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Bones of the Gods


Shiningbrow

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Just curious - why are the bones of the Gods all Gloranthan Bronze?

Why wouldn't each deity's bones be made of the Element(al Rune) for which they connect?

In a way similar to the discussion about their blood having specific Power Crystals... (eg, Arroin's Tears)

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I feel like I read somewhere that it was mostly Storm Gods who resulted in bronze bones (born of earth/copper and sky/tin), but I don't know where that was, or if it was even from something canon. I've got Borderlands & Beyond and there's nothing specified in the Godling Bones entry in Plunder (p.215). But from what I think I'm remembering you'd be right, most bones are of the proper metal. The most common bones are bronze bones because the storm gods/godlings/etc are fighty lil bastards and lots of 'em died.

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2 hours ago, Crel said:

I feel like I read somewhere that it was mostly Storm Gods who resulted in bronze bones (born of earth/copper and sky/tin), but I don't know where that was, or if it was even from something canon. I've got Borderlands & Beyond and there's nothing specified in the Godling Bones entry in Plunder (p.215). But from what I think I'm remembering you'd be right, most bones are of the proper metal. The most common bones are bronze bones because the storm gods/godlings/etc are fighty lil bastards and lots of 'em died.

I had not heard that one!

What happens when they swap over? So, would Elmal leave behind Gold or Bronze? (yeah, I know, he's not dead!!)

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On 5/16/2019 at 12:42 AM, Crel said:

I feel like I read somewhere that it was mostly Storm Gods who resulted in bronze bones (born of earth/copper and sky/tin), but I don't know where that was, or if it was even from something canon. I've got Borderlands & Beyond and there's nothing specified in the Godling Bones entry in Plunder (p.215). But from what I think I'm remembering you'd be right, most bones are of the proper metal. The most common bones are bronze bones because the storm gods/godlings/etc are fighty lil bastards and lots of 'em died.

Crel it was canon and I am thinking from RQ 2 and 3 days , but I'll be damned if I can recall where it can be found. I am thinking that it must have been mentioned in the RQ 3 elder secrets box set and yes page 33 of the secrets book but alas it just agrees that bronze is exteremely common, and that all metals are bones of the gods who died in the conflagrations. Hmm (interesting side note, some bronze is still found in bone shape dug out from the earth). But yes I recall as you do a chaosium product that blamed the warlike nature of Orlanth's peoples (gods?) and the number who died as to why bronze is so common.

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Definitely RQ2 Plunder mentions Godling bones. They could preserve a spirit after death, making resurrection easier. Supposedly bronze. 

I recall eslewhere bronze bones were the result of the numerous storm gods that died. Who knows what other gods might leave behind. It was said at some stage most pure runic metals found are the bones of dead gods.

Even in Griffin Mountain, during a magical storm event (Vision in the Sky) that might occur randomly, and a bolt would strike the earth and leave a crater in which nuggets of pure runic metal would be found. Clearly Runic Metals have magical significance. 

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There are bronze bones that come from Volcano deities, really brass bones, but the difference isn't significant. Sky gods may have left tin bones, silver, or gold - Celestial Court deities included, like the Powers. Earth deities left behind copper. Sea gods would have left quicksilver (pseudopods rather than bones?). And Darkness deities may have left over lead.

Bronze may also be the default metal for deities of mixed ancestry in general (aka Burtae) . Although a deity born of darkness and sky could have pewter bones (tin-lead alloy).

If the Gods War deities fought using RuneQuest rules, there may be limbs of extant deities among the fossils you can dig up, too.

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8 hours ago, Shiningbrow said:

Just curious - why are the bones of the Gods all Gloranthan Bronze?

The Guide to Glorantha page 16

Quote

 

Gloranthan Rune Metal

All metal is from the bones of gods, some dead and some still living.

[...]

 

Bronze: The most common metal in Glorantha is bronze

[...]

Bronze originates from the bones of Air gods slain in the Gods War. On rare occasions, a piece of bronze is still found that retains its former bonelike shape.

 

 

 

-----

Search the Glorantha Resource Site: https://wellofdaliath.chaosium.com. Search the Glorantha mailing list archives: https://glorantha.steff.in/digests/

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15 hours ago, Crel said:

I feel like I read somewhere that it was mostly Storm Gods who resulted in bronze bones (born of earth/copper and sky/tin), but I don't know where that was, or if it was even from something canon. I've got Borderlands & Beyond and there's nothing specified in the Godling Bones entry in Plunder (p.215). But from what I think I'm remembering you'd be right, most bones are of the proper metal. The most common bones are bronze bones because the storm gods/godlings/etc are fighty lil bastards and lots of 'em died.

Elder Secrets Book p33

Baranwolf, a Lhankor Mhy scholar, proved that the amount of precious metal in the world indicated the fatality rate of the various tribes of gods in olden times.  Baranwolf was executed by Frithorf the Magnificent, an astonishingly superstitous king who could not accept the resultant conclusion: that the storm gods died the most.  Baranwolf's student, who continued his papers (and began using Baranwolf's name) subsequently proved that bronze is also the product of mixed sky and earth, showing where Orlanth's parents once loved eached other before the illutsrious son was born, preparing the way by making places where future weapons would be sown to glorify Orlanth.

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8 hours ago, Joerg said:

If the Gods War deities fought using RuneQuest rules, there may be limbs of extant deities among the fossils you can dig up, too.

...

one presumes a preponderance of Left Legs.

 

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3 hours ago, Byll said:

If a former human establishes a hero-cult under an elemental pantheon and defends a place in the god plane, do his bones transmute into metal?

That sounds like a cool heroquest power, pre-transformation into a demigod.

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On 5/16/2019 at 9:54 AM, Shiningbrow said:

So, would Elmal leave behind Gold or Bronze? (yeah, I know, he's not dead!!)

Not sure about Elmal's parentage, probably gold and copper in an odd alloy.

Sun Gods have gold bones, Darkness gods have lead bones and so on.

True Dragons have bones of dragonbone, which is sacred to Dragonewts.

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