Skip to content
The Well of Daliath
Menu
Menu

Orlanth art preview

Posted on October 16, 2020

Orlanth symbolizes and forms the elemental Air; he is a foundation of the cosmic order. He is King of the Gods by right of his strength and deeds, and his virtues maintain the world. He is responsible for maintaining the cosmos. His cult provides guidelines for its members to follow in determining their activities about themselves, their society, the cosmos, and the great mystery of being. Participation in the cult of Orlanth makes a person a full citizen of the universe. As both the murderer of Yelm who plunged the world into darkness and the leader of the Lightbringers who revived the world, Orlanth is the God of Heroes, an untamed destroyer who nonetheless protects life and aids civilization. He destroys not to end the world but to make way for the new. Orlanth made the world what it is through his deeds and his cult is destined to play a central role in the Hero Wars.

Orlanth by Agathe Pitié

A WiP by Agathe Pitié, also from the royal palace in Boldhome.

And this shows why Orlanth is just plain awesome. He doesn’t need to belittle other gods or take claim for deeds he didn’t do. What he did was awesome enough for a dozen other gods.

veryone, and I mean EVERYONE, wants Orlanth in their story. He’s the Johnny Cash or David Bowie of the Gloranthan gods. And what a career. A prodigy as a child, an adventurer as a young man, a Thunderous king in his prime, and KING Lightbringer at the end, he did it all and did it his way. Here’s to you Orlanth!

Agathe Pitié and I both have Maine Coons!

[On Orlanth being a Barbarian god] All that “barbarian” stuff is just Lunar insecurity and inadequacy. The Lunars needed to get Orlanth in their story to make it to the “A list”. Yelm, Ernalda, Magasta, even Kyger Litor has her Orlanth stories. Without King Lightbringer showing up – friend, enemy, lover, doesn’t matter what just as long as he is in the story – you are stuck in the Gloranthan minor leagues. We all know it – and so do the Lunars.

Jeff Richard

Next
Previous
Agathe Pitié (artist), Cults of Runequest (preview), Orlanth

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

  • Catalogue of the Gods revisited

    This piece from the Mythology book is among my absolute …
  • Thunderbolts in Art

    One of the things that really got me down the …
  • RuneQuest Art

    So let’s talk RQ art for a moment. For the …
  • Top Five RuneQuest Cults

    So it is absolutely no surprise to me that in …
  • The Greatest of the Power Rune gods

    So lets think about the greatest of the Power Rune …
  • A Few Notes on the Air Gods

    Any time you look at those big abstract Celestial Court …
  • RuneQuest Campaign Heroquesting

    So while I am on this whole “through a heroquest …
  • How The God Learners Learned About The Gods

    So we know that the God Learners assembled the monomyth …
  • Turning an Adventure into a Heroquest

    Turning an adventure into a heroquest is easier than you …

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

  • Speculations on warlock rules in RQG
  • Turning adventures into heroquests
  • Humakti Initiation Heroquest
  • Our East Isles campaign
  • Chaosium Con UK 2025 write-up!
  • Hospitality Hearth spirits - what are they ?
  • Clearwine Burned & Argrath's Orphan Childhood
  • Arene Thunderqueen
  • Human worshippers of Xiola Umbar and where to find them
  • Future of the Starter Set

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 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 Rune Magic Sandy Petersen Sartar (homeland) Spirit Cult Star Subcult Tarsh (homeland & Lunar province) Troll Pantheon Yelm Yelmalio Yelm Pantheon Youtube

Recently added or updated

  • Antigods

  • Vormaino Pantheon

  • East Isles Pantheon

  • Theya

  • Daruda

  • Darja Danad

  • Avanparloth

  • Genderatha

  • Korudel

  • Chaquandarath

  • Rynglorem

  • Vith

  • Laraloori

  • Gebkeran

  • Erdires

  • Majadan

  • Oorduren

  • Chal

  • Catalogue of the Gods revisited

  • World-Wide Deities

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