Skip to content
The Well of Daliath
Menu
Menu

What is Darkness? (1998)

By Michael O’Brien
Copyright © 1998 by Michael O’Brien
First published in The Book of Drastic Resolutions Volume Darkness (1998)

Drastic Rez Editor Stephen Martin wanted a series of short narratives from assorted native Gloranthans answering the question, “What is Darkness?”.  Here’s mine, from the Sun Domer POV:

Beware of the Darkness, my boys, for it is in Darkness that evil lurks. When a man looks upon a another’s wife, or covets his neighbour’s ass, we say ” a darkness has entered his heart”.  For under cover of Darkness, in the absence of Father Yelm’s paternal gaze, base temptation and lurid thoughts can turn to foul deeds and unnatural passions.  Huddle close boys, but know, just as our god Yelmalio remained a blazing ember for us, even in the Dead of Darkness, so too will my Lantern burn through the night, lest any of us fall tempted to lustful carnality, or worse, bodily self-pollution!  Now, I know these words will help you rest easy; we shall all rise early on the morrow to greet the Dawn!

From the nightly sermon to his troops by Coriander Goldbeard, Light Servant (acolyte) of Yelmalio, File Leader of “The Bird Men” IXth Militia, Eiskolli, currently on patrol on the East Rim

And, while we’re on the topic, here’s two of the lost hymns of Solinthor (see Sun County, p.126):

No.CDXCIX
Yelm by Night, and Man

“When thou settest in the western horizon of the sky,
The earth is in darkness like death.
Men, they sleep in their chambers:
their heads wrapped up,
their nostrils stopped.
Thou art gone, and it is darkness;
Wherein all the beasts creep forth.”

No.D
(untitled)

“Darkness broods,
The world is in silence,
Yelm, he that man resteth, resteth in his horizon.
The young lions roar after their prey,
And seek food from the gods.”

Related Pages

  • How Rabbit Hat Got Its Name
  • Last Tango in Pavis – Tournament (1993)
  • Mad Prax – Beyond Sun Dome (1991)
  • Pent Ridge – The Sun County Prison (1998)
  • The Men With the Golden Gun (1999)

1998, Michael O’Brien

Page Last updated: 2023-05-07 16:11:43
Glorantha Archive

Return to MOB’s Glorantha page

This page is part of MOB’s old Glorantha Website


 

Sections

  • Search Tips
  • Current RuneQuest Glorantha Publications
  • RuneQuest Glorantha Corrections and Q&A
  • Catalogue
  • References for Glorantha
    • Gloranthan Canon
  • Gloranthan Documents
  • RPG Systems & Versions
  • Gallery
  • About This Site
  • Get involved!

Latest Posts

  • The Nine Good Giant Mountains

    The Nine Good Giant Mountains are about 60 km or …
  • Why Most Sartarites Hate the Lunar Empire

    From time to time it is worth reminding people why …
  • Suntown and the Eiskolli

    Suntown has always been in the hands of the Sun …
  • A Few Notes on the Grantlands

    To the south of Sun County are the former Grantlands, …
  • Sartar Cities

    Sartar can be thought of a confederation of small cities …
  • Catalogue of the Gods revisited

    This piece from the Mythology book is among my absolute …
  • Thunderbolts in Art

    One of the things that really got me down the …
  • RuneQuest Art

    So let’s talk RQ art for a moment. For the …
  • Top Five RuneQuest Cults

    So it is absolutely no surprise to me that in …

Links

  • Chaosium
  • Chaosium’s RuneQuest RPG Wiki
  • Glorantha on BRP Central
  • RuneQuest on BRP Central
  • RuneQuest on Discord
  • Prince of Sartar Webcomic
  • Glorantha G+ Archives on Tapatalk
  • Search mailing list archive

Latest from BRP Central

  • Odayla Initiation Heroquest
  • Did anyone get a good look at WB&RM?
  • Clearwine Assembly Hill and Orlanth's High Holy Day
  • Sun County pdf is drivethrurpg’s Deal of the Day for July 1st
  • Permission to use exerpt from map in Starter Set in a Jonstown Compendium release?
  • Sun County T-Shirt
  • Summon of Jaldon
  • Jonstown Compendium: Spawn of Molokka - The Cephalopods of Glorantha
  • Runelords and Retirement
  • Hospitality Hearth spirits - what are they ?

Popular Tags

1625 ST Boldhome (large city) Chaosium Colymar (Sartar tribe) Contents Cult demographics Cults of Runequest (preview) Ernalda Esrolia (homeland) FRA Furthest (large city) G+ post Gods Wall Greg Stafford Guide to Glorantha (preview) Humakt Jar-eel Lunar Empire Lunar Pantheon Magazine Malkioni pantheon Map Michael O’Brien Mongoose MRQ1 New Pavis (small city) Old Glorantha Q&A Orlanth Orlanthi pantheon Photo reference Population demographics Prax (homeland) RQ3 RQG Sandy Petersen Sartar (homeland) Spirit Cult Star Subcult Tarsh (homeland & Lunar province) Troll Pantheon Yelm Yelmalio Yelm Pantheon Youtube

Recently added or updated

  • Keraun

  • Pamalt

  • The Tales of the Reaching Moon – Index

  • Best of Tales of the Reaching Moon

  • Tales of The Reaching Moon #03 (GBR 1990)

  • Tales of The Reaching Moon #05 (GBR 1991)

  • Tales of The Reaching Moon #06 (GBR 1991)

  • Tales of The Reaching Moon #07 (GBR 1992)

  • Reaching Moon MegaCorp

  • Griselda Stories by Oliver Dickinson

  • CHA4037 Dragon Pass – Q&A

  • CHA4034 Red Book of Magic – Chapter 02 Rune Magic Spells Q&A (A-M)

  • CHA4043 The Lightbringers – Q&A

  • CHA4029 RuneQuest Gamemaster Screen Pack – Q&A

  • CHA4036 RuneQuest Weapons and Equipment Q&A

  • The Garden, Big Rubble II

  • The Garden, Big Rubble I

  • Half-folk

  • Orlanth Rex and Sartar’s Lineage

  • The Triceratops Queen

©2025 The Well of Daliath | Design: Newspaperly WordPress Theme