Re: Various Questions About the West

From: David Dunham <david_at_a-sharp.com>
Date: Thu, 31 Mar 2005 22:17:48 -0800


Ian

>1) Are there still Hsunchen in Sehsnela? I've read the Issaries page
>on the Hsunchen, but I'm not entirely clear if there are still Basmoli
>hsunchen in the region - are there even /lions/ still in Seshnela?

One of the best references for this is the old Gods of Glorantha, which has maps showing where pantheons are found. There really don't seem to be any in Seshnela. There may be a tiny concentration in Erontree.

That said, the map's scale is such that you certainly can't see the Telmori tribe in Sartar. So it's quite possible that there are still some scattered clans.

>4) And moving south, but staying in the West - the Timinits of
>Jrustela? The online sources I've been able to find aren't clear as to
>their intelligence level. Are they low-but-still-human intelligence,
>clever ape level, or normal intelligence and just very primitive? If a
>ship's crew were crazy enough to take, say, a Spider Timinit on board
>- would it be more mentally suited to being a ship's mascot, or a
>cabin boy?

I'd go with mascot (like the monkey -- hey, maybe it's a spider monkey -- in my game). I think most timinits aren't super bright, though of course many are smarter as a hive. And there are enough different types that one's surely smart -- my money's on the ephemerae, for extra tragedy.

Sandy Petersen once wrote to the Digest:

>>>>>

          I know of the following types:
          Arachans: "spider people", sometimes called Spider Hsunchen
by the ignorant. There are real Spider Hsunchen, but these ain't them. The Arachans are known to trade their silk for live food, communicating with gestures. Spider Hsunchen are able to talk freely to them. They have six arms (two legs) and use weapons poisoned by their own saliva (they don't normally bite in combat, though).

          Ephemerae: these are the neatest timinits for roleplaying purposes, I think. I dare not say too much about them in this digest because one of my players reads it, and I have plans for these guys in an upcoming adventure.

          Lucans: beetle-like things. Stupid, slow, occasionally aggressive. Stats giv1en in GB. My players met these things in the mountains of Jrustela and didn't like them a bit. For one thing, Lucans are quite strong, and they were wielding four-handed swords, which the party found quite annoying. They never did find out who was providing the Lucans with metal weapons. It was probably the dwarfs, utilizing this simple technique to make life more difficult for wandering parties of humans in the rocky interior of their island.

          Myrmidons: rather ant-like warriors. One of the most alien of all the timinit types. Stats given in GB. My players met myrmidons while exploring a God Learner ruin. The timinits had taken over the place, and alternated between attacking ferociously and completely ignoring the players. Sometimes one or two myrmidons would assault the party as if berserk, while dozens of others quietly went around their business in the background. In the end, the players decided not to explore that particular ruin too deeply, though they _did_ find some bizarre guardian-things that they later determined were actual, physical God Learners, transmuted into new forms by the Gift Carriers so that they could guard their secrets forever.

          Vorioles: for the first years of their life, these are rather worm-like entities, somewhat resembling a Dwerulan (see BG) or a caterpillar-centaur, though heads are generally non-humanoid. They are friendly enough to humans, though some are carnivorous or even burrowing, and they are intelligent and even helpful at times. It is not uncommon for a particular voriole to become quite attached to a particular human or elf, and to become "best friends". I know there is a large nest of these creatures near Tortrica, on the north coast of Vralos. After a few years, however, they molt and move on to their next stage -- the "flutterers", a rather moth- or butterfly-like creature which is differently-colored and shaped for every individual voriole. Presumably, the form of a flutterer is dependent on the exact action taken by the voriole during its former life. The flutterer can live for several years, too, but is non-sapient, incapable of using magic, not even particularly susceptible to training. It does seem to retain a tiny bit of memory from before. At least, a flutterer will often make its home nearby the dwelling of the voriole's former pal. Maybe this is why the vorioles so readily make friendships -- in hopes that the longer-lived human or elf will tend him during his flutterer years.

          Others: these are the only timinits I've had occasion to encounter in my own games, though I know there are aquatic ones and some kind of mantis-folk. I've also heard of locust-folk in Jrustela who seem to be extinct during most years, but once a century or so appear out of nowhere and eat every green leaf on the hapless island selected for their plague.
<<<<<

-- 

David Dunham
Glorantha/HQ/RQ page: http://www.pensee.com/dunham/glorantha.html
Imagination is more important than knowledge. -- Albert Einstein


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