Subject: Ducks Shouldn't Train Their Sing Skill, Volume 6, Number 10 RQDIGESTV06N10 First Distribution: July 14, 1991 This issue: Getting Your FreeLance Manuscript Published MOB by Avalon Hill... RuneQuesting Down Under MOB French RQ: A Look at "Les Dieux de MOB Glorantha" & "Genertela" Cults within the Lunar Empire Steve Maurer ====================================================================== Subject: GETTING YOUR FREELANCE MANUSCRIPT PUBLISHED BY AVALON HILL, AND WHY THIS AIN'T EASY, PART TWO From: MOB Date: 31/5/1991 Since I last wrote about my dealings with AVALON HILL,they still don't have a submissions guide, and still won't come clean about their pay-rates to interested parties. Nevertheless, after a good deal of wrangling on both sides, I have managed to get the contract out of them, and so my manuscript SUN COUNTY is another step further on the way to publication! Nick Atlas (the RQ person at AH) said he hoped to have it by GEN CON in August. I simply replied "Which August do you mean, 1991 or 1992?" You see, Nick is now also responsible for another RPG, "Tales of the Floating Vagabond", a "zany, whacky" sci-fi game (funny, I didn't think Avalon Hill were known for their sense of humour). This game will also be released in August 1991 and will be followed up by supplements, so I guess Atlas has got even less time to devote to RQ now. The contract AH sent me was written in plain language and contained no surprises (except the clause that I would have to write an article about "strategy" for THE GENERAL magazine). At present, I don't know what format SUN COUNTY will appear in, although my guess is it will come out as a perfect-bound, card-covered book, and will probably run to about 90 pages. I said in my first article that I sent Avalon Hill SUN COUNTY in a fully laid-out, camera-ready format, right down to side bars, borders, boxes, table of contents, even runes along the tops of the pages! My reasons for doing so were 1. AH haven't bothered to bring out a submissions guide, so I had no idea how they wanted their manuscripts presented, and 2. Judging by the wretched standard of layout in their most recent publications (ELDARAD and DAUGHTERS), they needed all the help they could get. AH rejected the layout I sent them (which is not unlike the layout in recent issues of TALES OF THE REACHING MOON, if you've seen them). Here's what Nick actually wrote when turning it down: "While it [the SUN COUNTY layout I submitted] is an excellent piece of amateur work (somewhat resembling the early RPG releases), *it is not up to our general standard for layout * [!!] It would have been considered well done in the RPG world of 10 years ago, but standards have changed tremendously since then." These are pretty crass comments. He might have had a point had he not compared it to his own meagre efforts. I can accept Nick Atlas's compliment that the layout of issue #4 was "an excellent piece of amateur work". But can he really get away with saying that the layout he supervised in ELDARAD and DAUGHTERS - an endless sequence of double columns, no sidebars, no boxes, no borders, no interest - is better? He goes on to say that "standards have changed tremendously" in the past ten years. I must agree with him. Ten years ago, such RQ2 gems as BORDERLANDS, PAVIS and BIG RUBBLE were being eagerly lapped by an enthusiastic RQ following. They were characterized by attractive layout, good artwork (brilliant in BORDERLANDS) and strong writing. These days, we have been offered badly written, poorly edited RQ releases from AH that are unimaginatively laid-out, have artwork that even a 10-year-old would be ashamed of, and which lack even fundamental things like page numbers in a map book! Hopefully, things will change with SUN COUNTY. Ironically, Nick Atlas has done a complete turn-around and has decided to base the format of SUN COUNTY on my layout after all! I still don't know who will be doing the artwork: here's hoping Atlas has taken note of the howls of criticism and gets someone like Arnie Sweckel, and not D. Dobyski! I discussed in an earlier article that AH plan to re-release the RQ rules in a perfect-bound book, with some changes and additions, and that I see this move as just a cynical marketing ploy. I also gave my reservations about letting Nick Atlas - whose RQ experience is minimal - produce this "RQ4" without proper supervision. You may be relieved to know that Sandy Petersen (who also works in Baltimore) will be keeping an eye on the proceedings, as he will be in and out of the AH offices from time to time. Note that this not the same as having Sandy act as the "RQ4" editor though. Why have AH decided to re-release