I've broken this into 2 parts to facilitate sending it. The first part is the history, the second part is the cult.
Hwarin Dalthippa, The Conquering Daughter By Harald Smith
Runes: Moon, Harmony, Stasis
History:
Around the year 1280 S.T., a girl named Dalthippa was born to the north,
the child of the Red Emperor and a priestess of Dendara, known only as
the Spinner Who Was Chosen. Dalthippa spent her childhood in a small
village along the Oslir River. She quickly learned the women's arts:
cooking and healing, crafting pots and sculptures, spinning and weaving.
One day, Dalthippa went to the river to fetch water for her mother and
there met her first river spirit, a playful sprite. This sprite tried
to lure her to her death, but Dalthippa escaped. She later returned,
bearing an enchanted hydriae, and captured the sprite to first prove her
mastery of water.
When her father, the Red Emperor, heard of Dalthippa's skill, he brought her to his court. There Dalthippa learned to read by studying the tales of legend. When her father told her that she was to enter a new temple she readily agreed. When her father told her that she must take a new name, she took one that she had read, though she transformed the name to suit herself. She called herself Hwarin.
Having conquered the Dara Happans, the Red Emperor sought their strengths for himself. He demanded of the sun temple in Raibanth that they initiate one child of his choosing. They agreed, though Hwarin arrival shocked the conservative and patriarchal priests. They could not refuse her, though she was a woman, and she entered their temple. There she learned the use of spear and shield, the crafting of weapons, and the use of strategy and tactics. The priests tried to destroy her, though, finally setting her alone upon an island in the Oslir. They called upon the goddess Oslira to come and devour Hwarin. It was not Oslira who came to Hwarin, but a serpent far more ancient, the mighty Nestentos.
Nestentos wrapped himself around Hwarin, but he could not crush her. The serpent tried to paralyze her with its one-eyed gaze, but Hwarin resisted. Hwarin drew out her weapons and cut out Nestentos' eye which she took for herself. She drank of the blood of Nestentos and gained
the secret power of divining water. Hwarin returned in strength to the temple of the sun priests and cast them down to complete her father's conquest.
Following the Moonburn of 1/49 (1296 S.T.), her father directed her to the land of Rist. When she arrived, the land still smoked and burned. Scavengers roamed the scarred land seeking treasures. Though the remaining elves tried to block her path, Hwarin sought out an ancient pool hidden deep within the earth. When she located the pool, she descended the Thousand Granite Steps to the Cave of Three Salted Bloods. Hwarin spoke words of power there and felt ancient desires rush through her like an inferno. Her blood boiled. She heard and felt the dreams and pains of the ancient goddess, Reladiva, mother of Saird. In agony, she called for Nestentos.
The ancient serpent came, blinded and angry from their earlier battle, to devour her soul and spirit. He made to engulf her, but found instead that she wrapped herself around him. Her burning desires awoke a lust held secretly in his flickering tongue. The watery powers of Nestentos swept over and through Hwarin, cooling her desires. In turn the burning lusts of Hwarin swept over and through Nestentos, restoring his sight. The powers found a balance.
Together, Hwarin and Nestentos climbed the Thousand Granite Steps, attended by the children of Nestentos. Waters rose to the surface and into the roots of trees and grasses. The burning fires died. Hwarin bore a child, named Lenstira, amidst a sparkling pool filled with a new flower ever after called Moonlilies. The elves and Lunars raised an open shrine around the pool called the Palace of Flowers. With proper sacrifice to Lenstira, the empire resettled the land of Rist, much of which came under the direct control of Hwarin Dalthippa.
In the year 2/1 (1302 S.T.), Hwarin announced that she would marry the man who proved himself the true son of the land. Though many sought Hwarin's hand and heart, only three survived the mighty tests. Of these only Ingkot Ax-and-a-half, the most powerful chieftain among the Sylilan clans, succeeded. They married in 2/8 (1309 S.T.), and together they quickly subdued all Sylila. Over the next nine years, the inhabitants of Dara-ni and, later, of Vanch made attempts to halt Hwarin's advances, but both efforts failed. In 2/25 (1326 S.T.), the Red Emperor accepted Sylila as a sultanate, with Hwarin and Ingkot as founders of the first ruling clan.
