Tyr said, "I lost my right hand when Fenris Wolf gulped my hand during chained, and was tricked. We can't regenerate organs."
Nuada said, "Sleng of Firborg cut down my right hand, Dian Cucht made a artificial hand for me, but it didn't prevent me stepping down from the throne of king of Tuah De Danan as a crippled, but the son of Dian Cucht have grown my own hand and I could become king again."
Brahman said, "Shiva cut down one of my head when I let his wife dead, but don't worry about it. I have other three heads remained."
If you think these are proof of potency of mythology, you make a mistake.
If you want to set a campaign in 2nd Age Glorantha, we can find some difficulty to construct a Background: (Of course, you can call it as a flexibility for eachMasters.) CHDP in King of Sartar headed some of Lhankor Mhynic pseudo technical terms, such as Minarian Memory Removal, Janaxian Extermination of Idea was used of Making a Blank Period for making this Age. I don't know how Greg Stafford will connect the Idea of Past Age and the fluctuation of Modern Age Hero Wars, but some of sources like Arkati of Ralios and Argrath Dragonfriend conceal the potential of the extention of setting.
Reference:
Below are Four Empires which were dominant in Imperial Age, I don't know
how these are connected to the "Hero Wars" Game Category of Four Direction
applied to Animism, Theism, Mysticism and Sorcery, and I should consider
about these Four Application is derived from Godlearners.
EWF aka Empire of Wyrm's Friend (North)
Middle Sea Empire, Jrustela Empire (West)
Mokatan East Sea Empire (East)
Errinoru Lynersian Jungle Council (South)
EWF (I can use Youf for identifying this Empire, but "Empire of Wyrm's Friend" is no longer good term for it, see King of Sartar):
Start: 575 (Walzing and Hunting Band)
Pinnacle: 875? (Pent, Ralios, Fronela, Prax?: Glorantha Book of Genertela
Box. but perhaps their influence is limited to religious term of these
outskirt area as Nysalor Missionaries of First Age. See Pelorian Map of
Fortunate Succession.)
End: 1042 (Assassination of Leaders by Blue Moonies and Dragonewts)
Dragonkill (Massacre of True Golden Horde): 1120
As you all know, Argrath is in a sense the Successor of EWF and its Draconic Heritage while other traditional Orlanthi antagonized Draconic Worship. (I don't know the connection between similarity of Dragonewt Philosophy and Eastern Mythology of Glorantha, I don't know How "Gwandorling Saga" connected Argrath Dragonfriend and Lightbringer's Quest in Argrath's Saga, Consequence of Ressurrect of Sheng Seleris, and Draconic Movement of Final Stage. But I cannot recommend easy link among Kralorelan Source and Dragonpass.)
King of Sartar is AFAIK most reliable source for replicating the Scene in
the Writing of Hrestol Arganitis after Minarian Memory Removal. Some of
Residents still remained the Information of this Empire,like Necromancer
Delecti and Forang Forash in Tink. As RW, Sometimes Local Cultures rather
hold the knowledge which lost in Central Area, Dara Happa, Pavis and Upland
Marsh are included in such category and mentioned in some fanzines
(Fortunate Succession: Dragon Sun, Tales of the reaching Moon #19 & Pavis &
Big Rubble) as relics of EWF.
In Glorantha, City of Thousand Magician in Aggar still holds many documents for the Empire, Harald Smith set the Area of Saird as the expert of this Area and AFAIK he also made many Settings for this Area (Though other Gloranthans reluctanut to take up this area. See "Who Were the Sairdite Dragon Killers? Who Did They Kill?" in Glorantha Q&A in Issaries Site.) I don't know how Old Day Traditionalists act in the Kerofinela and Hendrixi Land. But I think "Stubborness" of Nationality of this Area worked against both Area though this Area is Center of Empire.
Conflict between EWF and Godlearners were appeared in the Timeline Table of Glorantha Book of Genertela Box: Avalonhill in Kethaela, Only Old One controlled this Buffer Area and managed to survive the pressures. Peter Metcalph added other Proxy War Areas, Ralios and Pavisian Prax. But these information are too obscure to descibe .(By the way, I don't know even Gorangi Vak is whether 1st Age Hero (Tales #18) or 2nd Age Hero (Storm Tribe))
Middle Sea Empire (aka Godlearner Empire or Jrustela Empire):
Start: 650? (Jrusteli Alliance) 718? (Tanian's Victory)
Pinnacle: 849? (Goddess Switch)
End: 940 (Sunk of Jrustela) 1049 (Sunk of Seshnela)
Greg Stafford have written the History of Seshnelan King (I translated them
into Japanese but but it was still banned to exhibit by Issaries.) and I
think it is the most reliable source to understand the culture of MSE. Aside
from it, many Pulishments of Reaching Moon Megacorp have picked up Malkioni
as the Source, and I haven't developed this area enough to comment here.
