>I have created a character for a game set in Dragon Pass that is a native of
>Caladraland and worships Lodril. I was wondering if anyone had more
>information on Caladraland or knew where I could look.
The most information comes from the RuneQuest Companion and Different Worlds, April 1983. You could also try the Cult Writeup of Caladra and Aurelion in ToTRM#7 and whatever tidbits are in the Genertela boxed set. The Broken Council Guidebook is good for some historical details.
Briefly for those who don't have some of the sources listed above:
The Caladralanders are a bunch of slash-and-burn agriculturists dwelling in light jungle. They are a loose tribal confederation electing a 'President' to particpate in the Pharoah's magics and govern the land. Since 1616, all he can really do is govern the land, but his rule is ineffectual.
About 20% of the land (on the coast) is inhabited by foreigners and is called Porthomeka. These people are mostly civilized Holy Country Orlanthi.
Lodril used to be the original god of the land and his people used to sacrifice live humans to the Great Volcano Vent. He was tamed and defeated by Argan Argar who incorporated the land into his Kingdom of Night. The land was briefly touched by Nysalor's Bright Empire but Arkat subdued them and gave it back to the Only Old One.
The land was apparently conquered by the God Learners who made a new cult, the Volcano Twins, to civilize the land. This survive the Doom of the God Learners (although other places under the Aegis of the Twins suffered as well). The Twin Priests are the ruling cult in the land having displaced the Lodril Priesthood.
Lodril has been relegated to an subserviant position in Caladraland. Only the wilder tribes see him as the ruling god anymore. The Lodrilites do not see anything wrong with the current social order for the Great Vent Who Must Be Appeased is quiet which is a Good Sign that All Is Well. I think that Lodril is worshipped among the Caladrili as a War God (ie Firespear) rather than the Peasant Crafter God Playing With Fire depicted in Gods of Glorantha. The latter I feel is a Dara Happan cult.
Your Lodril charcter will know that the peasants of Dara Happa also claim to worship Lodril. Their customs are strange but they appear to be okay.
>I also have a couple
>of questions regarding Lodril. One of the cult skills is a craft. Craft
>Metal immediately comes to mind due to Lodril's divine magic and the
>association with volcanoes, but are there any other forms of craft which
>would be commonly practiced.
Pam has already mentioned Stone and Pottery. I feel that in the Jungle, Craft Wood would also be deemed a valid skill. After all, it springs from the earth, which lodril rules, and burns easily which is also a mark of favour with Lodril. Only Stoopid Elves see things differently.
>Also, even though this will not affect my
>character for some time if ever, how does an allied spirit of Lodril manifest
>itself? As a flame, is it similar to a small salamander or more like a
>simple candle flame?
I don't think the flame will extinguish naturally (or via the extinguish spell). I'd put it in a lamp or a candle and feed it with fuel. If starved of fuel, it will diminish.
Tim Torres:
I have written a thorough (but "work-in-progress") Martial Arts rules expansion, complete with designer notes for designing unique martial arts styles (Yes, I'm acquainted with martial arts rules in other game systems such as I.C.E. and "the other game company."
>Is there an "Eastern"
>location in Glorantha where an oriental culture exists (or could exist).
Kralorela and Vormain being the Gloranthan analogues of Cathay and Nippon are good places to start. The Gloranthan Beastiary mentions that the Morokanth know a form of martial arts (which is not transferable to humans and was invented to make up for the lack of thumbs) and the Dara Happans(!) also have one too. Fonrit, I feel, has a yoga system but this is not quite the same thing.
>For a martial arts campaign, I would prefer a Gloranthan
>oriental culture with limited magic. Then the characters might
>eventually come into contact with other Gloranthan cultures.
I did some thinking on Martial Arts a while back and its connection with magic in a gloranthan context. The main problem, I thought, was that you had all this multiplicity of schools (Dragon School, Centipede School) and I was wondering about issues like compatibility. Like if you move along to another teacher, do you have to start again from scratch?
I dunno how you handle Martial Arts but I felt that each M. artist still has the Martial Arts score to represent his spiritual mastery. The Artist would cast magical effects through application of his Martial Arts skill (details not yet worked out). The lore is transmitted down through the masters who would have mastered one magical discipline (like Ironhand) and know a few others (like Healing Hands). A student can obtain instruction from the master in how to perform a magical techique but he will never be as good as the master until he researches, practices and mediates. (In game terms, I figure that the Master would be something like Ironhand 10 etc).
In Kralorela, the effects are more like spirit magic as the Government Bureacracy tends to snaff up the more magically talented people for its State Philosophy of Mysticism. Martial Arts there is more like old spirit magic cults radically changed to fit within the Kralori World View. ie in ages past the spirit of the Oak Tree used to teach Protection. Nowadays the Master of the Secrets of the Oak Tree teaches his disciples a Special Dragon Move that allows the body to be more resilent.
In Vormain with its caste system, the martial artists are mainly concentrated in the peasantry, although the warriors have similar arts. Thus their magic martial arts has become more refined (in that its effects are sorcerous).
The Morokanth is relatively unsophisticated magic wise, as they have their own magic which is quite ample. The Dara Happans, I am trying to grok: Is it like the Greek Pankration (anything goes save for Biting and Eye gouging) or is it a more mystical art, a Glorantha Tai-Chi: Red Moon for the Heart, Yelm for the Mind, Shargash for Blood etc?
All IMO. Hope it helps.
End of Glorantha Digest V2 #205
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