Three major events happen in the first year of the default RQ campaign:
1. A new Prince of Sartar. Sartar is liberated in Earth Season 1625, with the final battle being the Battle of Dangerford (in the Starter Set). Although there is a de facto Prince – Kallyr Starbrow – she’s still got to be acclaimed and acknowledged by the tribes and cult leaders. Meanwhile, there are all sorts of new arrangements that need to be made with every tribe, city, and major temple – formerly suppressed cults (especially Orlanth) now dominant the affairs of the Kingdom.
2. The Short Lightbringers Quest. This Sacred Time, Kallyr Starbrow and her companions will travel some 225 km in less than two weeks, starting at the Hill of Orlanth Victorious and ending up in Boldhome. Thousands of people from every tribe in Sartar and even beyond will participate. This is intended to revive the world (in particular, to revive the magics of Sartar).
3. The Battle of the Queens. In Fire Season, the King of Tarsh attempts to reconquer Sartar. He marches what is left of the Lunar Army of Dragon Pass on Sartar, crossing the Creek near Runegate. A big and very close fought battle ensues.
Think of these as the big background events of your campaign. They are going to happen, unless you want a very different Glorantha in your campaign. But they set the stage for what comes next.
These are all events that the player characters are unlikely to drive, although they should participate in a significant manner. I know this is unpopular in some corners, but I don’t think the player characters should drive all of the major events in the campaign. Sometimes they should just react to events outside of their control.
