I forgot to list the CORAL QUEENDOM in my preceding post as one of
the main forces of the East Isles. A pox upon me.
THE CORAL QUEENDOM is the largest of the Ludoch merman
nations found in the East Isles.
Joerg sez
>Elder Races Book has next to nothing on Ludoch culture and daily
>life, and nothing at all about any of the other races.
Mainly because it's hard for mermen to be PCs, or even
interact with them much. They're stuck being mysterious entities of
the sea. But, here is a bit more information about the Ludoch, at
least.
THE LUDOCH
MYTHOLOGY
Read the stuff about the Water Gods in Wyrm's Footnotes.
HISTORY
They have been a constant influence on Glorantha's history except
during the Closing. Unless you consider them as _being_ the cause of
the Closing, which may well be the case. At least the Zabdamar mermen
of Kahar's Sea of Fog say that the Closing had nothing to do with the
Brithini at all, and that the disappearance and appearance of islands
during that period was effected by merfolk activities. Who can prove
otherwise?
Certainly the Waertagi success was not wholly due to their
own prowess. Their links with the merfolk were essential, and perhaps
comprised the majority of their advantages. Could they have slain sea
dragons without merfolk help? Could they have so effectively tamed
deep sea animals? Could they have kept so well-informed with other
Waertagi vessels? The answer is NO. The Waertagi were, to a very
large extent, simple agents of the merfolk, not even a race in
themselves. This is not to denigrate the Waertagi, but to bring out
the true import of the merfolks' impact.
Current interactions of Merfolk with humanity are many:
- The Vadeli commonly harpoon the Ouori for food (only a
rumor of course). The Ouori are not taking this lying down, but their
response is a secret at this time.
- The Ludoch of Kethaela have some kind of plans kindling.
Note that the Admiral of Rightarm betrayed the other states of
Kethaela in their war vs. the Lunars, and later had his fleet sunk by
the Wolf Pirates. But the mermen were untouched by this defeat. With
the defeat of the Admiral, it's clear that the balance of power in
Rightarm has passed from the humans to the mermen. Now they are in
charge. The proximity of Three Step Isle is indicative, IMO.
- At the moment, the Zabdamar are suspiciously inactive vs.
the Kralori. Not that they don't sink, curse, and harass ships. They
do. But they appear to be biding their time, waiting for the
initiation of some big plan. Or else perhaps they are currently
disorganized, squabbling among themselves.
- The Coral Queendom (Ludoch) in the East Isles has a
temporary truce-by-default with Haragala, a Mexican standoff with the
Valkarian Coalition, and evidently tolerates the Ratuki and their
slave-raids. One common rumor is that the Queen of the mermen is
bargaining both with the Vorumai _and_ the Haragalans for the best
deal, after which she will help destroy the other. This might be one
reason why the Haragalans have proven slow to join forces with the
Valkarians vs. the Vorumai -- the Queendom may be demanding the
destruction of the Valkarians as price for her services.
- The cost of Fonrit and Laskal is currently in bondage to
the Malasp. Every ship must pay both homage and tribute to the
grasping merfolk. With the years passing, the merfolk's demands have
become even more rapacious, and recently merman inspectors have taken
to coming onto the land, and being taken (in carriages) to view
interior activities within Fonrit.
- The Malasp and Ludoch are fighting an undersea war in and
around the Maslo and Marthino. The victor of this war will determine
the fate of the budding city-states of Elamle and Onlaks. If the
Malasp win, the folk of these peninsulas will be forced into
obscurity and probable extinction. If the Ludoch win, they will
become one of the major naval influences on Glorantha -- their ships
will trade across the lozenge and bring people from all the world
into contact. Their hard-working and courageous attitude, as
exemplified by their long struggle against the Mother of Monsters and
hostile elves, certainly deserves the reward of a Ludoch victory, but
who knows?
Sandy P.