made me pause several times as I read and reread the text. I had never realized that 5x more Orlanthi live in Ralios than in Dragon Pass! until I remembered the Dragonkill. Getting the best size for the picture spanning pages 34-35 wasn't easy. Putting it on only one page only would make it too small, and much larger would have only left room for the larger than average art notes. 

The Pelorian section also brought me a number of revelations, but that's for next week...

 

[David Scott]

On 04/07/2017 at 11:38 AM, Akhôrahil said:

Doraddi: You can tell that the Kresh are traders, as the woman has access to exotic things like fabrics. The runes are... embroidered, it looks like? This being Glorantha, I'm almost surprised that the belt is decorated with something other than runes, but it makes a nice contrast. The Arbennan's scarification comes through nicely. Note also the Air runes in his earpieces. The metal spearhead must be worth a fortune. Does he have a moustache, or is that just shadowing?

Baobabs (?) in the background. The vegetation they're standing on looks suspiciously like grass...

Here's @Jeff's original art direction from 2012:

Doraddi Overview

Doraddi are Neolithic people who practice a mixture of hunter-gathering and horticulture (gardening). They reside in a vast plain that extends some 4000 miles from east to west and is nearly 1000 miles from north to south. The plains are hot; more arid in the west and south, verging on desert, wetter in the north and east. The plains are filled with succulents, shrubs, even trees in the river basins and oases, but no grasses. Herds of megafauna wander the plains, including Baluchitheres (sacred to most Doraddi), titanotheres, elephants, rhinos, gyptodons, ground sloths, striped wavy horn deer, five-toed deer, tapirs, peccaries, and others. Predators include sabre-toothed cats, lions, hyenadons, various monsters, and the occasional dinosaur or two.

Small families of Doraddi wander about a territory, stopping for a time to garden in a place, then after the crops are gathered, abandoning the site and moving everything. Large numbers of Doraddi gather in semi-permanent camps in oases and river basins. These camps are ruled by a king who is usually selected by the women of the camp. The Doraddi do not have any beasts of burden for riding or work.

The Doraddi are dark-skinned, ranging from in appearance from something akin to the Somali (common in the east and in parts of the north) to the various Bantu speakers of East and Southern Africa. A generally despised minority have a blue skin (ranging from a bluish tint to actual slate blue skin). Doraddi wear light clothing, often wearing little more than a skirt or loin cloth.  In the east wild cotton is carefully combed, in the northern areas imported cloth is used, and in the west leather skins are most common. Since the weather is generally pleasant, clothing is functional and used against the sun or rain when needed, and uncovered whenever not needed.

Scarification and/or tattoos are common as part of male and female initiation rites, and for membership in certain magical societies. These markings often incorporate the Gloranthan Runes into the pattern of scars. A good reference site for is: http://www.ezakwantu.com/

Being steeped in spirit magic, the adults also wear many colorful accoutrements to serve as foci for their magical charms, although purely decorative objects are also used. Common magical charms include: woven feathers, jewelry, animal parts and skins, wooden or woven masks, rocks, carved sticks or ivory horns, body painting, tattoos, and scarification.

Weapons are late Stone Age, and include bow and arrow, spear, stone and horn axes, flint daggers, and javelins and spearthrowers. Hide shields are common. Weapons are often ritually decorated making them largely useless for fighting (but magically very potent).

Fig. 1. Arbennen Walker. The Arbennen people live in a wide flat plain, turning into desert to the south, and fading through light forest and jungle in the north. The climate is mild and pleasant year-round. They domesticate dogs for hunting and companionship. They have few material possessions that cannot be carried on their back, as they are semi-nomadic. The people are average size for humans. They tend to keep their hair short and beardless.

Our male Arbennen Walker carries a bow and arrows, and a spear with charms dangling from it. He carries a light-weight hide shield decorated with tassels and marked with the Pamalt Rune (http://www.nysalor.net/runequest/riimut/pamalt.gif). He wears little - a loincloth with an animal hide to cover his rear. On his head, he wears a conical hat woven out of plant fibers (http://www.ezakwantu.com/Sotho%20Hat%2001.JPG). He wears colorful bead hoops and necklaces around his neck, waist, and wrists, and an amulet made from some semi-precious stone depicting a protective god or spirit. His face been scarred with a lines and dots forming a pattern that resembles the Earth Rune. His abdomen has been scarred with numerous small Movement Runes made out of dots and long series of Harmony Runes made out of short lines.