RuneQuest again? Not sure. I think it might have a lot to do with Atlas's inadequacies. He doesn't have the RQ background to actually write RQ material himself, and the abysmal quality of ELDARAD and DAUGHTERS proves that he can't even pick good manuscripts by others. So, he's taken the easy way out and turned to the rules. I guess he thinks this way, he can't stuff things up. Unfortunately, I have my doubts whether he will even be able to pull this off either, and besides, most RuneQuesters I know want more scenarios, not another release of the rules. After this "RuneQuest 4" comes out, Atlas plans to re-release the whole RQ3 line *again*, in the perfect-bound format! Although this may result in cheaper supplements, once more, I make the point that most RuneQuesters want new material, not the same stuff with a different cover. But I guess Atlas feels comfortable just rehashing previously-published supplements, because it involves little creative impetus on his part. One of these RQ-rehashes will be called "The Book of Old Earth" and will have elements from LAND OF NINJA and VIKINGS in it, as well as other "Alternate Earth" material. When a friend of mine asked Atlas who'd written the material on other the cultures the answer was a total negative, which leads us to think it will never come out! So what can you, the RQ DIGEST reader, do about this very sorry state of affairs? Avalon Hill are simply out touch with what the majority of RuneQuesters want. There are two ways you can inform them. First, I suggest that you write to Nick Atlas directly, detailing your dissatisfaction. Be blunt: Nick seems to be fairly thick-skinned. If you're lucky, you might even get a reply (but don't hold your breath: Nick Atlas promised me a review copy of DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS about *six months* and I still haven't seen it: maybe he's been reading my comments about him in RQ DIGEST!) Second, and even better, write to the new President of Avalon Hill, Jack Dott, and tell him what you think. Jack Dott is very keen to see RQ streak ahead: he just doesn't realise he's hired a total dud to do it. Earlier protest letters about D. Dobyski's appalling artwork only elicited complacent and dismissive replies from the AH management one rung lower than Dott, but only by consumer pressure can we force AH to change their tune! Below are the addresses to write to. You are welcome to draw upon material from this and other articles of mine when drafting your letters, but please do *not* refer to me by name. Despite this lengthy diatribe and my misgivings about Avalon Hill, I still intend to write RQ material for them. In fact, I have four projects on hand already (three were formerly under contract to CHAOSIUM but lapsed, which I have been asked to kick-start). More about these manuscripts next time! The addresses: Nick Atlas, Jack Dott, RuneQuest Editor President THE AVALON HILL GAME COMPANY 4517 Harford Road, Baltimore, MD 21214 United States of America. Fax Number: 301-254-0991 ====================================================================== Subject: RUNEQUESTING DOWN UNDER A perspective by MOB I have been playing RQ for quite a while. In fact, I actually began playing RQ at school *before* I played D&D, even though all we had was "Apple Lane" (we didn't get the rulebook until some time later). In the twelve years or so I have been playing RQ I have seen it rise up and challenge D&D as the preeminent RPG, then fall away to "minor game" status again. This is what happened here in Australia: I guess the story is the same all around the English-speaking world. Just a couple of years ago RPGs were at their peak: remember the days - the newspapers were full of levitating D&D players who commited suicide all over the place? The Melbourne University Dungeons and Dragons Association, a.k.a. MUDDA (not a bad acronym considering the Melbourne Uni. Chocolate Appreciation Society has to go under the moniker of "MUCAS"), was the largest club at the university with over 700 members. Incidently, MUDDA also held the dubious distinction of also being the largest RPG club in the Southern Hemisphere. Later the name of the club was changed to "MUDDA Adventure Gamers Incorporated" (MAGInc.), when a survey of members found that virtually no one in the club played AD&D any more (just about everyone into fantasy played RQ). Once the initial popularity of roleplaying games and fantasy peaked, the club's bloated membership list dropped to about 100. Other universities and groups formed RPG clubs during the heyday of roleplaying, some of which are still active. Sadly, MAGInc. is no longer in existence. It is not to my credit that my faction