I like to think of mortal Gloranthan societies as being made of clusters of temples, with links to their associates. Some cults – like Orlanth and Ernalda – end up with big…
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Notes on Belintar IV
For nearly three centuries, Belintar was the God-King of the Holy Country. Belintar defeated and slew the Only Old One, cast him down, and received acknowledgement from all the major cults of…
Lunar generals circa 1610
So why did someone like Sor-eel get the command to conquer Prax? Well lets start by looking at the main Lunar generals circa 1610: Fazzur Wideread. He’s a provincial warleader, successfully invaded Hendrikiland…
What is a Thane?
The word “thane” means “martial companion,” although an older version of their name means “horse men,” denoting their status. The title is sometimes transliterated to “lord” particularly in older RuneQuest documents. Thanes…
Notes on Sor-eel the Short
We often underestimate how significant a figure Sor-eel the Short is. A member of the Eel-arish clan, he is the nephew of Farangold, which makes him the maternal cousin of Jar-eel the…
Army Recruitment
Most Gloranthan armies are recruited in the following ways: Tribal militia. Members of the local community perform military service as part of belonging to the community. Among the Sartarites and Praxians, this is…
The Night Caravan
The Night Caravan (more commonly called the Night Train or the Argan Argar Chain) is the Argan Argar insect caravans that travel across Genertela at night. They bring goods, insects, and trolls…
Notes on Halikiv
Halikiv is just to the west of Dragon Pass, but it is easier to get there from southwest Peloria, as the Skyreach Mountains are pretty near impassable. From Aggar, there are a…
Communication between Peloria and Ralios
So how much communication is there between Peloria and Ralios (or Dragon Pass and Ralios)? The Western Rockwoods (and their associated ranges the Mislari and Nidan Mountains) are a high mountain range,…
RuneQuest Styles of Play
One of the things that keeps me inspired about RuneQuest is that it supports so many different styles of play. One game might be about fighting in battles along side demigods and…
Corruption in the Lunar Empire
Is corruption a major problem within the Lunar Empire? Is this something the infamous Tax Demons would deal with, or would Moonson and the authorities turn a blind eye to such practices…
How Powerful is a Lunar satrap?
Within their domains, the rulers of the satrapies or sultanates of the Lunar Empire rule with inherent authority. They are not mere governors or administrators – they are rulers in their own…
Notes on Jar-eel the Razoress II
Jar-eel the Razoress can be difficult to get a handle on. Rather than think of her as a heroine, it might be easier to think of her as the Moon Goddess incarnated…
Dragon Pass Encounters
Stuck for what to encounter and want a Dragon Pass randomizer? Just roll a D20:
GMing RuneQuest #2
Here’s another tip that might help in GMing RQ games. Remember that RQ combat, unlike D&D or most computer games, is not attritional. Once a combatant strikes a good blow that gets…
GMing RuneQuest #1
A few tips for GMing RuneQuest: Addendum
Books in RuneQuest
Mechanically, a book ought to add +1D4x5% to one or more skills. Some might also provide knowledge in one or more sorcerous Runes or Techniques and even provide knowledge of specific sorcery…
Esrolian Culture
When we think about Esrolia as a culture, a few things to keep in mind: Esrolia is 90% rural villagers. Let’s focus on that before thinking about its urban centers. Rural Esrolia…
Role of the Earth Goddesses
Wherever people work the soil and raise plants or domesticate livestock, the Earth Goddesses are revered. Some places, where the male ruling deities have unquestioned authority, they are little more than the…
Before the Upland Marsh
Here’s something else to think about – the Upland Marsh is located in what was a broad and fertile river valley, some 130 km long by 45 km wide. The waters that…
Ducks – A Sartarite Tribe
Most Sartarite tribes are pretty similar – being primarily Orlanth worshiping humans. However, there are two unusual tribes, the ducks and the Telmori. Let’s talk about the ducks today. The ducks (or…
A few notes on the little hamlet of Greenbrass
This small village of twelve households is a secondary settlement of the Ernaldori Clan of the Colymar Tribe. It is best known for its dwarf-built watermill, which grinds grain for the local…
A Sense of Scale II
Genertela is nearly 9,000,000 square km in area. That’s more than twice the size of the European Union or a little smaller than continental Europe. Or for us North Americans, it is…
Notes on the Kingdom of Dragon Pass in the Hero Wars
Argrath and the Feathered Horse Queen unified Dragon Pass in 1632 and were its King and Queen for the next quarter-century, despite major counter-invasions from the Lunar Empire (which twice came close…
Evolving the Setting
In the last month, I’ve been posting a lot of notes about the Hero Wars and how it changes. Couple of reasons for it – most important is that I am trying…