One of the most remarkable transformations that Sartar made is that in less than 30 years he manage to transform the local economy from almost entirely commodity exchange to one where copper…
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The View From Boldhome, circa 1627
Argrath was acclaimed Prince on Day 88 of 1627. Several assassination attempts were made on him as he entered the city, but his companions cut them down. Argrath impressively lit the Flame…
Wolf Pirates 1625-1627
Harrek the Berserk and his Wolf Pirates cast a looming shadow over Dragon Pass from 1625-1627. There are some 60+ ships with some 3100+ Wolf Pirates following Harrek. The average Wolf Pirate…
Interacting with the Hero Plane
Most cults limit their interaction with the Hero Plane to worship and other such ceremonies. The God Time is brought close, priests and initiates communicate with the Divine, draw upon the magic…
Notes on the Hero Wars
As we think about the RuneQuest setting for 1621-1655, there’s going to be a LOT of change. Some of this may be player character driven, but much – in my experience, most…
Dragon Pass Dragonewt population
A rough breakdown of the dragonewt population in Dragon Pass, attributed to Minaryth Purple. So if we look at High Wyrm and assume its population of 2000 is accurate, there is likely…
Notes on King Blackmoor
From 1615-1625, the Colymar tribe was ruled by Kangharl son of Kallai Rockbuster. Kangharl is best known by his nickname Blackmoor the Rabid, which he gained in a (failed) raid on Delecti’s…
Genertelan Worldview
The first set of Cults books – Mythology, Lightbringers, Earth Goddesses, Lunar Way, Celestial Realm, etc. – largely define the Theyalan-Dara Happan-Praxian-Lunar understanding of the world. There are some exceptions – Darkness,…
Spirit Cult Example
Here’s an example of a strange little spirit cult (or more precisely spirit cults) from Sartar: Earth Pillars The rock formations of the Auroch Hills are home to many spirits. Most are…
Hrestol and Malkioni Religion
The most important thing about Hrestol in Malkioni religion is NOT that he transgressed against caste restrictions (he did that but that is a secondary aspect). Here’s the basic story: A year…
Dragon Pass: The Return of Argrath and the Lunar Empire Wars
This was the name of the second edition of the board game previously called White Bear and Red Moon. This board game was the origin of Sartar, the Lunar Empire, and the…
The Cult of Orlanth In Sartar
Orlanth is the patron god of the Kingdom of Sartar, and nowhere is his cult more fully developed. The three main subcults of Orlanth—Thunderous, Adventurous, and Rex—have temples and shrines throughout the…
Kallyr’s Short Lightbringers Quest
So when Kallyr performs her Short Lightbringers Quest, player characters have three ways of being involved: What is NOT advised is that they follow Kallyr along as sidekicks. Let her have her…
Common Hero Plane Interactions
The two most common times our adventurers interact with the Hero Plane: Both of these are common, and your characters have no doubt participated in dozens of these rituals. This is why…
First Year Campaign Events
Three major events happen in the first year of the default RQ campaign: 1. A new Prince of Sartar. Sartar is liberated in Earth Season 1625, with the final battle being the…
Heroquest Activities in RQG
When we think about Heroquests in RuneQuest, we really have two types of activities under that rubric. The first is the most common. Initiates and Rune masters (who are of course also…
Barbarians
Folk are aware that most Sartarites think of the Lunar Heartlanders as “barbarians”, right? And they are no more wrong in doing so as the Lunars are. And everyone calls the Praxians…
Shamanism in Sartar
Shamanism is known in Sartar, although it is uncommon and outside of the main cult structure. The two most common paths to shamanism are: Spirit cults are more common, although many now…
Essential Cults for Adventuring
I think the four essential cults for adventuring – and for quickly getting the setting – are probably Orlanth Adventurous, Chalana Arroy, Issaries, and Lhankor Mhy (which also introduces sorcery). Think of…
Raiders and Militia in Sartar
Most cattle raiding is done by young Orlanth Adventurous initiates during their ordeal period after initiation. They steal cattle – and try to avoid combat and starting feuds. You have these bands…
The Daughter’s Roads
The Daughter’s Roads are a method of focusing magical energy into this world. They follow magical lines of power identified by Hwarin Dalthippa. The first road connects Jillaro with Mirin’s Cross and…
Imagining Gloranthan Towns and cities
Remember: A big exception to this are the cities built by Sartar and Wilms, which were designed to mitigate a lot of this – especially Boldhome, which is arguably the best designed…
Orlanthi Clan territory
The average Orlanthi clan in Dragon Pass or Heortland claims about 55 square km of territory. That may sound like a lot, but even my little city of Fort Collins could have…
Temple Hill, Big Rubble
Temple Hill, in the Big Rubble, is about two and half times the size of the Capitoline Hill in Rome. Long ago this area housed foreigners and their gods who visited Pavis….
Hell
Hell has many guardians and denizens, although comparatively few have well-established cults. Of those who do, the best known are perhaps Annilla, Asrelia, Daka Fal, Gorgorma, Humakt, Jajagappa, Kyger Litor, Lodril, Shargash,…