Bell Digest v940404p1

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Subject: RuneQuest Daily, Mon, 04 Apr 1994, part 1
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X-RQ-ID: Intro

This is the RuneQuest Daily Bulletin, a mailing list on
the subjects of Avalon Hill's RPG and Greg Stafford's 
world of Glorantha.  It is sent out once per day in digest
format.

More details on the RuneQuest Daily and Digest can be found
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From: paul@phyast.pitt.edu
Subject: Annelinde's Travels
Message-ID: <9404022346.AA02563@bondi.phyast.pitt.edu>
Date: 2 Apr 94 23:46:13 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 3501

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  Paul Reilly here.

  This is a portion of a work-in-progress by Finula McCaul, based on 
Paul Reilly's version of Glorantha (world copyright Greg Stafford,
countless other contributors here gratefully but namelessly acknowledged).

  People were asking for Gloranthan narratives, so I am posting this
one.

  Some parts are supposed to be in italics.  There are two Gloranthan
authors here; one is Annelinde herself, and the other is Sartorius
Toadflax, who collated and published her notes years after she made them.

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X-Sun-Data-Name: ANNELINDE
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		Annelinde's History
[abri
	Forward

	Annelinde Vassiliev, later called Whitehair, was born to a peasant
family in Northern Carmania. Her potential was noticed while she was still
a child, and she was adopted by { NAME?,}a member of a major  banking and
mercantile family from the city of Harandash. She was devoted to hard
work and to the study {OR 'SERVICE'?}  of her goddess, Etyries, so it was not 
suprising that she became a Master Trader by the age of 30. It was shortly 
after this that the Syndics Ban rose and this record of her travels begins.

	

I was 31 when the Ban rose(1) and the world suddenly became full of
potential. As an Illuminate I won the contract to be the first major contact
to a primitive people to the North, who lived out their existence fishing
upon the Sweet Sea. The military had expressed interest in recruiting
Peoples who had skill with boats, and making a positive initial contact
was vital.

	I travelled into the wooded Northern Country with only some basic
trade goods. My younger daughter Lauralinde accompanied me; as did  my
Partner Ambrosia, who was a mule and sister in Etyries.

	The people in this region lived huddled in small villages scattered
throughout the forest, with larger towns along the sea cost. They had no
centralized authority; indeed the very idea was anathema to them. Their
charistmatic leaders were Tree Choppers- Members of a cult resembling
Zorak Zoran, but also serving the useful function of cutting wood and
burning charcoal; and the Master Fishers, who had an ancestor cult
centered around an individual named Jan and his fish-wife Mari.

	They were a suspicious people, and it was necessary that I prove
myself both harmless and valuable before they would trade with me. I
bought a small house in one of the larger villages and kept the widowed
owner on as help. This house I used as a trading post, and it was my base
when I travelled about the region, healing the sick and establishing good
will. One of my more successful actions was to regenerate the leg of a
Senior member of the Tree Chopper cult. These people lacked even this
basic skill and the man had been incapacitated for years. His families'
gratitude was strong, and it spread to become good will and trust among
the rest of the Harangvat People.

	Some of the Goods they had to Trade-

	1)First and Best were the furs of all types of northern animals,
including Seal and Ermine, Fox and Mink, Sable and Polar Bear. Their
Hunters spend most of the year in solitary trapping and then come to town
with a single enormous load of furs. I established an unusual contract with
their Master Hunters, offering them advance payment of rare goods for
their future season's catch. This enabled them to dowry off daughters
earlier and appealed to their primitive honor in such a way as to inspire
them to even greater than usual efforts. I gave them glass and metal, fine
cloth and spices, alcohol and bits of iron.

2)Next best were various items garnered from around the region- Ivory
from Mammoth and Walrus, Amber, Musk, Hard Cheeses and Northern
Berries made into Preseves.

	3)Last were the Cottage Industries I established among them to build
up the income and trade base. I gave them Silk Threads and taught them
Lace Making, I established a better quality of tanning for the furs and hides
I was purchasing. Also I encouraged their native handicrafts of Scrimshaw
and Wood Carving. These things always bring a good price  in Glamour.

	These things established, Annelinde explored the Region in greater
depth. The natives had a great fear of the  uncharted forest and bespoke
dire fates of anyone who dared stray from the protected paths. Annelinde
investigated and discoved the second population group of the Region; those
who lived off the Paths, in the forest. These people were indeed dangerous,
and some were monstrous; but some presented interestingJopportunities
to an intrepid trader. She made contact with the native Ogres and payed
them to guard her from their unsavoury neighbors, the Broo and the Tusk
Riders. She gave them Iron weapons to use against the Elves and the Ice
Trolls. What she got from them were magical items, unique handicrafts,
and futures on whole Mammoth pelts and tusks.

