> Shargash/Tolat is not a fire god any more than the Red Moon, Uleria/
> Mastakos or Entekos/Moskalf. Thus I don't see why fire should be
> particularly associated with him.
Agreed, Planets are associated with Sky rather than Fire (though with one rune for both it gets confusing); agreed, we don't know anything much about Tolat's associations *other* than in Trowjang. That's the core of Peter's point, no problemo.
But Shargash does have a specific mass-cremation ritual, carried out yearly on the Day of the Dead in Alkoth. It was discovered by John Medway, adopted and adapted by Greg Stafford, and though I can't for the life of me remember if it's seen print anywhere (while I *think* it has, it gets hard to recall what's in draft and what's been printed), it certainly deserves to. All of the corpses of Alkoth from a whole year, dried and dessicated, brought out from their vaulted crypts and incinerated together on one glorious aromatic temple-pyre... that's Shargash!
PS: Entekosiad p.105 says: '"Death causes life" has historically been the motto of the Shargashites of Alkoth.' Looks like Our Beloved Editor fumbled his Glorantha Lore roll...
Although I do have some thoughts about Kalikos, they're pretty much tied in with "The Hunt For Red Storm Season", which may be coming your way soon. For my money, "Kalikos" (a female Lunar heroquester) took on the name and powers of the Nomad star-god (or -hero) Kalikos when she led her first Icebreaker expedition out across the White Sea to the Glacier in the early Fifth Wane.
As the Empire is an organised theocracy, the Icebreaker expeditions employ all the various talents of the component cults, including Yanafali (cutting through the ice), Lodrilli (heat 'torpedoes'!), Danfive Xaroni (manning the oars), etc. The leaders of the expedition are heroes of Kalikos' cult, but the other participants may be lay or associate worshippers. Thought for the day: going on an Icebreaker expedition may *be* the initiation rite of the Kalikos cult.
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