The Red Emperor has some wonderful titles. Moonson – means literally son of the Red Goddess. Lord of the Four Quarters – means he is the ruler of the entire terrestrial world…
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What are barbarians?
As described in the Lightbringers book, the Theyalan pantheon spread from its Dawn Age hub in Dragon Pass across the Pelorian hills to Ralios, Maniria, and even southern Fronela. The lowland Pelorians…
Trolltown in The Big Rubble II
We often forget that the Big Rubble can actually be viewed as a troll city with a human minority. First some comparisons of size. New Pavis is 28 hectares, and I think…
History of the Telmori
Hated and feared, the Telmori are werewolves cursed by Chaos. They are unlike other humans, for they have joined with their beast-brothers into a strange and, to some, unnatural relationship of dependence…
Inspiration for Humakti
I’ve always had a soft spot for Humakti. Sacred killers, they live outside of normal Orlanthi society but nonetheless have an important role within it. With their code of honor, strange taboos…
Following the Lunar Way
The Lunar Way is pretty darn easy for someone in the Heartlands or the settled Provinces to defend. The Red Goddess displays her power simply by existing in the Middle Air for…
Chaos in Glorantha
Fear and hatred of Chaos is both instinctive and rational for all natural creatures in Glorantha. Let that sink in. Chaos is wrong and its effects are evil. Let that sink in…
Notes on Tradetalk II
Tradetalk serves the game purpose of allowing a party of Sartarites, Praxians, and Lunars to be able to communicate with each. You only need a minimal skill in Tradetalk to get basic…
Biggest Sartarite Cities
The biggest Sartarite city – as described in the Dragon Pass book – is Boldhome, with over 10,000 residents. It is twice the population of the other cities around the Quivin Mountains…
Introducing New Players to a Big Rubble campaign
Thinking about what is necessary to introduce new players to a Big Rubble campaign, let’s start with New Pavis. Now most humans in New Pavis and Pavis County came from Sartar in…
Introducing RQ to new groups
When introducing RQ to new groups – folk totally unfamiliar with RQ or Glorantha such as at a convention or game store – I find Pavis and the Big Rubble is probably…
The Garden (Big Rubble)
Around 750 years ago, bands of aldryami came from the Redwood Forest in Shadows Dance to the new city of Pavis and created the Garden. They planted pines, cedar, black oak, manzanitas,…
Sartarites and Dwarves
The two groups of dwarves that Sartarites are most likely to be familiar with are: Dwarf Mine. This very large dwarf community rarely interacts with humans outside of Dwarf Stronghold Inn and Goranthal….
Notes on Aldryami
Gloranthan elves are phenomenally intelligent. As servants of the forest spirits, they can process information far faster than humans can. And yet the elves rarely are found among knowledge cults such as…
Remarkable Locations in Dragon Pass and Prax
Dragon Pass and Prax have many remarkable locations that were the sites of divine deeds and events in the Gods Age. The very landscape is steeped in mythology and magic.
Leading Families of New Pavis
Several leading families control most of Pavis. The families are extended and clannish. Their membership is large and they can recite their genealogy backwards with pride to their first known ancestor. Family…
The Grey Zone aka the Spirit Plane
Between the land of the living, where the quester must begin their journey, and the Court of Silence, lies a yawning void where all matters are questionable and nothing maintains a reasonable…
An Overview of Orlanth
Orlanth is worshiped in places where there is uncertainty in the air, and a strong leader can guide others through troubled times to seek peace and safety. Orlanth is manifest in the…
Giant Cradles
Probably a dozen or more giant cradles were recording going down the River of Cradles during the Second Age. Since Godtime, the river was used by giants to send their children to…
Sources for the Dragon Pass Book
One of the “real world” sources I read as part of putting the Dragon Pass guide together was Pausanias’ “Description of Greece” with its numerous shrines and other religious sites. Now I…
Making the Maps of the Dragon Pass Book
The Dragon Pass book was the result of Matt Ryan and I needing to create “official maps” of Dragon Pass, Prax, the Holy Country, and the Lunar Provinces. We started with Greg’s…
The Other Names of Gods
In the cults books, we read of Orlanth, Yelmalio, Yelm, Ernalda, and so on. For convenience, I use the name popularized in the God Learner monomyth – but we know that these…
The Husband-Protectors of Ernalda
Ernalda has taken many husbands, most notably Orlanth, Yelm, Yelmalio, Argan Argar, Flamal, Magasta, Storm Bull, and even Pamalt. So who is her “favorite”? The short answer is “usually Orlanth”, but here’s…
Cosmos and Chaos
The conflict between Cosmos and Chaos is key to Gloranthan mythology. The gods made the Cosmos through their deeds – that is why things like air, the Sun, fish, war, love, hatred,…
Myth in Glorantha
Let’s talk a moment about myth in Glorantha. Now we have an entire book on it, but let’s start with Greg’s own words: “Myths are sacred tales that directly address our contact…