>Some tales, general descriptions (Glorantha HW book
>and RQ Genertela book), useful references from the
>Unspoken Word Char-un book: that's all.
>Are we overseeing anything macroscopic?
>Can anybody point me to other written or online
>sources?
There is a potted history of Sheng Seleris in one of the GloranthaCon booklets. But I really think of the steppes of Pent as being dotted with mysterious places full of fabulous denizens (with Orathorn being the best known) rather than empty plains of just horse nomads.
Places I can think of include:
ORATHORN: I imagine Orathorn to be the equivalent of Cooleridge's Xanadu. IMO it was originally part of the Land of the Dead that bubbled up to near the surface (the Hellcrack being another bubble that burst). The live Orathorni are the laidback rulers of a vast cavern and their servants are dead pentans who are quite happy to serve (they weren't good enough in their past life to go to Kargzant's tent and they know the alternatives to serving the Orathorni are much much worse - being eternally masticated in Gorgorma's crevice for example).
I think the Orathorni magic involves summoning a portion of the land of the dead through the earth to detonate on the surface. This would have a variety of effects (such as being an army of corpses, a cloud of hellish choking vapours, silent fearsome shadows or even a startingly effective death spell). They can summon up any corpse they desire (so long as it was originally down below) and also send it back down again (to punish servants).
There's a narrow path from the Cavern that leads up to the surface world. I think the Orathorni have build an alien fortress here, full of dead that are fanatical in defense of the fortress (if they get chopped to pieces, they know the Orathorni can always repair them).
Borrowing further on the parallel, Sheng conquered the Orathorni and forced them to raise massive pleasure-domes for his warriors. The treasures of Kralorela and the Lunar Empire were stored in these domes to make their residence there a pleasurable one. The Orathorni being decadent sloths would dearly love their get their paws on these treasures and so are willing to help surfacers break into these domes. Unfortunately much of Sheng's army still resides there, patiently waiting for their leader to call them up again.
MONASTERY OF JOLATY: Sheng Seleris worshipped a mysterious god whom he called Jolaty. He sent chosen victims to the torture camps where they would suffer for ages to become indestructible fanatics for Sheng. All the torture camps were torn down and destroyed by the Lunars and Kralori when Sheng was overthrown, all save for this forgotten camp deep in Pent.
The Monastery inhabitants are two sorts - novices and monks. Novices are magically tortured night and day until the time is deemed right for them to become monks. The length of time that one has been tortured determines the monks power, most monks serve five years while the leading monks have served at least twenty. Sheng served a century which gives some indication as to how far the Jolaty have fallen. Once one has become a monk, his or her power is fixed and cannot be increased by further torture or anything else.
The Monastery is riven by factions and each faction has its own prisoners, special tactics, weaknesses etc. All factions are seeking more prisoners so they can dominate the other factions and rule unquestionably. However the longer one tortures a prisoner, the less likely he is to survive. So each faction faces a dilemma about treating its novices - do they strive for one unbeatable monk or many beatable ones?
The nearby clans pay the Monastery a tribute of food, slaves and exiles. In return for this tribute, the Monastery helps the clans against their neighbours by sending them a Jolaty or two. Most Jolaty remain in the Monastery to avoid being overrun by another faction. If a faction were to emerge triumphant and appoint the Abbot, then the Monastery would turn its attention to the outside world.
CLANS OF THE HELLCRACK: The Hellcrack is well-known for being a large chasm in the earth. It is also shunned because demons continue to crawl out of it. Most demons are similar to trolls but some are supernatural beings.
Many of the humans that live around the Hellcrack worship these demons at special crevices. Other Pentans consider them evil and try to kill them all if possible. But for every demon clan they wipe out, another appears.
Recently a demon clan related to the Redhair Tribe has managed to contact Yara Aranis at the Hellcrack. Some Lunar nobles are currently plotting to establish another outpost to the Empire here.
Another clan is trying to summon Sheng from his place of eternal torment. They have managed to contact his spirit and are preparing many strange magics.
REDHAIR PLACE The Spiritual Home of the Redhair Tribe that was created by the Treaty of the Nights of Horrors. The small town that services the Kralori trade caravans is overwhelmed by the masses of tent nearby.
The Empire believes that the Redhair Tribe is totally loyal to them but in truth the Great Red Khan has plots of his own. He has kept the existence of the Storm Tribe secret from the Empire only for the Redlanders to discover them many years later.
In truth, the Redhair tribe predates the Nights of Horrors. When Sheng looted the moon, he brought back a huge red pearl. The Redhair tribe was created to be its defenders while Sheng studied its secrets to bind the power of the Moon and its Empire to himself.
The Great Red Khans have continued their studies of the Pearl with the intention to usurp the rule of the Red Emperor and to use the Empire's power to unite all Pent under their rule.
PLACE OF THE VOW:
SWORDFALL:
The first sword fell from the sky here and
since that time, this place has been the
source of all swords made in Pent. The
first sword was thought lost but recently
it has been found again by Dranz Goloi.
Now known as the Bronze Sworded Prophet,
Dranz has contacted the makers of the
sword, North War Wind, South Rage Wind
etc and instituted their worship among his
followers.
Swordfall has been transformed by a bustling enclave of swordsmiths into a capital of a major Pentan Power. Dranz hopes to defeat the Red Emperor to confirm his claim to be heir to Sheng.
--Peter Metcalfe
End of Glorantha Digest, Vol 11, Issue 309
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