presided over its demise. I held the sinecure of "Club Librarian" during this time: it was a sinecure because thieves got into our storage cabinets and stole all our games! About all we had left were multiple copies of a AD&D tournament that had been for sale for several years and didn't look like ever selling. As far as I know they're probably still there. Anyone interested in a moldering copy of the "Silverwraith Quest?" MAGInc. may be long gone, but it leaves as its legacy a viable RPG convention called ARCANACON, which is held here in the city of Melbourne, Victoria annually. Several game conventions of note still occur annually Down Under. Other Australian conventions I know of include a very big one over Easter in Canberra, the national capital (attending "CanCon" is the only reason I could think of for visiting this forsaken place) and SydCon and NecronomiCon, which both take place in Sydney, in the state of New South Wales. There are still some RQ diehards at these cons: at NecronomiCon last year they had a live trollball tournament. They initially wanted to get a spotty 13 year old "Warmallet" player to serve as the ball, but settled on a trollkin rag doll which had its limbs and head attached with velcro, to accurately simulate what can happen to a real trollball. The team from Melbourne (my town) was sponsored by that world-famous beer ARGAN LAGER. There are also other major conventions in other states, often run by university clubs. During the early eighties, RuneQuest featured quite prominently at conventions here, often as the major event alongside the AD&D and often attracting as many teams. Nowdays, we are lucky indeed if RQ features as a minor event, although at ConQuest (another Melbourne Con) this year over 25 teams took part. In contrast, Call of Cthulu, which also rose from minor status like RQ, remains in the major event league and attracts very large numbers of players. So what happened to RQ in Australia? Same as what happened to it everywhere else, I imagine. AD&D found itself being assailed by Runequest a few years back, but the advent of RQIII soon took care of that. I was lucky; I bought one of the advanced copies of Delux-RQ which were hawked at A$58.oo, at that stage about twice what you'd expect to pay for a similar game. Then, the rapacious importers and Avalon Hill got together and decided to really kill off RQ by raising the price to A$90.oo The high prices, combined with unimpressive quality of the first supplement packs (eg. those character sheets which, because they came in box, AH thought should cost A$26.oo), killed off RQ as the fastest-growing game played in Australia. RQ has continued to languish because AH hasn't brought out anywhere near enough material to keep the momentum going and the interest alive, and the material they have brought out recently has been of questionable quality (The Lost City of Eldarad, Daughters of Darkness, etc.). This is a crying shame; during MAGInc's heyday myself and several collaborators ran a weekly RQII Club Campaign, with up to 50 participants taking part each Friday night. Many of these players have gone off to other RPGs or interests: AH just let them starve. Only the hard-core RQ-Glorantha fans remain, but even they are a dying breed. It's things like this RQ DIGEST and the RQ magazine TALES OF THE REACHING MOON that are keeping things going for us RuneQuesters Down Under (and probably everywhere else) until AH lift their game and start producing high quality RuneQuest material again, and lots of it! ====================================================================== Subject: FRENCH RQ: A Look at "Les Dieux de Glorantha" & "Genertela". From: MOB Compared to the rest of the world, RuneQuest in France is immensely popular. Some 14,000 copies of the rules were sold, and the French equivalent of the AH boxed sets have a print run of 10000. In comparison, AVALON HILL's English-language boxed sets have a print run of 5000 *worldwide*. RQ's popularity in France must be in part due to the extraordinary effort the licensee, ORIFLAM, has taken with the production of the French translations. I have had the opportunity to have a look at just two of the French versions, "Les Dieux de Glorantha" (Gods of Glorantha) and "Genertela" (WoG). The English language versions of these supplements pale in comparison. For a start, unlike the flimsy paper-covered booklets of AH, both come as hard-back books. They most closely resemble the now-defunct hardback book versions that GAMES WORKSHOP produced, but unlike GW, ORIFLAM has gone to the expense of having their books stitch-bound rather than perfect-bound (glued), which means they should stand up well