	With the assistance of these people she established Trade contacts
with the Peoples who lived in the Tundra itself, the Giants and the Ice
Trolls. They were hungry, but Annelinde avoided being eaten, and deemed it
a good beginning. She eventually established trade for gold, furs, and
crystals. What she brought them were Hardwood, Lead and Sound
Sculptures, brightly colored cloth in small and large pieces. The giants
also had an absurd interest in custom knitted Clothing for their 3 meter
tall infants.

	AFTER the long winter had ended I gathered my purchases together and
prepared to journey back to Carmania. I had commisioned a large boat but it
would not be done for some time yet, and thus I must depend upon my mule
train and hired guards. Some of the local youths wished to travel with me
to Harandash to broaden their horizons. I took them on as extra security. 

	Most useful were the Char-Un I met. They were in temporary exile and
seeking allies. I arranged that they would guard my train and I would make
introductions for them in Carmania. I was most glad of their presence as
we were attacked both by Elves and Tusk Riders. I suffered no losses and
learned somewhat of the Char-Un style of riding. It almost resembles
telepathy, the signals are so subtle. I bought one of their ugly little horses
as my own mount after seeing how they did thrive on scrub grass and stand
steady during attacks. They creature was as vain as it was ugly, and bit
anyone who commented on its appearance.

	I returned to Harandash in time  for the preliminaries of the Dart
Wars. I was contacted by a noted darkness sorceror concerning the
possibility of hiring a number of the Harangvat youths for next years' Dart
War. He presented me a compelling case to the effect that the continued
success of the Ice Breaker cult in pushing back the winter was having vast 
and dangerous reprecussions. He convinced me that unless the forces of
Cold were allowed to win occasionally, there would soon be a catastrophic
backlash which would be likely to glaciate all of Carmania. 

	His reason for wanting the Harangva was that it was needful to have
individuals who deeply believed in the strength and power of Cold and
Winter. The Harangva qualify admirably. He commissioned me to convince
and hire as many suitable individuals as possible; and to deliver them to
his training area in the Grey Mountains as soon as possible.

	This I did, and developed trade contacts with the trolls of that region.
They were the backbone of the sorceror Vor's army. I made purchases from
the Argari cultists for my trade with the Ice Trolls. The Sound Sculpture
Erotic Art was spectacularly successful with those solitary individuals. 

	I also decided to do something permanent to flesh out my security and
bought some trollkin; two Values and eight who were priced as foods but
had potential. I had them all trained to spear and sling and shield. The ones
with intelligence I also trained in some basic magics and accounting. At
first they were all terribly wretched and pathetic, sure that this was all
an elaborate plan to fatten them up and eat them. Eventually I persuaded
them that this was not the case and they became slightly less wreched.

	OF NOTE

	The Grey Mountains were the site of an ancient battle between Troll
armies and the Mostali. The trolls sacrificed so many of their number that
Subere Herself intervened and squashed the Mostali flat; leaving the
mountains open for her own children. To this day there is a valley in the
Grey Mountains shrouded in perpetual Darkness and Despair. There is a
spirit cult to this bit of Subere which is referred to as the Naughrim. Brave
members of the spirit cult may venture into this valley and search for bits
of the shattered Mostali. Many never return and all but the depths have been
thoroughly picked over. 

	When Annelinde went to the Grey Mountains she learned of this and
was unable to resist the opportunity. She attuned herself to the Naughrim
and prospected for Iron. She was successful; and with what she found she
was able to recapitalize and pay Vor for a darkness spirit ally. What she
got was a broken spirit that had been trapped by Iron since its death. She
mended it and bound it into her service, learning much about the nature of
Darkness.

	Not much is known about the entity. Annelinde referred to it as Ixl,
and it was able to confer on her some extensive Darkness powers. After the
Dart war she bound it into the body of a warhorse, but it is known that two
years later it was no longer in her possession. She did not care to explain
why she gave up control of such a powerful entity, except to say that it had
been needed more  elsewhere.

	 To help assimilate the Harangva (mainly Tree Choppers) to the trolls,
I sponsored a Troll Ball team, encouraging the Humans to play against the
Trolls. They were persuaded to use wild animals instead of a trollkin in the
game and the violence of it made fast friends of both groups.

	I left them to their training and returned North with my Trollkin
entourage to develop my trade. While travelling my circuit I met a Rathori
youth who had been living amongst the migratory Polar Bears. I persuaded
him to join me as a guide to take me into the Rathori forests.

