A few notes on social classes in the Lunar Empire (with some specific notes on slavery in Dara Happa). Dara Happa – that belt of intensive agriculture along the Oslira river –…
Tag: Photo reference
The Dara Happan Emperor
In 1247, the Red Goddess ascended into the Middle Air as the Red Moon. She appointed her son as her temporal viceroy, and charged him with the responsibilities of her affairs in…
Map of Glamour and Raibanth Area
Here’s another neat map showing the area around Glamour and Raibanth. I believe Nick and company used this as the base of a map in the Rough Guide to Glamour. Note how…
Notes on Armor and Helmets
We know from RQG that closed or open helmets are most common for nobles and warriors (Light Infantry is associated with composite helmets). So let’s think about styles, starting with Kethaela. Remember…
Ancient Bird Mother
As we all know, Vrimak (one of the Parts of Yelm) is the father of all avian life. His daughter-wife Avarnia is the Bird Mother, goddess of small birds, including quails, chickens,…
Notes on Balastor’s Barracks
I personally hate the graphic design of Balastor’s Barracks – that old school dungeon intended to fill up a single page – but I do think there is something LIKE it at…
Before the Upland Marsh
Here’s something else to think about – the Upland Marsh is located in what was a broad and fertile river valley, some 130 km long by 45 km wide. The waters that…
Ducks – A Sartarite Tribe
Most Sartarite tribes are pretty similar – being primarily Orlanth worshiping humans. However, there are two unusual tribes, the ducks and the Telmori. Let’s talk about the ducks today. The ducks (or…
RuneQuest Battles
Thinking a little about the dynamic of RuneQuest battles. At the skirmish level, they likely resemble real world ancient combat with some added magical effects – more deadly weapons, ranged magic, the…
Imagining Gloranthan Towns and cities
Remember: A big exception to this are the cities built by Sartar and Wilms, which were designed to mitigate a lot of this – especially Boldhome, which is arguably the best designed…
The Hill of Orlanth Victorious II
The Hill of Orlanth Victorious in Sartar is one of the holiest places to the Orlanth cult. From here Orlanth began his Lightbringers Quest, and it was from here that Harmast Barefoot…
Notes on Maniria IV
One thing I enjoy doing is playing around with different projects of maps, to see if I find something new or interesting. This map of Maniria paints an interesting picture for me….
The Greatway
Yesterday we were up around the Greatway, looking at the vast mines high up in the Rockwoods. Everywhere you can see tailings from the dwarf mines. There are many thousands of dwarves…
Dragonewt City
Was hiking around in Dragon Pass and found a dragonewt city in a mountain vale. I love some of the alien rock formations, and immediately realised that we were near High Wyrm….
Views of Lightfore
Tonight I imagine what Lightfore must have looked like!
Quivin Mountains and Guardian Hills
Every week I go hiking around the Quivin Mountains and Guardian Hills. Today we checked out Stael’s Ridge and the Ernaldori Peaks. Check out the Boulder Ruins!
Inspiration for Arkat
One of the more curious representations of Alexander the Great is this medieval illustration that has him with boar tusks. Apparently, the source for this strange feature may ultimately lie in the…
Inspiration for the Red Emperor
The Red Emperor in his ruddy glory and some of his household and bodyguards.
Giant of the Rockwoods
In the Rockwoods there was a giant who sought to challenge the storm gods and conquer the skies. With an army of lesser giants, he crushed human villages and temples and then…
Dog Rat Valley
Playing RuneQuest today with the kids. Here’s the Dog Rat Valley where they have built their stead. Clearly they are herders, not agriculturalists. One thing I love doing on hikes with kids…
Gloranthan Inspiration from the American West
Given how traditionally ingrained medieval Europe (and to a lesser extent the Roman Empire) is in our conception of fantasy, from time to time it is worth looking elsewhere for our images…
Glimpses of Dragon Pass
A few glimpses from Dragon Pass as we drove in Wyoming today.
Notes on the Grazelands II
The dominant cult in the Grazelands is Ernalda, with some 9250 initiates out of a total adult population of around 26,000. The Ernalda cult dominates the Grazelands like no place outside of…
The Mountain Wind
Orlanth is sometimes called the Mountain Wind, and I can assure you that when you are in the high mountains with the wind blowing, you can sense the divine. People often focus…