Historical Atlas Glorantha, Part III

The Rise of the Lunar Empire 1250 ST

Submitted by Jeff on Fri, 24/06/2011 – 13:27

With the next installment of the Historical Atlas of Glorantha, I’d like to skip ahead and get to a series of maps showing the rise, near collapse, and revival of the Lunar Empire.

First some on-line reference points . One of the most important sources in publication concerning the history of the Lunar Empire is the Redline History of the Lunar Empire. More recently, Nick Brooke put together a Comprehensive Timeline of the Lunar Empire. Both are worth reviewing when viewing these maps.

Nick Brooke’s Comprehensive Timeline of the Lunar EmpireDownload
Genertela 1250 ST

The map shows Genertela circa 1250 S.T., some 130 years after the terrible Dragonkill of 1120 ST that wiped out human civilization from the Dragon Pass area. Dragon Pass is forbidden to humans – none may pass the Death Line and the Cross Line into the wildlands now dominated by trolls, aldryami, and dragonewts. None except the Grazer bands, survivors of the Pure Horse People who once ruled Prax.

Dragon Pass, once the heartland of Orlanthi culture, now divides the Orlanthi between the Pelorian Orlanthi (centered on Talastar) and the Kethaelan Orlanthi of Heortland and Esrolia (mistakenly done in a light orange in this map – will be corrected in the final).

In the west, the two most important political entities are the New Dangim Alliance (primarily henotheist Malkioni, with some Abiding Book sects and various Old Way believers) and the Orlanthi kingdom of Jorstland (which has unified the lands of Delela and Naskorion into a tribal confederacy). To the northwest are feuding Orlanthi tribes and petty kingdoms.

To the southwest, various Abiding Book sects compete with henotheist sects for dominance of the ancient kingdom of Tanisor. A confusing array of Archons, Princes, Archdukes, and even the occasional King, compete for dominance.

Trade between the West and the rich land of Esrolia is controlled by the Trader Princes who have brought some semblance of order to the shattered peoples of Maniria.

Fronela is also a turbulent mess. Jonaltela is torn by civil war between dynasts and in Loskalm Irensavalist sects battle with Abiding Book Hrestoli. Barbarian warlords rise and fall in the lands of Junora. In the east of Fronela, the Orlanthi kingdom of Charg is dominant (which strictly speaking belongs to the Pelorian Orlanthi), although the Janubian city-states prosper by controlling trade between Peloria and Loskalm.

In the far east, the New Dragon Empire nibbles at the jungles of Fethlon and the savages of the Kingdom of Ignorance. The Great Contest begins north of Ignorance. A Challenge is demanded, cruel and dire sacrifices are made, and their desired, bloody omen rises: a New Celestial Power in the far west. One of the Contestants swears to stand on the surface of the New Celestial Power and challenges the New Dragon Emperor but is defeated and forced to accept slavery.

The slumbering land of Teshnos wakes up with a remarkable burst of energy. Settlements are made in the south of Fethlon and the hero Selenteen builds a coast-hugging armada and settles the mouth of the Prax River. Prax itself is ruled by the Praxian nomads: the Pure Horse People have been extinguished. The walled city of Pavis has been captured by trolls from Dagori Inkarth, leaving the Yelmalio colony of Sun County manages to eke out a bare and isolated existence.

The biggest event shown on this map is the rise of the Red Moon and the birth of the Lunar Empire. The former empires of Dara Happa and Carmania have been incorporated into the new Lunar Empire, although Alkoth and Henjarl remain independent in the south and a Carmanian rump state ruled by the Blood Kings still resists the Lunar Empire. The Dara Happan cities are rebellious and within a generation after this map, a great revolt unites the Tripolis with the barbarians of the south and the Sable Plateau. Around the same time, the great magical event called the Sky Burn destroys the eastern half of the Greatwood and shatters that aldyrami great forest.

In south Peloria, the Kingdom of Talastar is the dominant tribal confederation in an “Orlanthi belt” extending from eastern Fronela to Dragon Pass. Although potentially powerful enough to stop the rise of the Lunars, the councils of Talastar were troubled and irresolute, and no concerted action was taken beyond magical opposition to the Red Goddess during the Battle of Castle Blue. Talastari units fought on both sides during the Dara Happan Revolt.

Submitted by Jeff Richard (not verified) on Sat, 25/06/2011 – 11:36.
For me, the Teshnan settlement is just one of many interesting things I had not known about until putting this map together. Frex, look at the religious diversity in Fronela. You have Hrestoli sects, a Brithini enclave, plenty of henotheist sects, a very extensive Theyalan-influenced culture, plus a solar enclave. And in the east, the Kingdom of Charg is one of the four big Orlanthi kingdoms of Genertela (along with Jorstland, Talastar, and the Hendriki). That plus all the Hsunchen we already knew about.
Or Ralios. Look how extensive Jorstland and the New Dangim Alliance are.
Or the Lunar Empire. I am struck how much the early Empire is rooted in the northern Pelorian Bowl. Dara Happa is rebellious and Henjarl is independent, but the lands of Rinliddi, Darsen, Suveria, and eastern Pelanda are solidly “red”.
But you want to see surprises…. wait until the next map!

Submitted by Keith Nellist (not verified) on Sat, 25/06/2011 – 03:31.
There are interesting things on this map that I’d never heard of before. Most interesting to me is the Teshan settlement of the Ferodan delta. Teshnos is so close to the River of Cradles but always appeared to have had very little apparent influence on the valley. I guess Teshnans may have got mixed up with Godlearners in relation to earlier chronicles.

Submitted by Jeff Richard (not verified) on Fri, 24/06/2011 – 14:14.
Good catch. Making that correction right now!

Submitted by Peter Metcalfe (not verified) on Fri, 24/06/2011 – 14:09.
Jorstland should be said to be controlling Naskorion and Delela rather than Otkorion which is near Guhan.

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