Illustrations: Stefan's G.'s cover illustration and Simon Bray's engravings have already been shown at www.glorantha.com. They make up most of the illustrations in the book. There are only a handful of others and most of these have already appeared in earlier works. The Humakti sword on p105 was a blast from the past...
Content: The Books divided into three sections: New Rules and Occupations, Longform cults, and Minor Cults & Hero cults.
New Rules: Disciples, Divine Companions, New Occupations, Calender of Holy Days, Shared Subcults.
The rules for the disciples are relatively straightforward. They don't have to improvise any feats and can learn any affinity available to their aspect (but not those belonging to another aspect). However they have hefty eligibility requirements.
The book then excels itself with a three page description of the Wind Lords (Disciples for Orlanth Adventurous, Thunderous Storm Lords, apparently members of the Storm walkers) containing the entrance requirements (the hero must perform several quests against the enemies of Orlanthi, then repent having done one and quest to remedy it!), the ritual obligations (taken straight from Cults of Prax, i.e. "foul slime, curse of existence!") and the bad points (becoming a Wind Lord gives your wife grounds for divorce).
Longform Cults: Chalana Arroy, Elmal, Eurmal, Heler, Humakt, Issaries, Lhankor Mhy, Odayla, Urox, Vinga and Yinkin.
I was impressed by how much the keywords for Chalana Arroy, Humakt, Issaries and Lhankor Mhy were based on their RQ cult writeups. Most of their subcults (TR style) were even based upon names (Dilfar Deepsighted, Harst Bronzetongue, Makla Mann and the Sisters of Mercy) or cult stations (Sword Sages, Wild Healer etc) from those writeups. There are quite a few new ones (the chaos foe for Chalana Arroy, the Humakti for all weapons, the Sorcerous Lhankor Mhy - although I was tickled by how the Plunder! treasure was worked in) and some interesting omissions (the Hyena curse is not mentioned nor are the Desert Trackers). There's also a lot of additional material for each of these cults (such as the Humakti warband or the issue of resurrection).
Elmal is likewise based on the www.glorantha.com winning entry plus it now has TR-style subcults for chief, farmer, rider, hearthguard, pony girl and nightwatchman.
Eurmal is nonstandard because his followers are non-standard. There's material on the weirdness of his magic, the prescribed roles which he can fulfill in Orlanthi society etc. Some of these roles are scary in their description (like being able to kill by sight) but there's no indication of how strong this magic might be for a clan's typical preparations.
Heler, Odayla and Yinkin are brand new cults in that there has been no in-depth treatment of them (save for ToTRM#18). Yinkin has subcults based on the different types of Alynxs, Odayla doesn't have any among the Heortlings and Heler has seven subcults (most of them based upon sheep and clouds).
Urox is different from that in Cults of Prax (his followers are Styrmen while their leaders are Jarls). The difference is almost certainly due to Cults of Prax describing the Praxian form while we haven't had much about him among the Heortlings.
Vinga is also new but comprehensively detailed in the description
of her myths including the origins of her feats and there's a
number of subcults that are unique to her (and any Orlanth subcult
and aspect are open to her - with aspects, I presume she takes it
in addition to her Vinga aspect). The Red Woman (which Ernaldans
can join when they are out for revenge) is an interesting one
(with a frightening passage of what a Red Woman did).
Minor Cults and Hero Cults: Ana Gor, Asrelia & Ty Kora Tek, Babeester Gor, Barntar, Brastalos, Donandar, Engizi, Gustbran, Kero Fin, Maran Gor, Minlister, Nandan, Pelaskos, Redayla, Rigsdal, Valind, Alakoring, Gorangi Vak, Harmast, Heort, Renvald Meldekbane (outlawed by the Lunars for some odd reason), Sartar and Vogarth.
Most of these are one or two page writeups (although the more interesting deities are longer). Some though-provoking stuff mentioned here such as Donandar's nature as a high god, the attempts to suppress Sorana Tor and so forth.
Much of the excess space is packed with copious quotes about
Orlanthi from the Jonstown Compendium (many old ones, some
new ones), myths (many from King of Dragon Pass, others have
appeared elsewhere, some are brand new) and more law fragments
(my fav "if an Uroxi be denied his beer, that ill come of it,
then one cow....").
As well as obvious humor and sly observations (the leader among the Eurmali is the last to get a wedgie, Issaries doesn't punish those who cheat customers not in the cultist's community etc), there's some fairly allusive stuff throughout that teases the mind. The rival Humakti philosophies of Bare Blades and Hoods take upon sordid overtones when one thinks about circumcision while the Voriof feat of "Dominate Ram" startled me...
All in all, a damn good book!!
--Peter Metcalfe
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