Fig. 2. Kresh Matriarch.  The Kresh are a unique sub-type of Doraddi, who live and travel in huge, ornate wagons, dragged on solid wheels over the broken plains by dozens or hundreds of men. The wagons awe the other plains dwellers, and the Kresh receive or extort food, sell unusual magic and trinkets, and promise that others like them will come later. The wagons never stay in one place longer than five to thirty days. Often they do not even stop, but conduct all business while on the move day and night. Their wagons are loaded with material possessions, especially trade and luxury goods, including metal goods obtained through trade with the distant foreign cities to the far north. The women rule the wagons and lead the families; the men defend, fight, and move the wagons. The Kresh wear colorful cotton skirts and paint their faces with magical symbols (http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lheg06h28l1qbrimro1_500.jpg. Their women are famed for their heavy jewelry - necklaces, wrist bracelets, ankle bracelets, and earrings - made of gold, beads, precious stones, etc. - to display their status.

Our Kresh Matriarch is a relatively young woman to ruler a wagon, but her heavy jewelry shows she has already been successful. She wears a colorful cotton skirt that reaches to her calves, but otherwise only wears her jewelry. Her long hair is braided with precious stones at the end of the braids. Her face is painted lightly with the Communication Rune (http://moondesignpublications.com/graphics/rune_exchange_50.gif) over her eyes and nose. She carries a staff of authority - perhaps it has a carving of a god or goddess on it, or perhaps a solar disk (see for examples: http://www.ezakwantu.com/Gallery%20African%20Staffs%20-%20Canes%20-%20Status%20Objects%20-%20Scepters.htm ).

(Links not checked)

 

[David Scott]

On 04/07/2017 at 11:38 AM, Akhôrahil said:

Praxian: The image is very evocative, but one has to wonder if it wouldn't have been better to have someone more representative in them? The queen is obviously of very high rank, and that can't be her everyday outfit. The warrior has exceptional metal equipment for a Praxian (the text says leather, but that's clearly metal, and I've already told about my misgivings about the oversized spearhead and axehead elsewhere). At least one regular Praxian would have been welcome, with more typical clothing and equipment.

This said, it all looks great. Unlike in earlier examples of runic wear, the Queen's leather skirt now looks like the runes are painted. Wings and horns on the hat - certainly no minimalism here! I love how the dagger grip forms a moon crescent.

Not sure why the warriors has that odd second little pony-tail at the top of his head. I wonder if his helmet (he just took it off for the picture, right, surely he has one, having full armor but no helmet would be insane?) fits over that hairstyle. No tattoos on the warrior, and in fact very little in the way of runes at all, only a few smaller Air runes (including earpieces, once more). Water would be more common among the High Llamas, but there's nothing weird about an Air-aspected guy.

Here's @Jeff's original art direction from 2012:

Praxian Overview

The Praxians are a Neolithic nomadic society that ride and herd beasts for their survival. Each tribe is named after the beast ridden by members of the tribe, with the best known being the Bison, the High Llama, the Impala, and the Sable Antelope tribes (no Praxian will herd or ride a horse, considering them to be taboo). Their herd beasts provide everything the Praxians need for life - meat, bone, leather, horn, and felt. All of their metal is imported (or taken) from civilized outsiders. The most common materials are leather, felt, bone, horn, and wood. For longer pieces of wood (such as tepee and travois poles), the Praxians make infrequent trips to the mountains near the Wastes. Skilled, magical crafters make tools and weapons from leather, bone and horn that are nearly as good as those made from metal and wood.

All clothing is made of leather and fur, usually decorated with various types of available natural substances such as porcupine quills, cactus spikes, thorn bush beads, feathers, or hair. Imported clothing (which can be from anywhere, and thus look however you want) is considered a luxury and sign of wealth, especially since the harsh living conditions wear them out so quickly while being worn.

Weapons are a combination of locally produced Stone Age weapons, including bow and arrow, spears and lances, horn axes, and so on, with imported Bronze Age weapons like long spear heads and leaf-shaped swords.

The attached document "Parx-art-samples.pdf" is a good reference for Praxians with classic 1970s artwork by Gene Day and Luise Pirenne.

Page 1. Bison Rider with hide shield, leather helmet (decorated with bison horns), bone chest piece, and painted Bison. The swords are war booty from raiding civilized peoples.

