The Black Sun is a strange one. Its origins are quite old, as I have found handwritten versions of the Basko story from around 1979. It then got infused with Sandy’s love…
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Nochet to Fonrit
Sailing across the Homeward Ocean from Nochet to Fonrit usually takes anywhere from four weeks to a season, depending on the prevailing winds. The seas have been opened for some 40 years,…
Mythology is Not Set in Stone
It must be emphasized that mythology is not set in stone. Each myth, endlessly retold and re-experienced, has countless variations. The name of a god will change from one story to the…
Troll Occupation of the Big Rubble
One important way by which humans survived the Troll Occupation of the Big Rubble was through the Pavis priests. Strategic use of City Harmony, small fire, earth, and water elementals, and the…
Notes on Lay Members
Most adult Gloranthans are an initiate of a cult, and a lay member of one or two others. So in Sartar, a typical woman would be an initiate of Ernalda (worshiping Orlanth…
Notes on City Gods
Cities have a market, a degree of self-governance, and temples to the city’s patron deity and to the city god. They also have temples to other gods of importance to the people,…
Cosmos & Chaos
As I have been exploring and detailing Gloranthan mythology for the last several years, I’ve been struck by how the cults of Chaos represent those evils that are simply contrary to the…
Introducing New Players
A few thoughts in introducing RQ to new players – especially those who are only familiar with D&D. CharactersIf pressed for time or are doing a one-shot, use the pregens. Seriously. Circulate…
Trying to Get your Mind Around Glorantha?
A suggestion in trying to get one’s mind around Gloranthan cults, kingdoms, and empires – loyalty is usually personal and not ideological. I might have a tremendous loyalty to my local leader…
Notes on Spirit Cults II
Spirit cults are an easy way to give players access to Rune spells that they cannot normally get from their local cults. For example, if the players (a bunch of Lightbringers cultists)…
Notes on Spirit Cults I
Shamans are specialists in dealing with spirits and the spirit world. They are awakened to the presence of spirits everywhere. Shamans can also establish spirit cults – the shaman contacts the spirit…
Soap Opera themes
Feuds, royal intrigue, temple politics, angry spirits and the grasping demands of long dead ancestors, RuneQuest is ripe with the elements of soap operas and romances. Spice it up with Elder Races,…
Defunct Sartar Tribes
The Dundealos tribe was “destroyed” by the Lunar Provincial Government in 1619, and their land given to settlers from the Lunar Provinces. These settlers were organized into a new tribe called the…
CHArisma
CHA is arguably the most important characteristic in the game (at least for ambitious characters) but is the easiest stat to improve in the game. For example: Got a cool magical sword?…
Sartarite Names
Many Sartarite names combine prefixes and suffixes as per below; the prefixes and suffixes usually relate to the names of gods or ancestors. Use them to create your name or pick a…
Dragon Pass Map Forest Overlay
Just because I find it interesting, here’s that composite map of Dragon Pass, Kethaela, and NW Prax with a forest overlay, showing you forest cover. The dark green is heavy forest, the…
Ramalia
So the last major polity in Maniria is Genertela’s answer to North Korea – Ramalia. This is a deeply unpleasant land, where a degenerate remnant of the Middle Sea Empire rules over…
Master Map
Something Greg taught me was to regularly overlay maps, so that you could see how things interact with stuff beyond the border of the map. This has a big effect on how…
Dragonewts in Maniria
In Maniria, there is a Dragonewt City in the Ryzel Hills, with its own Inhuman King. Dragonewt parties can be found throughout Maniria; normally they are neutral towards those they encounter, but…
Trader Princes
The Trader Princes developed out of a caravan route between Safelster and Esrolia that was established around 1200 ST. Caravanserai needed to be established and fortified, alliances needed to be made with…
What to buy?
So from time to time I get asked what currently published Gloranthan material do I recommend buying (and what do I not). Here’s my thoughts: Must Buy: RQ Starter Set, RQ Core Rules,…
The Arstola Forest
There are some 230,000 elves in the Arstola, one of the six Great Forests. They are mostly brown elves, with a smattering of green elves in the higher elevations. That’s a LOT…
Notes on Maniria II
Most of the human population of Maniria belong to one of four Orlanthi tribal confederations formed along one of the main rivers (Ditali, Solanthi, Nimisotr, and Bastis). For centuries, these confederations were…
Notes on Maniria I
Maniria is a belt about 160-200km wide between the Mislari Mountains and the Solkathi Sea. It has a humid temperate to subtropical climate. Think Virginia or North Carolina. The Arstola forest hugs…
Men-of-All
So the Men-of-All have a curious place in Hrestolism. They are imagined as the safety valve in society – powerful, skilled warriors (and sometimes mages) who protect the weak, uphold the Invisible…