> > Working from memory, but I think that the mythic age maps showed no significant water incursions into Prax or the Garden.
>
> Sort of. It shows dry land considerably east of Grizzly Mountain, making all of Kerofinela plus Kethaela an island. There is a bridge of drowned trees between Kerofinela and Genert's Garden. The only forest in the region would have been the ancient Redwood forest of Prax.
I'm looking at the wonderful Mythic Age maps that Eric Vanel has done for the Guide (I can't post them here for obvious reasons).
In the Late Golden Age there is no water in or near Genert's Garden. The nearest incursion is the Oslira to the West, beyond Kero Fin. In the Early Storm Age Flood, the Vingotlings are on an island. A third of Genert's Garden has been flooded, the western part is now a coastline. There are three small island between the Vingotlings and the Garden. The Garden is cut off from the Spike by Aroka. In the Mid Storm Age, the waters have receded, The Garden has gained a little of its area back in the south. The Rockwoods are there where the coastline was. Valind's Glacier has taken the top off the Garden. In the Chaos Age, the Garden has gone, Tadafall, Earthfall and the Chaos Waste are all that remains. In the Grey Age, the Wastelands appear.
You can see the Late Golden Age here: http://moondesignpublications.com/blog/jeff/late-golden-age
(have a look at his amazing outer realms map for the Guide here: http://laterreetlefeu.canalblog.com)
> There's nothing wrong with the animal nomads being largely unaware of this. Other than the Eiritha Hills, there is nothing this early that ties them to Prax, and this could be before Eiritha was buried, with all the nomads and their gods happily wandering through the Garden.
Storm Bull is very much still a part of the Wastelands, "In the Golden Age the Storm Bull led his sons down to the fertile lands of Prax where they befriended the peoples and wed the goddesses. The mother of the land was Ernalda, and she gave the Storm Bull her daughter Eiritha as his own wife. This way the two forces worked together to create their world." Cults of Prax
I'd say this is pre-flood as they needed a land bridge to migrate to Prax. Clearly Storm Bull, Eirtha and Eirtha experienced the Flood consuming part of the Garden.
> > I would note that there are exactly zero explanations of why
> > there is a giant cliff facing the ocean along the entire shore,
> > or wht the Praxians have zero stories about the ocean, depsite
> > having an enormous coastline.
The Defenders Shore could easily be a remnant of the Flood, Ernalda & Genert raising the Earth up to protect the Garden. I'm sure Storm Bull had a hand fighting back the Waters. But these actions are of no interest to their worshippers now other than small stories. Storm Bull had a bigger things to deal with - Chaos and the end of the world. Eiritha was hidden beneath the Earth, and Ernalda went to sleep.
I say they do have ocean stories, but it's not useful to their way of life. The giant cliff has a purpose - keep the water back.
> Water appears to be something of a taboo topic, other than coming from a water hole or oasis. Praxians cannot swim, and I wonder how well their herd beasts can.
I say the opposite, water is an important topic to all nomads in a harsh, dry environment. Water may not like the nomads, but they need it. In my game, depending on the version of the story, Waha enslaved the Sounders river, so Zola Fel was displeased. Or he allied with a weak river who could not cope with the Devil's remains. So there are two water "camps" - those who side with Waha - the Oasis and other small water spirits, and those who side against Waha - Zola Fel, the serpents, especially the Wicked Writher. The High Llama people have a natural affinity with water as do some other Praxians (exhibited by their having the Water rune in their makeup). To address this water problem, I have a small spirit society called the Thirstless who bridge the gap when it comes water. It's based in the High Llamas, with small splinters in the other tribes.
As for swimming - everyone swims naturally, as do animals. Praxians are no different, they just don't see any large bodies of water to do it in normally. I have the Morokanth as water loving, some swim in the Zola Fel, dropping the bottom to feed on rich plant life (like tapirs do). Those that do this are clearly members of the Thirstless spirit society.
> The Orlanthi have the myth of Worcha and the Trembling Shore which helps explaining some of the sawed-off nature of that coast. The Beast Nomads might once again claim absenteeism.
They were on a different island, so not part of that fight.
> For the Tada-shi Eiritha played an entirely different role. They were a group of different peoples following the lead of Tada, living happy and productive lives amid the Redwood savannah of Prax. Since their distant and degenerated offspring, the oasis people, still practice agriculture at the oases, I would assume that they did so already in the Golden Age. Given the redwood reliance on forest fires to spread its seeds, I would assume that they practiced migratory slash-and-burn agriculture, leaving the burnt areas to recultivation by the forest when the soil deteriorated after a while. The Eiritha of the Tada-shi would have been a bringer of fruit, possibly in seasonal cycles.
I'm not sure that anyone in Genert's Garden practiced agriculture as we know it or that it was a redwood savannah. The redwoods I suspect only formed an area of the garden, not a complete ecosystem. I'm not saying that redwood savannah didn't exist, just not everywhere. Given the potential size of redwoods it would make for a weird garden. Genert's Garden should have a lush mixed feel, with every kind of plant growing in harmony with Genert. Moving at his whim, forming complex every changing gardens. Food is just plucked from where it grows, etc. This is a cool magic garden in the God Time, not a human sculpted place.
As for why the Tada-Shi became horticulturists around the oasis's, I suspect that Waha (Eiritha) gave them that role - they didn't fulfil any role in his tribes order, so he asked his mother and she said - give them that role for saving me or better words to that effect.
> Your proposed connection between Ronance's snakes drawing his chariot and the dragonewt roads is one possible interpretation. Another would be the identificaton of serpents (or dragons) as rivers rather than as earth creatures. If the Praxians associate dragons with rivers, the death of Seolinthur along with Genert gives a good explanation for the absence of dragons between Kerofinela and Kralorela. Zola Fel had Labrygon establishing the draconic link, and possibly condensating it in the Puzzle Canal.
There are clearly two types of serpents in Glorantha - Earth and Water (I'd also suggest that there are Air and Fire ones as well). They are not the same, except for form and have different mythologies. Perhaps Genert's Garden had no place for Dragons.
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