to continuous use. I don't know a single RuneQuester who bought one of the GW workshop books whose book didn't fall apart before long. Each book is pleasingly laid-out and lavishly illustrated in black-and-white. What is more, they have been illustrated by artists who know their RuneQuest and know their Gloranthan facts (or at least have been given competent art direction). All the pictures, and there is at least one every couple of pages, are of a professional standard. A sight for sore eyes after the recent AH abominations! What's more, the artwork serves not only as decoration, but helps to demonstrate important points in the text. If they to show to the reader what Lunar decadence is really like, well heck! they don't pussyfoot around. The mapwork in Genertela is also nicely done and the Genertela wall-map is in colour and on glossy card. To my decidedly Australian eyes, such phrases as "Pass du Dragon", "Mer Blanche", "Royaume de la guerre" and "Terres Rouges" have romantic appeal. Despite my lack of French, I'd love to own this map, it's so damn nice. I can't really comment on the text, as I can't read French and in any case I imagine it's not all that different from the English version. Interestingly though, I notice that ORIFLAM have arranged the cult listings and Prosop>dia entries in "Les Dieux de Glorantha" by pantheons instead of alphabetical order. An sensible variant. The next French language release will be ELDER SECRETS, due to be released in late 1991. One can only imagine how successful RQ might have been if AVALON HILL had gone to the trouble ORIFLAM has. I envy those lucky French RuneQuesters! *C'est la vie*! Speaking of French RQ, there is actually a French language RuneQuest fanzine around called BROOS. I've not yet seen it, but it is evidently up to its sixth or seventh issue and is of a professional standard. It is evidently supposed to have very nice mapwork in it. To enquire about BROOS send a SAE with a couple of international reply coupons to: Mr. F. Weil Association Broos 19 rue Dumeril 75013 PARIS, France. I've heard that there is, or once was, a Spanish RuneQuest zine. Does anyone know about this? ====================================================================== From: steve@tfs.COM (Steve Maurer) Subject: Cults within the Lunar Empire... Since my Lunar campaign is still in full swing, I've decided to send on the various junk I've done while working for it. As always, this is from my version of Glorantha, generally derived from older Wyrms Footnotes. It is not the revised, altered, and unworkable "official" Glorantha now being published, except where new material does not contradict the old (or on the rare occasion that it is better). Steve Maurer steve@tfs.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - CULTS WITHIN THE LUNAR EMPIRE Lunar Cults These are cults which directly derive from worship of the Red Goddess, her incarnations, or children. The Red Goddess A monastic order which studies magic to the exclusion of all else. They have access to all Rune magic, Lunar Sorcery, and Regi- mental magic spells, and are extremely powerful politically. The order is totally non-adventuring, due both to time considerations in their constant magic practice, and their indispensibility to the nation state. About half of this cult is dedicated to maintaining the Glowline. The Imperial Moon Hero cult of the Red Emporer, often called the backbone of the Empire. Responsible for all governmental functions, this cult admin- isters tariff collection, diplomacy, criminal justice, civil justice, mail service, intelligence, counterinsurgency, treasury, disaster relief, military recruitment, immigration, international road/canal infrastructure, news service, citizen registration, magic item registration, pest control, passports (both internal and external) and civilian control of the military (to name a few of its functions). Despite somewhat stifling bureaucracy, it manages most jobs well. The Waiting Moon Hero cult of the Moon Daughter (also known as the Great Sister). A very isolated, and secretive cult that does not actively recruit. Not much is known about it. The Moon Dancers Hero cult of Hon-Eel the Artess, Second Incarnation of the Red Goddess. This small cult is chiefly composed of lunar artists, poets, musicians, and dancers. Moon Dancers are typically allowed to voice more dissent than would be tolerated elsewhere due to respect for Hon-Eel, the political weakness of the cult, and allowances for "artistic freedom". Though Hon-Eel did occasionally perform martial miracles (such as the Night of Horrors), this cult does not revere warriors, so Moon Dancers are rarely adventurers. The