Pamaltela is the southern continent of Glorantha. The continent is 4200 miles long and 2000 miles wide. Winds generally blow east to west, and occasionally from the hot south. Most of Pamaltela is tropical in climate. Although the Sun comes closer to Pamaltela in the winter and is further away in the summer, that does not mean the southern continent’s seasons are reversed from those in Genertela, as the summer days are still longer and hotter, winter days cooler and shorter.
North lies the Homeward Ocean. East lies the hot Togaro Ocean, eldest of the great waters. South, past the Nargan Desert, lies a land and a sea of unending fire, impossible for mortals to approach. West, past the lands of men, rolls the chill Western Sea, which has no bounds.
Like Genertela, Pamaltela was ravaged by Chaos in the Great Darkness, but recovered better than Genertela because Pamalt, the ruling god of the Southern Continent, survived. Relative peace and plenty continue in the land, so that even many humans live a lush, pastoral life. Several Elder Races are still powerful here – dwarves, innumerable elves, trolls, and a variety of isolated and obscure creatures. Human cities dot the northern coasts.
Pamaltela is far less urbanized and politically organized than Genertela. Most of its area is only thinly populated by semi‑nomadic primitives living in a peaceful and idyllic environment. Along the northern coast and the huge peninsula of Fonrit, human settlement is denser and city‑states are the largest political entity present. The northeast of the continent is covered by vast tropical jungle, in which live large tribes of Embyli, or yellow elves.
Horses do not thrive in Pamaltela. The northern lands of Pamaltela have great difficulty supporting horses, and maintaining quality breeds invariably proves futile. The southern savannahs are worse, as they do not grow grasses or other plant material that horses can eat, and fodder must be imported from elsewhere.
For the purposes of this book, Pamaltela is divided into seven regions, each described in full detail. Note that several regions of Pamaltela are shown on the map, but not treated in the text. These are hidden lands, unknown to all outsiders. Kimos is an example of a hidden land.
Errinoru Jungle: A vast tropical jungle stretching across all of northeastern Pamaltela. It is ruled by several tribes of Embyli, or yellow elves, and is the largest elf forest in Glorantha.
Fonrit: A region semitropical in climate and life. Its poor are all blue-skinned; as slaves, they are among the worst-treated in the world. City-states strive for dominance over their neighbors, and make common cause only against invading elves or barbarians. The northern state of Kareeshtu is a great naval power.
Jolar: Nomadic Agimori and other peoples roam these wide plains, herding cattle and hunting. The Kresh Empire in the east prompted the organization of the Arbennan Kingdom, a confederation of tribes.
Kothar: The Kresh nomads, who ride upon wagons of colossal size, originally came from here. With cities on wheels, they rumble about, exacting food as tribute and granting access to their mobile temples and other facilities.
Maslo: The coast of these twin peninsulas are both populated by human cities, defined by their relationship with the yellow elves of the Errinoru Jungle. The humans of one peninsula are friendly with the elves, while the humans of the other war ceaselessly upon them.
Tarien: A wide plain with relatively few humans, but sometimes thick with lizard men and their great beasts.
Umathela: A temperate land, where snow sometimes comes down from the mountains and frost floats inland with the Brown Sea fogs. Elves dominate the interior, and the many humans in the hills and along the coast have Genertelan cultures.