Throughout Glorantha, people worship the ever-compassionate Goddess of Mercy. She’s known by many names – Erissa, Serelaloon, etc., – but she’s known best as Chalana Arroy. Her worshipers practice TOTAL non-violence and…
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Lhankor Mhy the Knowing God
Another remarkable Gloranthan deity is the Knowing God, Lhankor Mhy. Also found around the world, he’s generally given credit for creating writing so that mortals might store knowledge. Lhankor Mhy is the…
Notes on Issaries I
Issaries is one of the most widely-spread cults in Glorantha. His markets appear in Kralorela, Fonrit, and Sog CIty. He’s worshiped as an ancestor by nobles in Seshnela and Maniria, he’s one…
Functions of Cities or Towns
One of the functions of a city or large town is to take the rural agricultural production and turn it into goods and silver. At the time, the Quivini tribes were mostly…
Finances of the Lunar Empire
Thinking a little bit more about the finances of the Lunar Empire. Most of the land in Peloria is not owned by the peasants – it is owned by the emperor, by…
The Seleukid Royal Economy
I’m reading a fascinating little book on the Seleukid Royal Economy, that is filled with world building gems. Greg would have totally dug this. A few interesting takeaways: The Lunar Heartlands has…
Satrapy Dynasties
None of the Lunar satrapies are under their original ruling dynasty. The Rastar-inning have held Karasal for about 120 years, which is the longest of any of the ruling dynasties. The most…
The Lunar Satrapy of Sylila
The Red Emperor’s daughter, Hwarin Dalthippa, conquered the lands south of Henjarl in a series of military and magical campaigns between 1309 and 1349. In 1325, the Red Emperor proclaimed her and…
Restrictions on Satraps
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…
Choralinthor Bay
The Choralinthor Bay is strongly affected by the tides. At times of very low tide, the blue hatched areas and the light blue areas are exposed. Only the dark blue areas are…
Earliest Drawing of Dragon Pass
I was going through the map archive looking for some details, and I came across Greg’s very earliest drawing of Dragon Pass. This was part of the design process for what later…
History of the Provincial Overseer
Prior to 1555, there was no Provincial Overseer. During the 4th Wane, the various provincial client kings were managed from Jillaro. After the Red Emperor returned to Glamour at the end of…
The Lunar Army in the Early Hero Wars
I’ve been playing around with some numbers to get a better feel for the Lunar Empire during the Dragon Pass Campaign period. 1. 1621 At the height of Lunar power, the Empire…
The Shadowlands
Both the Jrusteli and the Empire of the Wyrm’s Friends sought to maintain a loyal power base in the Shadowlands. It is, after all, the crossroads of the continent, and though every…
The Machine Ruins
Past the isles of God Forgot, past Talar Hold and Casino Town, are the cursed ruins of the Clanking City, one of the most haunted places in the Holy Country. In the…
World Building Glorantha
When I am world building I think a lot about the numbers involved. And then I start asking questions: 1. What is the population of a place? This lets me know how…
Lhankor Mhy Sorcery
Several Dragon Pass cults routinely play around with sorcery – Lhankor Mhy in particular. But the Knowing Priests are largely self-taught amateurs when it comes to sorcery. Temples tend to know a…
The Lightbringers Belt & Old Gods
In between the Malkioni lands and the Lunar Empire are two regions the “Lightbringers Belt” and the “Old Gods”. Now the Lightbringers Belt we all know – this is the area of…
Loskalm and New Hrestolism
In Loskalm, Malkionism developed a strong current of dualism, positing that the Invisible God’s awareness of itself created a lesser (and flawed) demiurge that in turn created lesser emanations – powers, elements…
Malkionism as a Cult
So one thing that should be obvious about Malkionism compared to other cults – it is primarily a philosophical system, rather than a connection with a god or spirit. The Invisible God…
The Stygian Heresy II
So what do all of these Arkat sects – what we broadly call the Stygian Heresy – have in common? First and foremost they all claim to be the inheritors of esoteric…
The Stygian Heresy I
A key to why the Stygian Heresy is so threatening to mainstream Malkioni can be found in Arkat’s apocryphal retort to the missive of King Nralar demanding that the Hero end sacrifice…
After the Middle Sea Empire
Malkionism in the Third Age is a pathetic shade of its Second Age glory. The Middle Sea Empire ended in 990 and about a half-century later, Seshnela was shattered by the Luathelans….
The Divine Fortune of The Emperor of Land and Sea
For two hundred years the Jrusteli dynasty ruled as the Emperor of the Land and Sea. This was a new title, created in 789 with the acclamation of the Jrusteli Alliance, the Umathelan…
Arkat’s heirs
Many Second Age texts hold that both Gerlant Flamesword and Talor the Laughing Warrior were sons of Arkat and Seleria of Brithos. This is held as deeply heretical, even blasphemous, by both…