Reaching Moon This cult worships Yara Aranis, Horse Eater. This child of the Red Goddess and a Demon is the only imperially "approved" chaos cult aside from the Crimson Bat -- all other cults receive such gifts via the Red Goddess herself. This cult grants worshippers: Arm of the Goddess, Terrify Horse, and Chaos Gift. The Conquering Daughter Hero cult of Hwarin Dalthippa, child of the Red Emporer, conquerer of the south. She is the goddess of Lunar military strategy, and her cult keeps and coordinates most Lunar regimental magician units. The vast majority of her spells are regimental caliber - too difficult to be invoked by anything less than 100 coordinated magicians. The Moon Sword Hero cult of Jar-Eel the Razoress, fated to be (though not yet) the Third Incarnation of the Red Goddess. This is a fighting / ad- venturing cult, which places a high value on individual action and bravery. While Jar-Eel is a powerful hero, she is a very weak god, so there are nearly no magical benifits to be gained from this cult. Only when one approaches Hero status, is Moon Sword attractive, since Jar-Eel often helps her prospective heros along. Healed Cults These are gods which have been healed by, or "married to", the Red Goddess. Lunar Mythology explains that when the entire world accepts the Red Goddess, being changed by her into non-violent non-obstructionist forms, the Red Goddess will turn white, and bring peace to the world. This "healing" is vigorously opposed by most cults as, at best, unwelcome interference. At worst, the Red Goddess is considered to be using her chaotic powers to brainwash other gods into submission. Nysallor God of Antiprejudice who has been healed by the Red Goddess of his Amorality ( Gabaji ). His ideas are now fundimentally rooted in Lunar culture. Unlike outside the empire, riddling is an honored profession. Riddles are also (usually) not free. Queen Dezola One of the Seven Mothers, but more importantly, the incarnation of Chalana Arroy healed by the Red Goddess of her pasifism even in the face of absolute evil. Queen Dezola's greatest heroquest was finding, defeating, and torturing Vivamort, retrieving a portion of the power the God of Undeath stole from Arroin (Chalana Arroy's son). Unlike most "healed version" of gods, the Queen Dezola cult has very friendly relations with Chalana Arroy. The cult has reusuable Resurrection, but cannot Heal Chaos Wounds, or Calm Berzerks. Yanafal Tarnils One of the Seven Mothers, but more importantly, the incarnation of Humakt healed by the Red Goddess of his insistence on accepting even unworthy death. This cult has all Humakti runespells except reusable Sever Spirit. Except attitudes about Resurrection, the prejudices of the two cults are nearly identical. Naturally, typical Humakti can't stand Yanafal worshippers. Irripti Ontor One of the Seven Mothers, but more importantly, the incarnation of Lhankor Mhy healed by the Red Goddess of his obsessive need to keep all truth, no matter how potentially dangerous. The cult serves the empire, disseminating news, censoring only the most dangerous knowledge from Lunar citizens. Priests of Irripti Ontor have all Lhankor Mhy spells, except Reconstruction; but in compensation they gain Mind Blast. Runemasters of Irripti Ontor are not immune to the Thanatari Consume Mind spell. Danfive Xaron One of the Seven Mothers, but more importantly, the incarnation of Ikzaz the Torturer healed by the Red Goddess of his punishment of even the innocent. This cult runs the penal institutions of the Empire, and forces criminals into worship. Members may also join voluntarily, in which case they are free to leave if the going gets too tough. For serious offenders, the "spirit of retribution" of this cult, is immediate execution. Lesser punishments include blinding and dismissal, etc. Teleeo Norri One of the Seven Mothers, and sometimes considered the healed version of Voria, although exactly what this means is unclear. Goddess of Lunar Innocence and Idealism, her cult supervises many of the Imperial Oversight programs: The Orphanage Fund, The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Slaves, and the Imperial Association for the Advancement of Chaotic People. The cult is a favorite of the young, particularly students and landless nobility. Jakaleel the Witch One of the Seven Mothers, but more importantly, the incarnation of Zorak Zoran healed by the Red Goddess of unreasoning hate (she is the incarnation of reasoned hate). This cult performs all the dirty, but necessary tasks of the empire. This includes nearly all spying, and functions of the imperial secret police. As with all lunar cults, this one reports, and is ultimately