Never been there myself, but a quick Google found me some pics
http://www.su.nottingham.ac.uk/~ramsoc/photopages/saddleworth04.htm
http://www.saddleworth.net/greendove.htm
No, not enormous hills, but big enough to notice.
> And my word, the psychological impact of being in among all
> those hills!
> They aren't actually enormous but at the bottom of the valleys they
> aren't half imposing on your mind!
Hills do this, I've found. Around here I define locations by how many stops down the motorway - in hill country I define it by how many valleys and passes.
>And to lament that I can't think of a way I can work Brass Band
> contests into my Glorantha....
That sounded like a challenge.
Brass bands. Wind instrument, loud. Got to be Orlanthi. And in fact we know Orlanth plays the horn (KoS p66, "The New Music").
My guess would be that that was a cow's horn, not a brass one, but the concept's there. TR p 166 - skalds play the Lur Horn. Magic from Donandar, it says there, or Drogarsi seems more likely.
Now we need to form them into bands. Organising Orlanthi. This is going to be tricky.
Tell you what, let's invent a simpler type of horn that anyone can play. Problem is, each size of horn only plays one note. No stops/holes. So in order to get a tune, you *have* to have a group of people - it's a bit like playing handbells.
Oh, and something as simple as that can be used by almost anyone as a signalling system. One honk for "cattle raid approaching", that sort of thing.
Now invent one Drogarsi Devotee who judges horn bands, but who refuses to leave home to do so, and I think you're well on the way to your Brass Band contests.
End of Glorantha Digest, Vol 11, Issue 174
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