John Brown:
>BTW...Who would win a fight between the Red Vadeli and the Wolf
>Pirates/Yggites?
The Red Vadeli. Unless the Wolf Pirates had Harrek.
Jane Williams:
>What happened to Sun County in 1613? They had a change of Counts - why? And
>it was a change from a Lunar-loving (well, accomodating) creep to someone
>who kills Dara Happan Rune Lords as a hobby. Assuming everyone else got
>shuffled up at the same time, Belvani (another Lunar-lover) got passed over:
>Vega is younger than him as well as being female, but is his nominal equal.
The Somash Heresy was expunged! [The following is based on an idea by Jeff Richard].
[fragment of a page torn from a golden book]
...when Monrogh came back from Teshnos with the Many Suns Vision, he chanced upon the decreipt land of Sun County where people worshipped dead god taught to them by the EWF. So low was their debased state that it had fallen into the thrall of nomad khans in ages past. Monrogh out of pity taught them the ways of Somash which he had learned in Teshnos.
And so it came to pass that the lords of Sun County began to wear long tunics of red and plaited their hair into long tresses for that was the way the Teshnan nobility dressed. An orphan was made the Vessel of Light and Hazia was distributed to the masses. And seeing that his work was done, Monrogh moved on.
Alas for Sun County! In adopting Somash they forsoke the ties of their nomad kin and relied on their own hearts and minds. For did not the people of Teshnos do the same? The new found glory of Sun County under the light of the benevolent Somash arosed the ire of an ancient enemy: the Uz of Pavis. Because Sun County had no allies, they fell upon the land like broos to lame cattle and there was much gnashing of teeth. But Somash knew not the Uz among his enemies and so the land was powerless as the Uz came every winter.
Monrogh was in Sartar then. He too had problems with the Uz and found that Somash could not aid him against the Kitori. But he was not afraid for he had the Vision of the Many Suns. Monrogh went to the Stinking Forest and learned of Yelmalio from the Elves there. Now Yelmalio knew of the Uz and was feared by them. Thus empowered, Monrogh went to the lands of the Kitori and bathed it in cleansing light. The land was cleared and a Sun Dome Temple to Yelmalio was built there. Monrogh was thoughtful too for he had heard the distant lamentations of Sun County. So he sent to them a loyal thane by the name of Varthanis Brighthelm.
Varthanis went into Sun County and taught them of the ways of Yelmalio. He forbade the fighting lords from wearing plaits and long tunics for such was the dress of women and he would not have them in his army. He forbade the distribution of Hazia and encouraged the peasants to be upright and pious. The next winter when the Uz came, they did not return home. And there was much cheering in the land.
But alas! In the summer of sweet content, made radiant by this Sun of Yore, a shadow lurked. Yelmalio was the Sun of the Elves who fear fire and hate it. This is why his followers know not the fiery secrets of the Sun and abjure the use of the naked flame. Monrogh knew of this but was not worried. He dwelt in the Cold Lands and revered the Sun more for its light than for its heat.
But in Sun County, the land is baked by the blazing Sun. Peasants wondered out aloud how Yelmalio could be the Sun if he did not know of Fire. Varthanis did not have the Vision of the Many Suns and so he was unable to explain this. Monrogh had passed on and his counsel could be sought no more. Nevertheless, Varthanis forbade the Priests of Somash to hold worship ceremonies at the temple or preach to the masses. He created a new order of Priests who would worship Yelmalio at the Solar Services.
Varthanis died and his son was made the new Count. He too was also called Varthanis but unlike his father, he was enarmoured of Somash. He permitted the Priests of Somash to worship at the Sun Dome temple once again. This outraged the Priests of Yelmalio and the Templars for only Yelmalio alone could defeat the Uz.
The Light Priests and Templars sent a great deputation to Varthanis II and bade him to ban the Somash Priests from the Temple. Varthanis asked them how they knew not fire. They were unable to explain this and were confounded when Varthanis expounded the Doctrine of the Two Natures of the Sun.
The Sun, Varthanis said, had Two Natures. The First Nature was Summer and was known as Somash. Somash gave great heat but was powerless against the Dark. The Second Nature was Winter and was known as Yelmalio. Yelmalio gave great light and could withstand the dark but knew fire not. This would have settled the controversy but Varthanis went too far. Because Somash was the Summer Nature, he began to favour his Priests even more than he did before. And soon there was unrest within the land, as the Yelmalians raged against Varthanis.
In 1610 ST, the Lunar Empire defeated the nomads at the Battle of Moonbroth. They however knew of Yelm whom they said was the Sun. But Yelm knew Fire and the Lunars did not know Somash. Varthanis II feared open rebellion from Yelmalio in his land and sought favour from the Lunars. He hoped to be confirmed in his lands thereupon he could suppress Yelmalio. So Varthanis ceded his palace to Sor-Eel, the Lunar Governer.
The Light Priests and the Templars sent a delegation to Sor-Eel which was led by Karial the Pure. They denounced Varthanis and Somash and invited Sor-Eel to send them Yelm to become the new Summer Nature of the Sun.
The Governer thought long and hard. The Lunars knew of the Many Suns but they had all been enemies of his people who worshipped the One Sun. Somash would be no friend of the Lunar Empire in the end and so it was better that Yelmalio should win. Thereupon the Governer went to the Templars and their Priestly Allies and confirmed them in their lands.
But the Governer did not wish for the lords of Sun County to become followers of the One Sun. He told them of the true nature of Yelmalio which he said had been told to him by a Priest near Vanch. Yelmalio was the Son of Yelm and was the God of the Sky Dome. Because he had been wounded at the Hills of Gold, Yelmalio could not use fire and so the Sky Dome could shed no heat. The Priests thanked Sor-Eel for his wisdom and blessed him. And since that day, the followers of Yelmalio in Sun County think themselves inferior to the followers of Yelm and hold them in awe. And Sor-eel sent Yelmic townsmen into Sun County where they lived like princes in the new land.
Varthanis resisted his fate. He went to General Armemnon who was a foe of Sor-Eel and who worshipped Yelm. Varthanis promised him the land if he would kill the leaders of the Templars. Armemnon agreed and saught to kill them all in a duel. But he first challenged Solanthis Ironpike and was killed. The assembled priesthood then proclaimed Solanthos the New Count and denounced Varthanis. Thereupon Varthanis abdicated as Count and immolated himself on a funeral pyre.
Solanthis was then confirmed by the Lunars as the Count of Sun County. He then confirmed the God of Sun County was Yelmalio and ordered all the Priests of Somash to convert to Yelmalio. The High Priest Karial forebade the erstwhile Somash Priests from wearing Red and ordered them to divorce their wives if the latter were Earth Priestesses. Since this was the habit in Teshnos also, many did so. Thereupon the influence of Somash in Sun County was extinguished.
In return for bringing spiritual order to the land, the High Priest permitted Solanthos to dye his hair...
[end fragment]
>I have my own theories on this, but since they're pretty outlandish and I
>suspect I'm missing something I thought I'd pass it to the experts.
I'll be interested in hearing yours.
End of Glorantha Digest V3 #80
WWW material at http://hops.wharton.upenn.edu/~loren/rolegame.html
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