responsible to, The Imperial Moon. The Watcher One of the Seven Mothers, and worshipped as much in the empire as Flesh Man (one of the Lightbringers), is worshipped in Orlanthi areas (i.e. almost not at all). She is sometimes called a healed version of the Blue Moon, though this does not mean much to most. Etyres This goddess, child of Issaries, is the incarnation of Issaries healed by the Red Goddess of his unwillingness to trade with Chaos. The cult has access to all Issaries runespells, except that the Trade Runespell is somewhat more limited in the Etyres cult (traded spells cannot be regained until the traded spell is cast). On the other hand, Etyres merchants can (and do) trade many more kinds of spells than typical Issaries. Crimson Bat Known as The Steed of the Red Goddess, this cult is sometimes referred to by Red Moon Priests as the Healed Black Bat. The Bat is a Chaos demon, healed of its Freedom and Need to Exist. It lives only by the sufferage of the Red Goddess, and will cease to exist when all the world is healed by the Red Moon. Great Spirits the Moon These are great spirits, thought to be demons, converted and healed by the Red Goddess. Little is known about them, except that one, "The Keeper", traps and holds the greatest enemies of the Red Moon. This includes Sheng Seleris, the greatest mortal enemy ever raised against the Lunar Empire. Young Elementals These elemental gods formed from the chaos void which replaced the Spike during the gods war. Fighting an entirely seperate battle against Chaos, they were locked out of the world by the Compromise. Through the Red Goddess, they have reentered the world. Friendly Cults These are cults that, while not officially associated with any Lunar religion, are worshipped by many empire citizens or allies. Yelm Yelm worship is considered a mark of aristocracy and power. He is worshipped by both good friends and powerful enemies of the Lunar empire, so unlike most gods, carrying his runes in the empire does not carry any automatic friendly or prejudical reaction. Most of Yelm's runespells are available to Darra Happans, including those not listed in Gods of Glorantha: Courage, Shield of Fire, Curse Vampire, and Command Subjects. Yelmalio The son of Yelm is not as worshipped in the Lunar empire, except in the Kingdom of Vanch, where he completed his greatest Godquest. Worshippers of Yelmalio are typically considered neutral and indif- ferent to the Red Moon, and rarely do they take posts in the empire. Dendara Yelm's wife, but more generally she is the Goddess of Marriage, Fidelity, and Monagamy. The Gods of Glorantha reference is a mistake. Her true runes are Stasis, Harmony, and Light. In addition to the runespells given in Cults of Glorantha, she offers: Marriage Oath, Control Child, and Household Harmony. Her cult is the bitter enemy of Uleria, but has never managed to stamp it out. The Lightbringers The gods who resurrected Yelm, and helped forge the first Compromise; chiefly Chalana Arroy, but also Arachnae Solare, Eurmal, and a few lesser dieties. Temples to the Lightbringers offer all the "traded" spells: Telekinisis, Heal Constitution, {a random trickster spell}, Create Market, Analyze Magic, in addition to base rune spells. Pelora The Maize Goddess, loved and respected by farmers in Peloria everywhere. This cult is the Pelorian equivalent to Ernalda. In addition to the runespells given in Cults of Glorantha, Pelora and Ernalda offer: Preserve Food, Ward Vermin, and Tilling Enchantment. Lodril The volcano god is also revered by farmers in Peloria, and his Earthwarm spell is necessary to prevent crop damage in the cold upper reaches of the Empire. None the less, the Darra Happan prejudices remain, and Lodril worship is considered to be the mark of being an ignorant peasant. Restricted Cults The following cults exist within the empire, and are to an extent tolerated. They are not recommended, and joining any of them insures a Lunar Citizen will be passed over for most trusted posts in the empire. The least savory are the unhealed Chaos cults, which are usually tolerated only when the Citizen or Resident has become illuminated, or turned away from his Chaotic past, but wishes to avoid a spirit of retribution. Gorgorma This goddess of radical feminism and peasant rebellion is officially associated with the Red Goddess religion, but the mundane empire often has trouble with the teachings of the cult. While promoting the cause of feminism, her "Barren" runespell has caused a drop in the birth rate which troubles lunar authorities. Offically, Gorgorma worship is not necessary, because injustice can be easily and quickly resolved by an appeal to an appropriate