	I could not bring my Trollkin into an area that was inhabited by Elves
so I left them with Ambrosia and Lauralinde (Lauralinde had just been
promoted to Journeyman) to help with Business. We met the Elves before 
the Rathori. Fortunately I recalled the Covetousness Green Elves have
towards Maple Syrup and had brought a jug full. They took this and agreed I
could pass through their territory so long as I always brought them more.
They travelled with us to the edge of their territory and pointed us in the
appropriate direction. 

	Eventually my companion became hungry and decided to fish. While he
was eating his catch, he was attacked and possessed by a Rathori Guardian
Spirit. The creature picked me up and lugged me to a simple village. There
it sat on me with Derek's large body, and proceeded to argue with the
village shaman. 

	Apparently the spirit felt we were a dangerous threat; and that as a
reward it should be freed from all further services and given my body ! The
shaman did not agree but the spirit was persistent. Eventually I butted in
and offered to negotiate. What the spirit really wanted was to be freed, so
I offered to perform a service for the shaman in the spirit's stead. They
both agreed with this and the spirit left.

	 After Derek calmed down I learned what I had gotten myself into.
There was a rogue member of their tribe who was killing them off one by
one. I was to attempt to defeat it in single combat. In addition it was a
Grizzly rather than a Brown or Black Bear. On top of everything else it was
a shapechanger ! 

	I was not happy but thought that with the help of Ixl and Derek I might
just survive to conduct a profitable trade relationship at a decided moral
advantage; so I agreed. Derek tracked the Grizzly and managed to wound
him with his spear before being struck down. This left me with my
inadequate magic. Fortunately for me the Grizzly (his name was
Rathamund) made the strategic error of biting off my foot. This allowed
Ixl, through the contact of my blood, to flow directly into his stomach and
attack him from the inside. Ixl defeated Rathamund and bound him in ropes
of darkness.

	The gratitude of the locals was boundless and they offered me free
trade and open exchange of secrets. They had been amazed to find that
Derek and I had survived and were in awe when they learned we had
captured their menace. I so no point in killing the man, who was actually
the victim of a curse and not in control of his actions. so I arranged to
come back and trade later; first taking Rathamund far enough away that he
would not trouble them.

	We know from  numerous inquiries that what actually happened to
Annelinde among the Rathori was  rather heroic. She  went first alone to
Rathamund, (who was notorious for carrying of women) and talked to him.
She determined that his situation was not his fault and his curse was the
act of unfair gods. He lived only for revenge and to protect his small son.
He was tortured by the knowledge that his dead wife was cursed and out of
his reach.

	Annelinde, with Ixl's help, told him about the levels of Hell where
damned souls were kept. She told him of a way to get there, and that he
could at least suffer with his wife, and possibly be reborn with her. He
agreed that if they could beat him in combat with Ixl's aid he would believe
them, and she agreed to be guardian of his child while he was in hell.

	I took him to Vor at the Grey Mountains and Vor in turn sent him on a
quest to Hell to remove his curse. I hurried to get back to Harandash with
my new goods before the Dart Wars started and placed considerable bets at
good odds. I also took this opportunity to buy land options to the far South,
in an area that would become more fruitful with colder weather. The idea
being that grain futures would become a highly profitable investment.

	What Annelinde did not know at the time was that the area she was
investing in so extensively was at the heart of Dragon Pass, the  most
dangerous and magical area in all Genertela. It was not what she had had in
mind for a quiet retirement spot. She eventually accepted the reality of it
with good graces, and dug herself in with a vengence.

	The Dart War was bloodly far beyond the expectations of most, and the
populous was appalled. The forces of Light were reluctant to admit to
defeat, despite the sudden temperature change. Likewise with the Bookies.
However I was eager to collect first so I made them an offer they couldn't
refuse and collected on speculation. One Bookmaker had overreached
himself and was being sold to pay off his debt. He was a good accountant so
I bought him out and kept him for a period of indentature.

	I then equipped myself with all the items likely to be desired after a
multi-racial bloodbath, had my constitution enhanced, and went back to the
Grey Mountains for some furious trading. With me came my newly-wed
husband, Hodge, a Carmanian knight of some fame and much respect.I
enjoyed his company, and he mine, so we made a merger and signed a
marriage contract.

	I bought the booty the warriors were unsatisfied with and sold it back
to their owners. I negotiated ransoms and spoke for individuals who were
forbidded to communicate with each other. I sold food and healing and
medical supplies, particularly those things to sooth the skin made raw
from the volcanic eruption. I changed money and sold trinkets to the
barbarians. Only one individual was more successful than I, and I know that
her methods were irresponsible and unethical.

	I also made two trips into the Naughrim to prospect for capital. The
first ran into unforseen difficulties and we were forced to withdraw. On
the second attempt I had some small success, though not as much as one
might hope.

