So IMO there are several really easy entry points into the main RQ setting and storyline: So the advantages all of these have is that they reduce the requirement of up-front knowledge…
Author: Jeff Richard
Creative Director
Glorantha is Easy
The setting of Glorantha is broad and deep and the amount written about it can be intimidating. Don’t be intimidated by it! Most of the setting is completely unnecessary in order to…
Cultural changes in Genertela 350-500 ST
The years 350-500 witnessed radical cultural changes in Genertela. First the Theyalans (and trolls, dragonewts, elves, and dwarves) entered into a short-lived union with the Dara Happans. Although this union broke apart,…
Elemental Interaction
It is easy to get a good handle on the interaction between the deities of Air, Earth, Fire, and Moon. These are of course the elemental pantheons most likely to be found…
The Third Age Arkat Romance
Arkat was the single most important historical hero in Glorantha. 1200 years later, he’s still the subject of legends, romances, stories. If we think of him as a military figure, he’s beyond…
About the New Prosopaedia
So now that many of you all have the Prosopaedia, let me talk a little bit about the book. The Prosopaedia was obviously inspired by the short pamphlet of the same name…
Inspiration for Arkat
One of the more curious representations of Alexander the Great is this medieval illustration that has him with boar tusks. Apparently, the source for this strange feature may ultimately lie in the…
Inspiration for the Red Emperor
The Red Emperor in his ruddy glory and some of his household and bodyguards.
Masks of the Red Emperor
There have been at least 13 incarnations of the Red Emperor. The first – who was from roughly 1250 to 1390, was truly Moonson. During the Sheng Seleris era there were two…
Partial Runes
Some cults use partial Runes the God Learners believed were not ‘true’ Runes but merely expressed limited subsets of Elemental Runes. As such, they described a limitation on a god’s power, rather…
Coins of the Sartar Dynasty Preview
Katrin Dirim has done some amazing art depicting coins dedicated to various members of the Sartar Dynasty. I thought some of my notes on each might be interesting. So when we think about…
The legacy of the EWF
As we think about the legacy of the EWF in the late Third Age, we first need to remember that none of the humans of Dragon Pass are their heirs. All of…
The Decline and Fall of the EWF
899 to 910 were the height of the Empire of the Wyrms Friends‘ magical power and wealth. The Third Council were worshiped as gods, arguably they were gods in the mundane world….
Inspiration for the Lunar Empire
Many Lunar sources suggest that the Lunar religion is new and revolutionary. That was certainly true in the Zero and First Wanes, but the Lunar Way is now over four hundred years…
Roots of Malkionism
Malkionism was born in the disillusionment of the Gods War. The gods of Glorantha fought among each other, degeneration was the rule, and Death came for gods and mortals, wielded by terrible…
The Roots of Eight Wane Spiritual Exploration
The Eighth Wane (1626-) is destined to be one of spiritual exploration through action for both the Lunars and the Orlanthi. If anything, this is the wane where the Orlanthi catch up…
Food Production in the Lunar Heartlands
Most of the people in the Lunar Heartlands are directly involved with food production: Now wait – you might ask – the Seven Mothers really don’t provide squat in terms of agricultural…
Manly fashion – beards!
Beards go in and out of fashion in Glorantha, just as they do in the real world. Let’s start with a few basics – few cults have rules for beards. With the…
Alone Sketch Map
The city of Alone was founded about 40 years as a colony for Tarshite refugees fleeing from the Lunar Empire. It was built by the rulers of Sartar, who were skilled stonemasons….
Notes on Shargash I
Shargash is the Dara Happan war god, associated with Fire/Sky, Death, and Disorder. He’s also known as Tolat, who ranged across Glorantha in the Lesser Darkness to bring war and destruction to…
Alda-Chur Sketch Maps
So a sneak peak at some of my hand drawn maps which far better artists than I have drawn up for the Guide to Dragon Pass. So let’s start with Alda-Chur. Greg…
Giant of the Rockwoods
In the Rockwoods there was a giant who sought to challenge the storm gods and conquer the skies. With an army of lesser giants, he crushed human villages and temples and then…
The Secrets of Myth Revealed
So of all the Cults books to get, this is the indispensable one. It contains our (Greg and my) approach to mythology, and how everything in Glorantha fits together. Without a doubt…
Orlanthi tribal kings
So what does an Orlanthi tribal king actually do? We know that the Orlanthi clans tend to be organized into tribes – confederations of kinship groups, led by the Orlanth cult and…
Conflict in the Middle Air
So what underlies the conflict between the Red Goddess and Orlanth? It is a weird one, as the Red Goddess’ only real fight with Orlanth during her lifetime was at Castle Blue….