> The Ice Bay seems to be fed by two rivers, both labeled
> the Poralistor River one from the Elf Sea, the other from
> the Sweet Sea. Is this an error?
Yes. The eastern river (the one from the Elf Sea) is the Arcos. It's an error from "Genertela Book".
> There is a huge plateau, surrounded by clifs just east of
> Nochet on the coast. Does it have a name or a history?
Yes. This is the Shadow Plateau, the troll 'Sixth' of the Holy Country. Used to be (in mythic times) a vast volcano raised by Lodril, until Argan Argar made him slice off the top to be level and compelled him to create the Obsidian Palace, a beautiful and terrible structure from which Argan Argar's son by the goddess Esrola, the half-troll/half-human Only Old One, ruled Kethaela as his Kingdom of Night, the fearful Shadowlands, for the first two Ages of Gloranthan History. When Belintar the Pharaoh overthrew the Only Old One, early in the Third Age, he obliterated the City of Black Glass, which now makes up the crystalline black sands which sigh and moan as the dead winds blow across the Haunted Lands, atop their bleak and desolate plateau...
Major refs in the "Trollpak" book "Uz Lore"; also in the old "RQ Companion" article on the Holy Country, the Glorantha box, and elsewhere (including historical material in "Troll Gods" Jonstown Compendium. The Genertela Book map locates the City of Lead atop the Shadow Plateau -- I think this is in error for the far more famous Castle of Lead in Dagori Inkarth, as we know what used to be on the Shadow Plateau, and it was a Palace of Black Glass, not a City of Lead. And the trolls there now live in the Styx Grotto, not the City of Lead. I rest my case.
"Uz Lore" gives you a good map of Shadow Plateau locations on p.33, including the Styx Grotto, (a troll stronghold), the Lead Hills (remains of a dead Monstrous Thingie of Darkness summoned to battle Belintar), Blackwell (a troll fort guarding the festering remnants of the brain of said Monstrous Thingie), the Dammed (Damned?) Marsh, Blackwind Marsh, Tarpit, Gloom Hills, Axe Hall, etc., many of which are vividly and scarily described.
The basement of the Obsidian Palace is still there, of course, if you can survive the descent through the Tarpit, and is a great place to get scared out of your wits on Darkness heroquests. Persistent rumour has it that each year Belintar returned there, to make sure that the Only Old One was still nailed down with a big iron spike -- and he hasn't been doing that since his recent spiritual dismemberment, so don't let your kids out after dark, as the O-O-O may well be returning to gobble them all up!
NB: I deliberately emphasise the "nastiness" of the Only Old One's rule, for three reasons. One is that this has been the public line in the Holy Country ever since the Pharaoh arrived three centuries ago: Belintar has nothing to gain and plenty to lose by saying that his predecessor, whom he deposed and overthrew, was actually an OK kinda guy, y'know. The second is that I prefer to fear the sinister People of the Night, rather than pretending that they get along just fine with us hoomanz. And the third is that it may -- just may -- wind Sandy up, which is always worth trying. (He played the Only Old One against my Dara Happan Emperor in a live-action card-game at the second RQ-Con, three years ago. Rankle, rankle, rankle...).
::::
Nick
::::
Powered by hypermail