Gloranthan events in a historical context

Posted on April 25, 2023

From time to time I try to put Gloranthan events in historical context, to help get a feel for “how long ago” something was. So here’s a history of Dragon Pass with the foundation of the Kingdom of Sartar (1492) being synchronized with the Ratification of the US constitution (1789). Some of these dates are +/- a year or two, but this is just to get a feeling rather than precise dates.

American History Date (AD) / Gloranthan Date (ST)

  • 1420 AD – King Henry V becomes regent France / 1120 ST Dragonkill War
  • 1547 AD – King Henry VIII dies / 1248 ST – Red Moon rises
  • 1620 AD – Plymouth Bay Colony established / 1320 ST Orlanthi begin to resettle Dragon Pass
  • 1789 AD – Ratification of the US Constitution / 1492 ST Sartar acclaimed Prince
  • 1817 AD – Era of Good Feelings begins / 1520 ST – Apotheosis of Sartar
  • 1847 AD – US Army captures Mexico City /1550 ST- Death of Prince Saronil
  • 1863 AD – Battle of Gettysburg /1565 ST – Battle of Dwarf Ford
  • 1867 AD – Reconstruction /1569 ST – Prince Jarolar killed by Elmali
  • 1876 AD- Wild Bill Hickok killed /1578 ST – King Tarkalor dominates Dragon Pass
  • 1901 AD – Teddy Roosevelt president /1602 ST – Lunar Empire rules Sartar
  • 1922 AD – Pres. Harding makes first radio speech /1625 ST – Liberation of Sartar
  • 1952 AD – Eisenhower elected president / 1655 ST traditional date for end of Hero Wars

So if we posit our campaigns starting around the time when Harding was president (the era of Call of Cthulhu), the Hero Wars end with the election of Eisenhower.

And when viewed this way, the Vingkotlings (subject of so much fascination by some fans), would have coexisted with the rise of Uruk.

And just as our average bunch of Call of Cthulhu characters (and their players) need know absolutely nothing about the Ecclesiastical History of the English People, so too do our RuneQuest characters and players need know nothing of Arkat other than he was an ancient hero from a long time ago.

And if we think about it this way, Sheng Seleris dominated Peloria from the start of Louis XIV’s personal rule to the Seven Years War.

And Arkat becomes roughly coterminous with Charles Martel and the Venerable Bede.

Jeff Richard