(Below I add a comment to changed Coastline of Glorantha by their magic.)
World View of God learners are generally perceived as Older Version Glorantha Perspective because they thought One True Glorantha and Idea of unified Mythology as method to gain materialistic power and reached to Solace and Joy (if they were not atheistic as Brithini.) Some of Ancient Ruins of GL still existed and mentioned in scattered forms of Missing Land, and Godlearners gained most various domains among the Four Empires, and it seems most involved in many disputes of each Remnants of Four Continents.
Survivors of Godlearner Empire after Janaxian Extermination of Idea aside from Lord "Impaler" Paruzal in Ramalia, there are those of some Heroplane Experimental Field such as University of Yoranday, Luathelan Pit, Mad Tea Party of Trickster Temple, and Fort Wrath of Ralzakaak in Dorastor (Most of Information coming from Peter Metcalph). And most (all?) of them went mad by the Curse cast by their enemies and backfire of their own magic and Modern Age Adventurers seems to find difficulty for searching their secret. And their method of approach to Hero Quest is on the contrary to Arkati "We never quest without respect." So maybe Heroquesters under tutelage of Godlearners utterly anti-heroic...
Mokatan Empire aka East Sea Empire:
Start:
Pinnacle:
End:
(Do you know about these precise dates?)
We cannot count enough Information and Setting of this Empire even in unofficial books, and the Expert of this Area Nils Weinander and Greg Stafford were still in the process of regulating and harmonizing of each ideas (I got great volume of their writings about East and failed to contribute about it....) .
AFAIK most Reliable Source is Glorantha: Introduction to Hero Wars and Mokatan Middle Sea Empire seems ruled most of Areas of East Sea even semi-Heroplane Isles such like Forng and Memb. I don't know theistic worship to Island God Hobimarong, Dream Magic of Awaking Magicians and Greg Stafford's Pantheon of Mysticism. Three Sages of Mokato.
I find difficulty to imagine the Last Days of Mokatan Empire Glory, God Hobimarong ordered his worshippers (and Citizens of Empire) voluntarily to abandone the Glory of the Empire. (I can recall Abandonement of Mayan Civilization in the RW Highland of Middle America as such case..) Maybe many youngs would revolt against slavic olds...
Errinoru Lynelsian Council:
Start: 610 (Lynelsian Council)
Pinnacle: 755? (Star of Errinoru)
End: 975 (Enigmatic Epidemic)
Maybe this Empire is most inscrutable of four empires for human standard. And Sandy Petersen once mentioned the mindset of Yellow Elves is most alienic among three Races of Elven Community, they are literally living plant, and yellow elves Embyli are most gathering conscioused in the Aldryami Society.
But Errinoru was not ordinary Embyli and he befriended (or conquered) other races, and Six Dryads who created Errinoru knew about it. He once ruled (or allied with) People of Elamle, some part of Doraddi, Trolls and Mostali, and he sailed as a Captain of Barges and went around the World like a rootless elf. And he went to Underworld throwing himself to Magasta's Pool and returning back to Mundane World...
Most Reliable Source of Errinoru Empire is the Elder Secrets of Glorantha: Avalonhill, Elder Races Book. Errinoru Empire was collapsed by enigmatic epidemic brought by Monsters and bugs which ate Magical Flowers of Errinoru Family.
Analysis of Second Age Glorantha:
Glorantha have experienced several great cataclysm and these have changed
geography, but while many of Cataclysm in RW occured for the upheavals of
physical clash in the structure of natural sources, Glorantha sometimes
hinted these disasters caused by for the commitment of mass magic of Large
Community that is possible only for modern society in RW, or personified
Will (even most "sceptical" idealist to realism of personified Other World
Entities like Malkioni and Mostali admitted these nature of phenomena is
possible to observe.) called as Spirits, Gods by some communities. (After
Debate with Greg Stafford, he admited "natural" cataclysm without intention
of Personified Will is rarer than RW, when I mentioned Change of Course of
Yellow River in RW.)
Second Age is special for Declining of Elder Races for their hostility to other elder races and High Oriented Society of Human organized a system which could use a method of Magic which is impossible for the denizens of other eras.
