Guide to Glorantha Group Read Week 15 - Pent Deep Discussion

[David Scott]

This is the Deep Discussion thread for Week 15 for Pent - Feel free to speculate, move away from the Guide section under discussion and into other related areas related to Pent.

https://basicroleplaying.org/topic/6844-guide-to-glorantha-group-read-week-15-maniria-pent/

[GianniVacca]

Is Orathorn part of Pent?

[Joerg]

 

2 hours ago, GianniVacca said:

Is Orathorn part of Pent?

Geographically, certainly. While alternatively it could be thought of as part of the eastern Rockwoods, which are usually reckoned to be part of the Elder Wilds, it is completely isolated from the rest of the wilds by the mountain chain.

Culturally, not that we ever noticed. The Kargzant-worshipping horse nomads are no sorcerers but have shamans and, at least since Sheng Seleris, mystics. They aren't known for necromancy.

The sorcerers of Orathorn are an enigma. They are immortals, served by undead, and (for lack of other information) appear human. While they don't appear to be chaotic, their magics battling with those of the Lunar College broke the boundaries of the world and visited some of the worst backlash to Glorantha within its history.

They aren't mentioned in the description of Gonn Orta's Castle, although the Elder Giants should be aware of them, and vice versa.

Sorcerers in a castle does sound a bit like Malkioni, but we have no evidence that the Orathorn folk are related to any spawn of Danmalastan. They could just as well be easterners in exile, perhaps voluntarily seeking the proximity of the Hellcrack.

It is unknown what ties they had to the Seleric Empire, if any at all. Likewise, it isn't known how the Pentans managed to involve them in the Battle against the Orayans. Survivors of that battle are about as rare as the survivors of the Dragonkill War.

[soltakss]

In my Glorantha, Orathorn is the finger of a god of Death who escaped Hell and managed to reach the surface before being turned to stone. The Orathorn Sorcerers have powers of death and inside their castle is a mini version of Hell, where the dead can speak and walk about. They can temporarily possess corpses, can animate them and can control undead. There is a Hanging Room where hundreds of corpses hang, waiting for a sorcerer to possess them and speak to people. It was heavily influenced by Hellraiser ...

[Groovetronic]

It occurs to me that they may be connected to another undead sorcerer, Delecti. Refugees from the Dragonkill, maybe?

[Ladygolem]

Speaking of undead sorcerors, nice thread necromancy...

 

While we're here though:

Quote

While they don't appear to be chaotic, their magics battling with those of the Lunar College broke the boundaries of the world and visited some of the worst backlash to Glorantha within its history.

When/what event would this be referring to?

Edited March 2, 2021 by Ladygolem

[jajagappa]

1 hour ago, Ladygolem said:

When/what event would this be referring to?

The Nights of Horror.  Hon-eel/Red Emperor vs. the Pentans at the end of the 5th Wane, 5/43 (1506).  (GS p.179)

“Nights of Horror” is the name of the two-day battle that followed. More than 150,000 warriors and magicians took part. The wily nomads had hired the services of a magician family from distant Orathorn to aid them, and the sorcerers had remained concealed until now. Their surprise entry into the magic battle destroyed most of the Lunar magicians. When the army began to crumble, Hon-eel alone halted the collapse of the right flank by destroying seven spirits in combat, oblivious to the mob of filthy nomads who struck at her from all sides.
When the Lunar regular cavalry was enveloped on the left flank, the Emperor grew desperate and summoned his powers of Chaos to aid him. The Orathorn sorcerers summoned their own secret powers and this combat with the Lunar Chaos suddenly loosed alien worlds upon the battlefield. All mortals turned and fled, fighting wherever they had to against the inhuman foes which dropped from the burning scarlet and yellow skies. Hon-eel herself died there, fighting desperately and successfully to save the Emperor’s favorite children from furry, many-legged things, which scuttled about and waved shrunken heads that bobbed about on scrawny antennae. The Snake-whiskered Dragon of Losdolos Angsur appeared and, though he set the Emperor’s children down in Yuthuppa, Honeel was never seen again. The Emperor disappeared but reappeared some time later.

Edited March 3, 2021 by jajagappa