representitive of the Red Goddess (i.e. a government official). Even so, at times this excuse has not prevented peasant revolts. The Blue Moon Sometimes called the Invisible Moon. Worshippers are usually confined to the occasional Troll, and people near the Blue Moon Plateau. Not much is known about this cult, except that they are dangerous, wierd, possibly even chaotic. Only a few Lunar government officials have any regular contact with them. Orlanth This god of rainstorms and barbarians, is reveared for the former, and distrusted for the latter. He is occasionally worshipped in the south of the Empire, with the restriction that the intolerant Rune Lord status is not allowed. The Empire strongly advises Initiates of this cult to become illuminated and will even reimburse all fees for Riddles from the Nysallor Illuminates. For this reason, in the empire, Orlanth worship is sometimes called: "the miser's path to illumination". In outlying areas, unilluminated worshippers of this cult are very troublesome. Uleria The goddess of love, fertility, and prostitution always has been, and probably always will be, bitterly opposed by worshippers of wife-goddesses ( Pelora, and Dendara ). The political power of the these goddesses is usually enough to outlaw overt Uleria worship, but not enough to prevent hidden enclaves. Every city in the empire has at least one Uleria temple; most have several. Uleria's runes are Fertility, Fertility, and Disorder; she does not have the harmony spell of "Community", but does have Enchant Beauty. Xiola Umbar Strangely enough, the only shrines to this darkness goddess in the Lunar empire can be found in Yelm temples (she is reveared for her comfort of Yelm in Hell). Full fledged priests are unknown, and would at least acquire a curious escort. Mostal Relations with the Dwarves are formal, as always. Under most circumstances, dealings of worshippers of this god are restricted by the Empire, to those who know Mostali culture. This prevents misunderstandings. Aldrya The Aldrymi have never forgiven the Lunar empire for the Moon Burn, and except for a few scattered pockets of undisturbed woods, they do not exist here. In the urbanized and throughly civilized Lunar empire, there is a general nostalgia for wild woods. While not officially restricted, most elves will stand out like a white man in the center of 18th century Tokyo. Eurmal Worshippers of the god of disorder are occasionally troublesome. While considered harmless by most, their tricks have sometimes caused great inconvenience to the empire. Everyone is encouraged to not believe anything a trickster says, no matter how convincing. Thieves of this cult are jailed and sold into slavery, as would happen with any worshipper of Lanbril. Chaos Ooze This entity is accepted by the Red Moon as a now-integral part of Glorantha. Direct worship of this cult is strongly discouraged. But those who feel compelled to gamble their lives on a "dip in the Ooze", will still be accepted by the empire after they emerge. Vivamort A troublesome religion worshipped by the denisens of the Grey Mountains, on the border of Carmania. In this frozen landscape are the reminants of a western Vampire kingdom, who worship a strange variant of Vivamort they term "The Wounded God". The border is disputed, and the Vampires are so powerful that the empire has decided to live with them, rather than try to root them out. For their part, these Vampires have made assurances that no one who vol- untarily submits to giving them sustenence will ever be killed. There are persistent rumors of a secret Legion of Vampires in the service of the Empire, though evidence of this has never shown up. Bagog Occasionally, Scorpion Men have relations with the empire. So long as none of their runespells are used (including the rebirth ritual), the empire allows some worship of Bagog. This is very carefully watched by officials of the Lunar empire. Arachne Solarae The Spider, goddess of nature and fate, is reveared throughout the Empire. However, a few "seers", "fortune tellers", and "tarot readers" claim special visions from her. The official empire view is that these are frauds preying on the gullability of the citizens. Never the less, the practice is widespread, and rarely suppressed by busy authorities. White Moon Also called "The Moon To Come". This religion is extremely troublesome to Imperial Authorities, because it simultaneously backs and refutes the greatest Lunar Mythology. Worshippers of this cult believe that the White Moon, goddess of Peace, is fated to replace the Red Moon, and that there is nothing anyone can do to aid or prevent this from happening. So the justifications for