Page 2. High Llama Riders with cured leather cuirass, leather arm protection, hide shield(on back).

Page 3. Sable Rider with sentient baboon sidekick. The Sable Rider's helmet is decorated with antelope horns. The chain mail is either a gift or war booty from civilized outsiders.

Page 4. Sable Rider. Note the quality 1970s heavy metal helmet.

Page 5. Bison Riders.

Page 6. Female rulers with implausibly large axes (presumably supposed to be a labyrs) and the leather version of the chainmail bikini. Great example of headresses though.

Page 7. Weird picture showing Praxians from all tribes in battle.

As much as possible, we should try to keep this classic look (just without the ridiculous stuff like the leather bikinis, heavy metal helmets, and gigantic axes).

Fig. 1. High Llama Rider warrior: The High Llama Riders ride Aepycamelus (also called alticamelus), an now extinct species of camelid about 10 feet tall and weighing 1500 to 2000 pounds. Their beasts tower over other Praxian beasts and are able to run down even the swiftest skirmishers. As a result, their warriors are armed with long spears that are used as lances, and long-handled axes to reach down at their foes. The people are tall with olive-covered skin and black hair and eyes. Men and women shave their heads except for a ponytail, with the women's ponytail longer and more decorated than those of the men. They dress lightly, sometimes wearing only leather straps for equipment and a loincloth.

Our male High Llama Rider warrior is a tall, brown-skinned man, with a black queue (ponytail) that has been tied with a leather cord at the top of his head (see picture 2 from "parx-art-samples.pdf). He wears a cured leather cuirass and a loincloth, with leather vambraces and greaves for protection. He carries a long spear with a bronze spear head, and has a long-handled axe with a bronze head (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/Combat_axe_Early_Bronze_Age.png), both obtained from civilized outsiders.

Fig. 2: Sable Rider Queen: The Sable Riders ride giant sable antelope (about the size of horses) with long, curving horns. The people have black hair and dark eyes. They wear trousers (made from sable hide) and often a short cloak over their front and back. Wealthy Sable Riders often wear fancy headdresses decorated with Sable horns and bird feathers. Their clans are ruled by Herd Queens, who are also priestesses of the goddess Eiritha, Mother of Beasts. The Sable Riders have the best access to metal weapons and luxuries, as they are often in demand as mercenaries of the rich Lunar Empire.

Our Sable Rider Queen has long black hair held in place with a headdress decorated with Sable horns and gold jewelry from some civilized land. She wears leather leggings and a short cloak. Her clothes are decorated with beads, embroidered designs, and feathers. Her face and skin has been painted with the runes, especially those of Earth, Beast, and Moon. Elaborately decorated leather bags hold magical medicine bundles with which she appeases the goddess of the herds. She carries a Neolithic dagger made from flint (presumably used in sacrifices and rituals) and holds a small stone statue of an animal-headed Mother Goddess.

Art samples PDF not included, but I can direct you to the pics later.

[David Scott]

It seems that splitting the separate section discussions into separate threads has worked well. I'll continue it for the next week. 

[Akhôrahil]

Once more though, this is leading to an exploding number of threads (and there will be far, far more soon enough). I suggest sub-forum, if for no other reason than not to clutter up the "main" forum.

[David Scott]

As @Trifletraxor said, that's not the  best idea. I will continue tagging the threads and cross linking the sections. As for cluttering up the main thread, this kind of thing is what the main Glorantha thread is about. To find all the threads, click the tag. It's gives you the equivalent of a sub forum. The search function is also excellent. 

[Rick Meints]

I'm not a big fan of so many threads, and find them to fragment the discussions on the book, but will happily go along with whatever all the reading group prefers. I noticed that this central topic for the week quickly dried up though once the specific topic ones started.

[jajagappa]

21 minutes ago, Rick Meints said:

I'm not a big fan of so many threads, and find them to fragment the discussions on the book, but will happily go along with whatever all the reading group prefers.

I agree, though for this week and the next couple (cultures and Elder Races) there's likely enough to warrant separate threads.  Based on the contents subsequently though I think a single thread would be quite sufficient.

[Larry Lovecraft]

Just wanted to say that this thread is still very beneficial for Glorantha (and RQ) newbies like myself!  I had no idea this world existed, and I have been playing COC forever...very refreshing!