How long do you intend to make the campaign? A series of adventures (about 5-15 sessions) or longer?
I dunno. Maybe a couple of years worth of play (at about twice a month). If it ends up shorter, so be it. I figure if I'm going to invest the time to do it right, the players had better be willing to invest the time to play it right.
Nick:
I assume that your characters won't be starting PC's, obviously.
Me:
Correct. I suspect I will be basing them around some archetypes to make the
first few sessions easier. Any suggestions?
Nick (quoting me):
> As I figure it, the end of an age entails events of similar
>magnitude all over the lozenge, so I may end up detailing
> interesting age-end events that I do
> not end up using, or use only tangentially.
Yeah, more than likely. For instance, what has the Reforestation of Fronela, or the return of the Brithini (alledged, mind you -- many think it was Vadeli) got to do with the Moon Wars in Dragon Pass?
Me:
Well, I think probably the reforestation of Fronela, the wilt in Palmatela,
and the ceremony in Kralorea have nothing to do with the Moon Wars, but in
each area, some event related to the above will explain for locals why the
sun changed (or whatever you choose). E.g. the reforestation causes
conflict with the kingdom of war; the elves set out on a heroquest to rid
themselves of the problem and determine that the KoW have used a piece of
Arkat's indestructible sword as a weapon; the elves [do something to (curse?
I dunno)] the piece to get the KoW off their backs; they did not know that
this was the piece that first struck down Yelm, which reverses the injury he
suffered (and makes Orlanth a permanent enemy of elves?) Anyway, you get
the idea: completely different chains of events explain the same result.
The Brithini & Vadeli, being geographically closer, offer other interesting possibilities. The trader princes occupying the trade routes along the New Coast must have been very upset when Dormal came along and ecstatic when Harrek and the Red Vadeli started raiding the shipping lanes (and the Brown Vadeli started monopolizing them). That economic conflict already brings in two sets of heroes, even before the PCs decide where to go.
BTW, I think it was a trickster that made the earth goddess of old Slontos roll over: he tickled her. Everyone in the new coast region would have an interest in hunting down tricksters to prevent a reoccurrence. The tricksters, otoh, think it would be a great joke if they could tickle her again to make old Slontos rise from the waves and blow everyone's expectations.
I'm beginning to free associate, so I'll shut up about the new coast now.
Alain Saraja (obviously a candidate for God Learner initiation) notes that Umath disappears and Humath/Humakt then appears, which is too convenient. I'd theorize that the appearance of Humakt was a GL project to merge Umath the Champion with Storm Bull anf the resulting entity into Orlanth. Step 1: strip him of his Storm King role, which has to be transferred to Orlanth Rex. Step 2: change Storm Bull's name to something that can eventually combine with Umath and Orlanth; Ur Ox is a good literal translation. Step 3: change Umath's name to something that can be combined with Urox; "akt" sound like "ox". Eventually we get a continuum: Umath --> Humath --> Humakt -> Humoct <-- Umox <-- Urox Step 4: Humoct (or Huroct or Ur-whatever) eventually gets merged into Orlanth as his Champion aspect, as does Umath into Orlanth's Wind-Father aspect. Orlanth certainly becomes a more impressive god. He wrested apart the earth his mother from the sky his father. He discovered Death and kept it. He used it to overthrow the Sun. He killed the Devil. He brought back the Sun. And after all that, he gets to keep death. Sneaky Jrusteli, trying to make my favorite god better.
End of Glorantha Digest V4 #55
WWW material at http://hops.wharton.upenn.edu/~loren/rolegame.html
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