conquering neighboring lands are empty and worthless arguments. Instead, the hand of peace should be extended to all other countries, and to show our neighbors (who rightfully do not trust us) that we mean what we say, the Empire should immediately and unilaterally destroy that chaotic horror called The Crimson Bat. While offering no magic, this cult has attained a huge following in recent years, especially in light of some war stories coming from the south. The runes ascribed to the White Moon are: Moon, Harmony, and Infinity. Outlaw Cults Some cults are both outlawed and constantly persecuted in the Empire. Many of these have Chaotic connections. Lanbril Worshippers of this Thief god exist in most major cities. They are naturally outlawed, but of all outlaw cults, these are considered one of the least harmful. Suspected Lanbril members are typically jailed or sold as slaves, rather than being killed. Church of Immortality This cult believes that all gods conspire to keep humans mortal and poor, but one god violated the conspiracy, and whispered to them the Secret of Immortality. For this, the other gods branded him with Chaos and banished him from the universe. The "secret" is nothing other than a pyramid scheme. Cult lay members transfer their money and youth to higher ups, in exchange for greater standing in the cult. Emphasis is always on recruitment. The cult is rigourously persecuted by the Empire (which feeds the myth the cult is based on), and despite constant education programs, and declarations of finally stamping it out, the cult continues to exist. The Church's stated runes are Infinity/Fate/Chaos, its true runes are Illusion/Fate/Chaos. The cult offers the runespell: Transfer Youth, and training in Fast Talk. Himille/Valind The gods of Cold and Winter are hated in the northern Lunar empire. Without constant battle against these gods, many crops would freeze. As proof of their valor, many lunar priests fight the ice demons which descend from the glacier during Dark Season and Storm Season. Anyone who worships this cult is not tortured; just unceremoniously killed. Storm Bull The barbarian god of anti-Chaos berzerks is both troublesome, and potentially useful to the Empire. Simply said, the Lunar empire encourages Storm Bulls to fight "unhealed" chaotic cults, rather than them. Any major worshipper of the Bull found in the Empire is usually turned over to the the King of Bilini, who has constant problems with the chaos welling out of Dorastor. Those Storm Bulls who turn away from fighting broos, scorpion men, vampires, and other more hideous chaotics, to stalk the streets of the Empire killing peaceful citizens, are legally tried and then killed. Zorak Zoran Worshippers of Zorak Zoran are supposed to be treated much like Storm Bull worshippers. In reality, many outlying commanders simply torture ZZ cultists to death. This is typically in retribution for what Zorak Zoranni do to captured Lunars. Krarsht Krarsht is a terrible god in the empire. In an empire deprived of any practical method of Sensing Chaos, this cult has been able to reach into the highest levels of government. The chief enemy of Krarsht is Yanafal Tarnils, who with his Detect Truth spell, can sometimes find knowing cultists. (The use of loyalty oaths is a widespread practice in the empire). Even so, Krarsht worshippers can be found running extortion schemes, gambling rackets, assasinations, black markets, etc. The cult grows fat on Dart Wars. Mallia In the crowded Lunar Empire, disease can spread like wildfire. Mallia worship is outlawed, and cultists are tracked with divination and killed on sight. In times of plague, disease cures are provided by the government to the populace for free. Thanatar Thanatar worship is not unknown in the empire, though this is one of the few cults where the use of "eternal spirit torture" by one of the secret Lunar demon cults is approved. Thed This cult is outlawed, but is so rare in the empire, that not much attention is paid to it. Thed worshippers are considered one of the least dangerous of the Chaos cults. ====================================================================== The RuneQuest(tm) mailing list is a courtesy of Andrew Bell. All opinions and material above are the responsibility of the originator, and copyrights are held by them. Unless specified in the specific article, all RQ Digest material is freely redistributable on a not-for-profit basis as long as author credit is included. RuneQuest is a trademark of Chaosium, Inc. Send submissions, mailing list changes, requests for old article lists, etc. to: bell@cs.unc.edu ...!mcnc!unc!bell Request old articles by volume number and issue number.