Skip to content
The Well of Daliath
Menu
Menu

Notes on Issaries I

Posted on September 24, 2022

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 of the Seven Lightbringers, and even has a Lunar daughter!

His magic is awesome. Create Neutral Ground spell facilitates communication between otherwise hostile people, making possible trade and dialogue even among enemies. Pathwatch makes it possible to travel safely in dangerous lands. Lock and Passage secures goods, doors, and even city gates.

Issaries is scrupulously neutral in the disputes of others. Just let his caravans travel unmolested and we can all prosper! He’s friendly towards most everyone, and neutral towards the rest – only Chaos and thieves earn his ire. Heck, even Zorak Zoran cannot muster hostility to him!

photo by dnak, CC BY 2.0

The mule is his animal – more useful for carrying goods than a horse or Praxian beast, but acceptable by those that hate one or the other. His mule caravans carry goods across Genertela, and can even be found in Pamaltela.

He gets along with everyone! Associated with Orlanth, Etyries, and Eurmal, friendly with Argan Argar, Ernalda, Magasta, Yelm, and Yelmalio, he manages to remain neutral with the Red Goddess and the Seven Mothers. That is no small trick!

Issaries is one of the deities that makes Glorantha the distinctive place that it is. No mere God of Merchants – trade is just one of the tools he has at his disposal!

Note that Argan Argar is quite different from Issaries – even if folk often play him as a trade god. His magic is all about dealing with darkness and night. For example, Create Shadow lets you create an area of shadow that cancels out the sun. Suppress Lodril lets you screw with Fire/Sky/Light/Heat cultists (Caladra & Aurelion, Dayzatar, Lodril, Polaris, Yelmalio, Yelm, Yelorna, etc.). Safe lets you bar unwanted passage, similar to Lock but works differently. Plus a nice collection of Darkness Elementals and the ability to Dark Walk.

Who provides the donkey stallions and horse mares for breeding? Just like in the real historical world, donkeys are going to be found most everywhere in Genertela. Like in the real world, they are quasi-invisible compared to horses and Praxian animals. But donkeys are raised pretty much anywhere you find horses outside of the Pure Horse People.

The Issaries cult, through its caravans and networks of markets, allows members to maintain long-distance contacts and trade routes. And Tradetalk is spoken just about everywhere.

Issaries was definitely part of the Theyalan Council, although he did not hold a seat.

Jeff Richard

Next
Previous
Argan Argar, Etyries, Fonrit, Issaries, Kralorela, Lightbringer, Maniria, Mule, Seshnela, Sog City (metropolis), Zorak Zoran

Sections

  • Search Tips
  • Current RuneQuest Glorantha Publications
  • RuneQuest Glorantha Corrections and Q&A
  • Catalogue
  • References for Glorantha
    • Gloranthan Canon
  • Gloranthan Documents
  • RPG Systems & Versions
  • Gallery
  • About This Site
  • Get involved!

Latest Posts

  • Orlanth Rex is the God of Tribes

    Are all tribal queens and chiefs part of the Orlanth …
  • Tribe and Clan Structure

    I think there is a tendency to take how “fixed” …
  • Some Notes on The Dragon Religion

    The Dragon Religion holds that the Elements were formed out …
  • Some Thoughts On Dragons And Jung

    I’ve been increasingly thinking that True Dragons embody the Jungian …
  • Adventurers in the Hero Wars

    Now the big Hero Wars stuff operates at an orthogonal …
  • The Apotheosis of Mortals

    We moderns have inherited monotheism’s assumption that apotheosis of mortals …
  • Your Sartarite Adventurer and the Hero Wars

    From the Sartarite perspective, the Hero Wars last some 30 …
  • Argrath and The Sartarite Elite

    In 1627-1628, Argrath relied strongly on the Sartarite Orlanth Adventurous, …
  • Thog the Giant

    In 870, Thog the giant appeared with an army of …

Links

  • Chaosium
  • Chaosium’s RuneQuest RPG Wiki
  • Glorantha on BRP Central
  • RuneQuest on BRP Central
  • RuneQuest on Discord
  • Prince of Sartar Webcomic
  • Glorantha G+ Archives on Tapatalk
  • Search mailing list archive

Latest from BRP Central

  • Help dealing with a LM Sorcerer and an Ernaldan Shaman in 6SiS
  • Question about cult Initiation for characters in the Six Seasons in Sartar Campaign
  • RQG corebook reprints?
  • Dragon pass and Cults of Light and Fire........UK restock dates ?
  • Help dealing with high-Darkness and high-Fire/Sky Sartarite in Six Seasons campaign
  • Caladraland Sources?
  • Rhigos - A Jonstown Compendium Project
  • Lost peoples beyond the monomyth
  • Ikadz's Runes
  • Yinkin Allied Spirit -- Mixed Results

Popular Tags

Boldhome (large city) Chaosium Colymar (Sartar tribe) Contents Cult demographics Cults of Runequest (preview) Ernalda Esrolia (homeland) FRA Furthest (large city) G+ post Genealogies Gods Wall Greg Stafford Guide to Glorantha (preview) Humakt Jar-eel Lunar Empire Lunar Pantheon Magazine Malkioni pantheon Map Michael O’Brien Mongoose MRQ1 New Pavis (small city) Old Glorantha Q&A Orlanth Orlanthi pantheon Photo reference Population demographics Prax (homeland) RQ3 RQG Sandy Petersen Sartar (homeland) Spirit Cult Star Subcult Tarsh (homeland & Lunar province) Troll Pantheon Yelm Yelmalio Yelm Pantheon Youtube

Recently added or updated

  • Excerpt – Appendix D Orlanthi Pantheon List and Runes

  • Eurmal

  • Greg Sez: Rathori Creation Myth

  • Ginna Jar

  • Lightbringers

  • Suppression of Orlanth Under the Lunar Empire

  • Flesh Man

  • Tentacles Convention (DEU 1998-2009)

  • Tentacles Convention (DEU 2002)

  • Ikadz

  • CHA4042 The Prosopaedia – Q&A

  • Chaosium Press Release: March 4, 1997

  • Elder Races in Dragon Pass

  • Borderlands & Beyond – Index

  • Index page template

  • The Sun Dome Network in Dragon Pass and Prax

  • Yelm Shrines & Temples

  • Enclosure 2 (USA 1998)

  • Glorantha Con VII (USA 1998)

  • Wyrd

©2025 The Well of Daliath | Design: Newspaperly WordPress Theme