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Notes on Shargash I

Posted on June 28, 2023

Shargash is the Dara Happan war god, associated with Fire/Sky, Death, and Disorder. He’s also known as Tolat, who ranged across Glorantha in the Lesser Darkness to bring war and destruction to his enemies, and as such is the god of the Trowjang Amazons. His red planet is universally associated with war and destruction.

Despite being a Sky god, Shargash has some strong Underworld associations (although he does not have the Darkness Rune). He is followed by an army of flame-wreathed demons, and is feared for his mad frenzied destruction.

All that being said, Shargash is a decisively second-tier god. He is not a greater god, he is not considered by anyone to be the owner of a core Rune (his supporters propose the symbol of the city of Alkoth be accepted as a core Rune but that is hardly accepted outside of the green walls of that city). As a Death and War god Shargash is definitely outclassed by Humakt. As a Disorder god, Bolongo and Eurmal have him beat.

But among the Fire/Sky deities, Shagash has the widest range of destructive magic – Berserker, Fear, Fire Elementals, Shield, and Underworld Demons.

His cult is quite big with nearly 80,000 initiates in the Lunar Empire and at least another 80,000 (or more) in Teshnos and Trowjang. The cults are the same, although they have some very different subcults.

One of the wildest theories I have heard is that Shargash and Zorak Zoran are flip sides of what could have been a greater god of Destruction. The cults share a surprising amount of special Rune magic (Berserker, Fear, and Fire Elementals) and both have strong Underworld associations. But Shargash does not raise the dead and Zorak Zoran has no planetary paths beyond love for the color red. Any pathways between the cults were likely destroyed in the Gbaji Wars, as Shargash fought for his father, and Zorak Zoran fought for Arkat.

Are his followers called Shadzorings? Do they have demonic blood flowing through their veins enough that there are some physical differences between them and other humans? His worshipers in Peloria are ordinary humans, mostly Dara Happan. He is the main war god of Dara Happa.

The Trowjang Amazons are certainly humans, although all are female.

Within the Lunar Empire, Shargash is an important cult – some 80,000 initiates. But within the Lunar Army he’s largely considered a “militia god”. He’s beloved by common soldiers who want a more martial deity than Spear God or Bow God. But a Rune Priest of Shargash is still likely a front-line soldier, not an officer.

Yanafal Tarnils and the Seven Mothers are the patrons of the Lunar Army and its officer corps.

The primary Death and War deities are: Humakt, Shargash, Zorak Zoran, Wachaza, Babeester Gor, Yelorna, Yanafal Tarnils, and Yara Aranis.

There are plenty of other deities who are invoked in war – Orlanth, Yelm, Storm Bull, Maran Gor, Polaris, all come to mind – but war for them is a secondary aspect. Even Storm Bull is primarily the Chaos-killer, not the Praxian war god.

Note that Shargash and Yelorna are both Golden Age war gods, in the fashion of Kargan Tor. Then Humakt finds Death and brings it to the surface world. And in his wake are Zorak Zoran, Wachaza, and Babeester Gor. Death and suffering is felt by all, and we are confronted with all the dead bodies piled up in mounds as we rush towards the Greater Darkness and the end.

Yanafal Tarnils and Yara Aranis are war deities formed in Time, specifically associated with armies and special foes. Cosmically they are far less important than Humakt and the like, but they wield great power in Time.

Is his cult still associated with maces? Not in the same way that Humakt is associated with Swords, Babeester Gor with Axes, Zorak Zoran with Maces, or Yelm with Bows.

As an aside, I greatly undercounted the number of Tolat initiates in Teshnos. There are more Tolat cultists than Shargash.

Which makes me wonder if I should be referring to him as Tolat (called Shargash in the Lunar Heartlands) instead of the reverse?

Jeff Richard

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Alkoth (metropolis), Cult demographics, Shargash, Teshnos, Tolat, Trowjang, Zorak Zoran

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