The Guide to Glorantha is a special book and needs a special cover. This is the story of the evolution of the cover from concept through to late draft.

The artist is Jon Hodgson, who created the new covers for Sartar: Kingdom of Heroes and the Sartar Companion. His other credits include The One Ring and Dragon Warriors.
This is an artifact from Glorantha – I think it stands in the center of the Hall of Incantations in the City of 10,000 Magicians. Legend ascribes it to the Sorcerer Isopaxateles, who enslaved mostali from Imther to construct it.
It is a stone wheel, inlaid with precious metals and stones. Stylistically it is a cross between Archaic Greek, Mesoamerican, and Tibetan Buddhist. The Wheel of Isopaxateles depicts the cosmology of Glorantha. The Sky Dome surrounds the world and consists of five joined golden bands, with the Gloranthan Power Runes inlayed.
Above the wheel is the Sky God Dayzatar carrying his staff. He is as depicted in the Godswall.
Within is the Middle Air, the Earth, the Seas, and the Underworld. The Middle Air is divided into dark blue and light blue, and is a lapis lazuli inlay (of two different pieces of stone).
At the uppermost Middle Air is the Sun, atop which the Emperor Yelm is enthroned. He is based on the image in the Godswall.
The left hand sky is dark blue (night) and has the Storm God Orlanth armed with sword and thunderbolt (Greek style thunderbolt, PLEASE!), standing atop a bronze Air Rune. Below is a sword carrying Orlanthi warrior, a queen, and a herder with sheep or cattle.
The right hand sky is light blue (day) and has the Red Goddess dancing atop a red Moon Rune. Below her are Dara Happan soldiers, noble, and peasants with a horse.
In the center is the White Mountain (Kerofin) with a brown True Dragon entwined around it. The shape should suggest the Dragonewt Rune.
Below is the earth. Within is the beautiful Earth Queen. We probably can’t get away with her being bare breasted, but it should suggest that she should be. She wears a golden teardrop necklace and should look like Jan’s Esrolian queen.
On the sides are the oceans with a merman and a mermaid.
Below is the Underworld. It is black, but you can see a troll goddess, a broo, and a skeleton.
Related Pages
- An early map of the Lunar Empire (2013)
- Argan Argar Atlas Update (2013)
- Black Dragon Mountain pictoglyphs (2013)
- Busy with the Guide
- Buy the Guide to Glorantha and the Argan Argar Atlas!
- Coming Storm News
- Copper Tablets of Yuthuppa (2013)
- Cryptic Verses of the Yellow Calendar Plate 36 (2013)
- Cryptic Verses Preview (2013)
- Dara Happan Godswall (2013)
- Dragonewt Roads Map
- Finishing with the East Isles section
- Full Map of Glorantha
- Genertela complete, Oceans ahoy!
- Getting closer!
- Getting very close with the East Isles!
- Guide status report
- Guide Status report
- Guide to Glorantha nominated for four ENnies 2015
- Guide to Glorantha Status report
- Guide to Glorantha wins Silver ENnie for Best Cartography
- Guide Update: To the South!
- Harrek the Berserk and Gunda the Guilty
- Hrestol and the Vadeli Judges
- Hsunchen (Rathori and Uncoling) by Jeff Laubenstein
- Inspiration for the Gods Wall
- Inspiration for the Gods Wall II
- Kingdom of War
- Layout from the Guide
- Layout on the Guide has official commenced!
- Legend for Argan Argar Atlas (2014)
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- Moon Design wins 2015 Diana Jones Award for Guide to Glorantha!
- New East Isles info
- Orlanth’s Ring
- Ouranekki PDF available (2013)
- PDF downloads of the Guide and Atlas for Kickstarter backers
- Penultimate Guide Preview
- Population detail maps for Pamaltela complete
- Prax landscape art direction (2013)
- Pre-Order the Guide and Argan Argar Atlas now!
- Pre-ordering the Guide to Glorantha and the Atlas – a few days left!
- Preorder the Guide to Glorantha NOW!
- Preview of Vol. One for Kickstarter backers
- Reconstructing Slontos – 2nd Age
- Reconstructing Slontos – 3rd Age
- Reconstructing the Hero Wars
- Sample cultural distribution maps
- Showing off the Guide to Glorantha
- Sixth Wane Ouranekki board (2013)
- Strange bit of Art Description going in the Guide (2013)
- The Gloranthan Seasons by Jennifer Lange
- The Gods Wall
- The Guide has left the Building
- The Guide is at the Printers!
- The Guide is being bound as we speak!
- The making of a Hon-eel picture
- The Mostali certainly aren’t generic fantasy… (2013)
- The Ultimate Preview and the Kickstarter Survey
- Ultimate Previews and Surveys go out tomorrow!
- Unveiling the Guide to Glorantha
- Update on the Guide – Delays and Headaches
- View of sacred Prax from the Paps (2013)
- Volume 2 and the destruction of Imperial Seshnela
- Vormain Map Creation – Step 1
- Vormain Map Creation – Step 2
- Waertagi dragon ship by Jeff Laubenstein (2013)
- Weather in Glorantha (2013)