Yes. I have. I also have a major upcoming part of my campaign planned around the Vadeli.
>Is their trade carried on Vadeli ships?
Exclusively.
>Would a Vadeli merchant travel on a non-Vadeli ship?
Doubtful.
>Would they use Vadeli or non-Vadeli bodyguards?
Non-Vadeli guards would, IMO, have been somehow mentally, or even physically, altered to render them reliable.
>What skills & spells do they have? (Are they satanic Issaries?)
A Vadeli has a large number of skills at mastery (90%+). A Vadeli's magic is typically at least Magus-level, with many unique spells.
>What gods do they worship?
They are atheists.
>Who are their leaders?
No one knows. Personally, I think they have none.
>Do they live in ghettos near the docks?
"Enclaves", not ghettos. And I'm sure it's usually near the docks.
>Is their lifestyle luxurious or squalid?
A Vadeli house, IMO, is barren of furniture. Painted walls, fires burning in the fireplace, no art. Beautiful tile on the floor. No visible outhouse or other toilet. If you ask, they show you a toilet that they obviously have never used. No kitchen, no bedroom, no dining hall. Sometimes a mirror on the walls. If the culture expects them to conduct business in their house, their front room is usually done up in the local style, with stools, chairs, and a table if necessary. They greatly prefer large and spacious buildings, with lots of windows. If need be, several will pool their income to obtain such a dwellingplace.
Also, you never get to see the whole house. Part of it is always kept from you, though the Vadeli are skilled at trying to prevent you from realizing this. If they must purchase an already-built house, they alter it before moving in. A former owner taking a tour would notice that certain walls were thickened, some rooms walled off, etc. Most everyone suspects that Vadeli houses are thick with secret panels, hidden rooms, and the like.
Burglars frequently fail to return from attempts on Vadeli dwellingplaces, and the wild tales of those that return alive are manifestly untrue.
>Are they 'protected' by the local rulers because they make loans to
>their treasury?
They are protected by local rulers for a variety of reason: blackmail, extortion, bribery, dominant possession of said ruler, and my favorite -- because they have the ruler's "life" in a little glass jar.
>Are they sometimes subject to pogroms?
No. The Vadeli sense pogroms coming, and evacuate just ahead of time. Vadeli are only slain in numbers when there is a war.
End of Glorantha Digest V3 #137
WWW material at http://hops.wharton.upenn.edu/~loren/rolegame.html
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