Hwarin and Ingkot chose the citadel of Jillaro (the main city of Sylila) near the Oslir as their home. Atop the ruins of the acropolis, the pair called upon the powers of Reladiva and Nestentos to bless their union. Where they met, Nivorh rose from his bondage and gave to Hwarin the Seeds of Beauty. Hyala returned from hiding and gave to Ingkot the Blessing of Strong Horses.
Hwarin and Ingkot then rebuilt the acropolis of Jillaro and prepared the ancient grounds. Hwarin cast the Seeds of Beauty and around the city grew a luxuriant clover to feed Ingkot's favorite steeds. The entire city seemed to leap into being under the watchful eyes of the Hwarin
Dalthippa and her children. The fabulous Moongates reflected the joyous balance of the land. Craftsmen fashioned the glorious Horsegate and the Stables of Good Fortune. Canals brought land and water and city together, particularly the grand Canal of Meditation.
Not all the rivers joined in the advance of the Lunar powers under Hwarin Dalthippa. The mighty Black Eel swam north against them. Hwarin's son Phirmax advanced to meet Black Eel. He sought to bind these river powers with a bridge and called upon Nestentos to bless him. Nestentos came to Phirmax, but was displeased and ate him. The blood of Phirmax mixed with the waters and washed downstream. Ingkot set out in vengeance against Nestentos and a new foe, called Bold Vareleus. Though Ingkot slew Vareleus, Nestentos rose in anger to slay Ingkot in turn. Grief filled Hwarin and she retreated into the citadel to gather her strength.
After years of sacrifices, propitiations, and active preparations, Hwarin marched against her foes. In 2/46 (1347 S.T.) Hwarin set out, heading south from her beloved Jillaro with her handmaiden Hyala and many magicians and priestesses chanting a funeral dirge. She found the secret paths of Nestentos and moved directly along them to complete her task. After crossing the bridge of Phirmax and speaking with the spirits of her son and husband, she mounted a war unicorn, put on a red mask, and began marking the straight road with her tracks.
At Mirin's Cross on the Black Eel River a four day battle of magic raged. Hwarin called upon the powers of Reladiva and Nivorh to aid her. She called upon Hyala to throw the barbarians from their steeds. Her foes, under Gwythar Longwise, invoked Oslir to aid them.
The rivers rose around Hwarin, but she held on to the secret knowledge that brought forth ancient Nestentos. Hwarin and Nestentos again met and fought and loved. A new child of crystalline water, but as hard and indestructible as the earth, was born bridging the Oslir River. Hwarin blinded Gwythar in the midst of battle and Nestentos bound him to guard that child. With victory for the Empire assured, the barbarian allies fled.
Hwarin then continued her path, following the steps of Hyala. She finally halted in Filichet, where the daughter took for herself the Helmet of Perides and accepted the submission of many barbarian chieftains. Hwarin took the name of Conquering Daughter.
After a year's rest, Hwarin created her second road, again following an ancient path of Nestentos. This road began at Cafol, in Sylila, and ran east to Hilltown in Imther. Along the way she defeated the barbarians from Vanch and bound them to road-building duties. In Hilltown, she revealed to the King of Imther the Lunar connection of the Imtherian deities, Imthus and Aidea. Hwarin gave the magical blades of her old husband Ingkot to her adopted child to symbolize the passing of power from father to son. Hwarin received in turn three iron cardinal eggs to symbolize fertility, three blue furstones to signify growth, and a belt with three stars to symbolize the hero's power to overcome death. The cardinals born from these gifts allied with Hwarin and flocked around
Jillaro.
In 3/3 (1358 S.T.), Hwarin heard the whispers and dreams of Reladiva. She walked to a crevice in Jillaro and walked down the Stairs of Rebirth into the earth to complete her quest. In the following week, a thousand people cast themselves into the crevice in her memory. Afterwards, citizens called the crevice Hwarin's Well or the Oracle of Hwarin. The strong of will can enter that place to hear the whispers and dreams of the Conquering Daughter.
Note: the suggested assassination of Hwarin by someone known only as No Print is obviously Orlanthi propaganda of the worst kind.
Sources: Gods of Glorantha, Heroes v.1 #2,5, Genertela: Crucible of the Hero Wars, Glorious ReAscent of Yelm, Fortunate Succession, plus Greg. As noted above, this is not a final form.
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