Glowline

From: Joerg Baumgartner <joe_at_toppoint.de>
Date: Tue, 10 Aug 1999 23:11:09 +0000


Keith Nellist asked quite concisely:

> When did the GLowline first appear?

Approximately in 3/42, or 1397 ST, according to the History of the Lunar Empire, Third Wane.

http;//www.glorantha.com/library/history/hle-3wane.html#yara-aranis

> Who created it?

Yara Aranis, daughter of the Red Emperor with the Pentan Goddess of Tormented Death (commonly identified with Gorgorma), begotten for this special purpose.

> Who is responsible for maintaining it?

The cult of Yara Aranis, a state supported venture.

> I have also assumed the same about Aggar. If you look at a map
> and imagine where the moon would always be clearly visible then
> that is generally within the Empire. Places that are in 'shadow',
> such as behind the Hungry Plateau, behind Yolp (Talastar), behind
> the Tobros Mountains (Talastar), behind the Rockwoods (Prax),
> beehind the Hydra Mountains (Ormsgone Valley) will never
> be proper, within the Glowline, Empire. I would therefore put
> the bits of Aggar in the shadow of the Autumn Mountains as non
> glowline.

A flaw in this theory is the presence of a sizeable chain of mountains west of Glamour (through Carantes) dividing the Oronin Vale from the rest of the Pelorian "basin" (missing in all RuneQuest maps of the region), including Mt Jernotius, the home of the Pelandan gods.

And the site chosen by Tatius near Old Wind Temple is fairly shadowed by the Storm Mountains and Quivin Mountains.

> If a were a hex map fanatic then I might try to work out where
> Temples of the Reaching Moon might be within the Empire which
> (in DP at least) give out a 10 hex radius Glowline. Starting at
> Good Shore (which I think is the first Temple of the Reaching Moon)
> it shouldn't take too many to cover the Empire.

Keep in mind that the temples starting from Good Shore were built to provide a frontier against the nomad incursions. Tactical considerations may have overcome the desire for an optimal spacing of temples.

Besides, I believe that the "range" of the Glowline inward, towards other temples of the Reaching Moon, is a lot larger than outward, into "hostile" territory.

Otherwise, the failure of a single Temple otRM would not result in its dependent temples' blackout, because there would be a web which could reroute the energies.

Peter Metcalfe

>>> Aggar is within the Glowline?

David Dunham:

>>I've always assumed that at least parts are, given that all of Tarsh
>>is, and Tarsh is further than Aggar from Glamour. As well as having
>>been part of the Empire for longer, I believe.

> My understanding is that Aggar became Lunar-controlled about some
> thirty years after Tarsh did.

It wasn't an Orlanthi haven when Arim fled before Hwarin Dalthippa's conquests, or there would have been no need to risk crossing the Deathline.

I think that Aggar was as much a part of the Provincial Kingdoms as Wales was a part of Norman England - on and off.

> Secondly just because all Tarsh is
> under the Glowline (ignoring the Exiles, Ormsgone Vale and the
> Farpoint tribes) does not mean that Glowline is worth extending
> to cover Aggar.

IMO the City of 10,000 Magicians might warrant inclusion in the Glowline, but this might be possible from Saird.

However, the form of the Glowline along western Balazar indicates that it doesn't extend in a circle from specific temples.

> The Temple of the Reaching Moon near Furthest places all land within
> ten hexes or 80 kilometres at the most*.

Outward. Inward, the distance might be greater, so the temple near Old Wind might suffice to cover all of Quiviniland (plus the Bush Range and most of the Far Point).

> This would mean there would
> be some temples are at Filichet and Mirin's Cross.

Saird will have at least one major Temple of the Reaching Moon - it should be the source of the "Six-Armed Goddess of Saird" summoned by Argrath to overcome Sheng Seleris.


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