If the theory appeared in Kralorela Article in "Genertela Book", "Magic is gradually have declined since God Age." is true, we should consider it as a excuse why 2nd Age Imperialists have used many showy performances for constructing their society, AFAIK even some of Godlearners took prophecy of Hero Wars as a sign of disastor which would succeed after them. And maybe they wanted to check the progress of this process. I don't know the Role of Mysticism in this situation, please Read in the article of Eurmal in Storm Tribe, "Illusion in Glorantha". (But this analysis is false after all.) If Mystics actively supported the process of Weaken the Magic, they could fulfill roles of Terrorist to other Nations.
Seafaring:
Before Closing, some of great Naval Power controlled the Ocean of
glorantha, most great force was of course Waertagi, but Mokatans also have
long History of Sailing AFAIK in Missing Lands and Eastern Mythology
Documents which Greg Stafford recently invented. And Errinoru is most famous
Seafaring Inhuman Hero...unless "Legendary Hero of Elf Sea" admiral is
merely a obscure idea of Peter Metcalph.
Coastlines:
Most of Cataclysm and Change is derived from the shortsighted experiments
of God Learners. AFAIK, some of change of Geography have showed by the Uz
Lore Handbook Obscure Maps of Genertela. And later, some fragments of Greg
Stafford's Handscripts and others showed more detailed maps of Seshnela,
Slontos and Jrustela. But IIRC, other spots of Disasters such like Brithos
and Kralorela still hid in the Brain of Great Shaman Trickster Arkati.
Seshnela: Political Center of Godlearner Empire. Detailed Map of 2nd Age is put on the "Sog City Visitors Guide 7nd Ecclesiastical Council" . (I can't recall the accurate name of this LARP booklet. I read it in the office of Issaries.) Luatha destroyed this Peninsula by Magical Ritual, see History of Seshnelan Kings in Issaries Site.
Slontos: Greg Stafford have posted Handwriting Precise Map recently in Issaries Website and AFAIK still available. The reason of Destruction and Sunk of Protectrates is equivocal, but most strong theory is caused by the blasphemy of Trickster synthetic Temple set upon somewhere of Slontos, Eurmal was called Hofhalados the Nonwise. (I should mention one center of Godlearnized Caladra & Aurelion existed in Slontos.)
Jrustela: Religious Origin of Godlearner Movement, the conglomerate of City
States firstly discovered the miracle of Abiding Book, and led the shaping
(and Dooming) Malkioni History after that. Steve Lieb drew very beautiful
map (I think by the gudance of Greg.) for Jrustela as Mystical Age Maps
(Hero Plane Maps). AFAIK, Waertagi revenged Jrustela with this attack. And
after this victory, "Betrayal of Zzabur" Closing sruck them too, and they
lost most of their power after that.
Brithos: The Greatest Change started from this Island, the Remnant of Kingdom of Logic Danmalastan, if Survivors of Aloranit speak truth, Zzabur himself cast the Closing Curse over Oceans and shifted his Island to Somewhere of Hidden Place in otherside. IIRC, Old Trade Island is located on the bay of Mainland of Brithos and still existed on the mouth of Foggy Magical Sea Area of Brithos. There is no detailed Map of this Age AFAIK.
Kralorela: Least Developed Land which conquered by a sect or ally of God
Learners. NDR (FDR) eventually it showed the collapse from the consequence
of shortsighted experiments of Godlearners as other areas, uniqueness of
Kralorela appeared. Enlargement of Suam Chaw and Earth Dragon Shudder is
hinted in some fragments
as a cataclysm of Great geographycal Change.
Aside from Godlearners, some of Experiments and Backlash of other Empires
(such as Poison of Errinoru which absorbed some Parts of Wall of Balumbasta,
Awakening of True Dragons during Dragonkill) also changed the geography of
Glorantha.
Visitor's Guide to Four Empires:
Propaganda:
Timeline of Imperial Foundation and Collapse:
Very Important Persons:
Places of Interest:
Pinnacle of Prosperity: Age and Greatest Domain
Manic Cosmology of Glorantha:
Note about Dragonsun:
I have a plan to fill these blanks, anyone of you will help me. I will gladly accept. Please send me any comments. (But please don't accuse my bad English...)
By the Way, I am easy to prey for Swindlers, especially to Pseudo-Science.
I travelled America armed with ordinary scepticism and the classic of "Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science" (Martin Gardner). But the kind of Edgar Cayce and Ron Habard always take new method to deceive idiots like me. How can you guard yorself deceive you?
End of The Glorantha Digest V8 #554
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