GOLD WHEEL DANCERS (this is partly based on the writeup by Shannon Appel and Eric Rowe and partly on my interpretations/speculations) This is one of the most ancient races of Glorantha, a race created by the Celestial Court when those gods were fashioning the runes. The dancers are of the element of fire, but generally take a humanoid shape (the Gold Wheel Dancer rune is like the Spirit Rune but has a pair of arms sticking out). Their runes are Gold Wheel Dancer, Fire, and Transformation.
The Gold Wheel Dancers are more or less undying, so they remember the ancient myths of Glorantha well. They existed before the war of the Giants and the Dragons and sided with the Giants. During that war, they were sheltered by the earth (presumably the first myth of the lowfires) and made lasting pacts with the giants (hence the later help during the Cradle adventure). They have a strong distrust/dislike of the draconic races and think of the dragonewts as insane. Even with this distrust, though, the Dancers were a race devoted to harmony and peace, in honor of the celestial court, and they were instrumental in keeping unity for long on the World Council.
While the Gold Wheel Dancers take a human-like shape, they have the ability to change their form, primarily into that of a tool. Personally, I think that they were originally able to take any fire-type form (even that of a salamander), but perhaps they lost this at some point. One particular piece of mythos is important, though. At some point each Gold Wheel Dancer takes a final form--this may be any tool-like form, but it is a final form that can never be changed afterward. In this final form, they still live, but it is much more difficult for them to interact with other races.
Pinchining was a gold wheel dancer in final form--a golden spinning wheel. Other examples are: golden key (to open the secrets of the heart), golden lance (to bring light into the darkness), golden axe (good for chopping trees), golden hoe (to aid in turning the earth), golden sword, golden pot, golden chalice (to aid in healing), etc. As mentioned in my Con report, I had Speaking Wheel transform and take the final form of a fiery singing trumpet (to sing the blessings of harmony and peace).
The transformation process is controlled by the Transformation rune that the race possesses. When they take their final form, they choose the runes as well as the form, that the form possesses. Thus, a golden axe or sword are Fire and Death, a golden chalice Fire and Life, many of the others are Fire and Transformation. Speaking Wheel chose Fire, Transformation, and Harmony.
What happened to the Gold Wheel Dancers? Well, in their final forms they are much the same as other artifacts and many went into the God Project to become part of Osentalka/Nysalor. That the Gold Wheel Dancers are remembered at all suggests that Speaking Wheel did become part of the god, too, though I can't prove that. When I thought about what I would have Speaking Wheel become, I thought that the voice of Nysalor would be the logical place for Speaking Wheel and therefore chose the singing trumpet
(I had also considered a girdle of command).
I also think that many of the gold wheel dancers were melted into lumps of gold which the Lokarnos merchants refashioned into Wheels, in honor of one specific Gold Wheel Dancer. When prayed to in the underworld by Urrrgh, the spirit of Pinchining returned to life or awoke from sleep. Pinchining, the Spinning Wheel, then travelled the paths of the earth to reach his ancient giant friend, Gonn Orta, and aid in the construction of the cradle. It is quite possible that many Gold Wheel Dancers who remained after the Broken Council were in the possession of the giants and that they travelled with all giant babies, aiding in their education. The God Learners may thus have captured and either killed or enslaved these Dancers.
Eric Rowe also mentioned to me that the Golden Key (previously a Dancer) may hold or held a secret regarding the Faceless Stone statue. Other Dancer artifacts may have other uses, too.
Hope this sheds some light upon the fate of this enigmatic race.
Harald
End of Glorantha Digest V1 #91
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