>I am getting ready to run an adventure in eastern Fronela, and have been
>wondering about the Vadruli. I would greatly appreciate any information,
>theories, or wild speculation that you (or anyone else) might have about
>the current (1621) status of these people.
>Where do they live? What are their customs like? How do they relate to
>their neighbors? ect.
IMO:
The ancient Vadrudi have fragmented into the following peoples: the
Yggites, the
Neechen and the Resanti. When Orlanth deposed Vadrus in the Storm Age, many
Vadrudi turned to him instead as was fitting but they worshipped him in a way
acceptable to their founder. The civilizing Allfather aspect was ignored
for Vadrus was
not overcome by such sissy ways. Instead Orlanth's violent, turbulent
aspects were
honored instead - the Adventurer was interpreted as the Killer while the
Thunderer
became the savage bringer of terrible winter storms with very little
attention paid to
the fertile side.
Valind is the ruling God of the Vadrudi. Although Heortlings remember
differently
(Thunder Rebels p146), the Vadrudi know that Vadrus was maimed by his brother
and lost his might. Using the powers of Winter Kingship, Valind then
rallied the
Vadrudi and drove Orlanth away. As leader of the Vadrudi, the King of Winter
imposes a crude social order. One's status in society is determined by
one's prowess
as a warrior. Yet the Winter King limits the violence that may be used
against one's
direct inferiors (menacing somebody else's inferiors is okay but it is also
a challenge
to their status). The lords of the Vadrudi are the biggest and baddest of
them all.
Due to the proximity of the Glacier, the lords are mostly Valindi.
Independence is prized by the Vadrudi and they limit their subjugation to their
lords and gods. A Vadrudi submits to his lord as little as possible and they
rarely become devotees - reserving such status for their thralls. The
standard
Vadrudi social group is a gang of forty to fifty people, centered around a
Valinding.
YGGITES
The Yggites used to live in the Fronelan Mainland in what is now Winterwood
but before the Closing was called Bija (c.f. Glorantha: Intro p34 for the
story why)
but now have been forced to their Sacred Isles. Although Valind still rules,
Ygg has replaced Orlanth in popularity due to his rapacity and prowess as
a pirate.
GHADARI
Ghadari (G:I p79) / Kunkorni (Anaxial's Roster p72): The Woolly Rhino
People. They
are accepted as one of the ancient Six Beasts of Fronela due to a union
between
Vadrus and Mikyh, even though they are taxonomically Vadrudi rather than
Hsunchen
(Vadrus was said to be "more divine than his predecessors" Wyrms Footprints
p67).
However the only people who were worried by this anomaly were God Learners,
the
other Beast Tribes accepted them just fine.
NEECHEN
Neechen (Runequest Companion p9): "hardy type of nomad ... who thrives from
a life in the cold". They "fashion the ice into great monoliths towering
towards
the heavens. No one has yet explained the purpose of these monoliths". I
imagine the Neechen thrive in the cold because they worship Valind. The huge
ice monoliths they carve are incomplete Hrimthuri, winter giants (AR p154).
When complete they will be animated in order to war against the enemies of
the Neechen. The towering monoliths are centuries old projects intended
for the
oncoming Hero Wars.
The Neechen know the secret of Thryk - the power to shape ice and to make
it move. This is done using warmth stolen from southerners and so the
Fronelans
have dark tales about being imprisoned within an icicle. Almost every Neechen
gang has a Hrimthuri whom the Valinding dominates with his power of Winter
Kingship while their Kings usually have a retinue of such giants. Most
Hrimthuri
aming the Neechen are smaller and less intelligent than those in Anaxial's
Roster.
The Neechen life is harsh, violent and short. Although many Neechen are women, most Neechen have their origins as runaways or captives from warmer climes.
RESANTI:
Resant is a name from Jonat's Saga and is the Vadrudi name for
Orlanth. The Resanti live
mainly around Galastar now but were more extensive in older days (the
Orlanthi of Junora
and southern Fronela have their origins as Worlathi - Malkioni that fell to
worshipping
Worlath during the Ice Age). The World Council of Friends attempted to
civilize them
although with partial success - the Resanti are materially sophisticated
but their society is
still extremely violent.
--Peter Metcalfe
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End of Glorantha Digest
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