	Hodge had come with me on this trip to ease communications with the
Darra Happan nobles. He was happy with a find of a magical bridle useful
for training horses. 

	Among the latecomers to the War was a herd of Storm Bulls from the
North West who were on pilgrimmage to The Block. There leader was among
those who had gone with Vor into deepest Hell as part of his tactics. The
Storm Bull and his companions had not returned and Vor stated that they
would require lengthy summoning if anyone wanted to see them again. He
had the necessary materials at his estate in Harandash so the entire herd
followed him to the city and waited for their leader.

	Since I desired to visit and consolidate my newly acquired lands I was
elected to arrange their guidance past Lunar hot spots on the trip South. I
made an agreement with them that I would represent them in trade in
exchange for safe escort to my destination.

	It is moot as to whether or not one can ever be considered safe with
Storm Bulls, even one's as atypical as these. They were from an isolated
region that had developed some unique ideas during the Syndics Ban. Their
leader, Bruce believed completely in his God. If he did not detect something
as chaotic, then it was not. Storm Bull could not be fooled in this matter.
By his reasoning, Illuminated are not chaotic. If a creature was chaotic
before Illumination, the Illumination took the Chaos away.

	This attitude was one which the Empire wished to encourage; so
Bruce's troop was safely and conveniently led through Lunar territory.
When attacked outside of Dorastor they were even assisted by the Lunar
army. I myself was not able to remain function in the face of such chaos as
came from Dorastor, and it was some time before I recovered.

       What actually occured at Dorastor is not known in detail. What we do
know was that there was a multi-pronged, concerted attack against this
group of Storm Bulls by the forces of Thanatar and some Gbaji Illuminates.
It was meant to be a fatal trap, and the chaos fighters did not turn away
from it. They actually entered the psychotic forests of Dorastor and
Annelinde went along to use her Pathwatch in their aid. The things she saw
broke her mind and she spent five weeks in a lead lined sack  with her XIola
Umbar  trollkin. Both Annelinde and the trollkin had been pregnant at the
time and gave birth after they were removed from the Heali ng Trance.
Thus we see a rather unique phenomenon whereby children are born after a
gestation which is simultaneously seven weeks and ten months.

	The  oddity of it does not stop there, for the trollkin had a single birth
which resembled a great troll more than a trollkin and it had great
tolerance of the sunlight and blue eyes. In fact, the eyes were the color
that Annelinde's had been before the Healing Trance. She herself came out
completely lacking in pigmentation. Her hair and skin were dead white, her
eyes were colorless. She lost her tolorance to the sun and some weeks
later her incisors fell out and regrew as fangs.

	Sorcerous  Analysis suggested that she had suffered a psychotic break
during which she lost control of her sorcerous powers, allowing 
uncontrolled occurences. When a shaman was asked, however, she said that
her fetch had broken free of its unnatural restraints and now she was
healthy. As for the physical changes, the shaman said that  her spirit was now that of a troll. 


(1) [I'll look up the date]  At this point the Ban had been slowly lifting
for many years and the Empire had had contact with Riverjoin since{}.  Annelinde
is referring to the lifting of the Ban from the region north of the Sweet Sea,
thus opening up new trade routes.

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From: MOBTOTRM@vaxc.cc.monash.edu.au
Subject: A BROO of MOBs
Message-ID: <01HAPJGFHL7M91W8DV@vaxc.cc.monash.edu.au>
Date: 3 Apr 94 04:25:32 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 3493

____________________________
What to call a group of Broo

Bryan J. Maloney suggests:

>Well, one thing does sort of leap to mind on this:

>A MOB of Broo.

Though I am of course deeply (dis?)honoured at the suggestion, MOB is
already the collective noun for a group of kangaroos.  Me, I think the
"Rapine" of Broos already suggested is the most evocative (urrghh).


____________________________
Sandy suggests other sports: eg, Mostali human-tossing, Bab Gor's Kickball
(ouch), Uleria's SUBMARINE RACES...

Love these, how's about:

The Invisible God: Hide 'n seek

Kyger Litor: Blind Man's Bluff


_____________________________

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From: 100116.2616@CompuServe.COM (David Hall)
Subject: Has the all clear sounded yet?
Message-ID: <940402103651_100116.2616_BHJ50-1@CompuServe.COM>
Date: 2 Apr 94 10:36:52 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 3494

Is it safe to come out from behind my parapet?

Wexten. From an unpublished map I have this located between Sentanos and 
Belstos. Sorta almost snuggled up to the left bank of the Doskior River. 

>A WF issue with the Sartar High Council, where Storm Bull was
>clearly an Orlanth subcult.

IMHO this is certainly still true in Sartar - how else can Storm Bullys fit 
into Orlanthi society? Don't let those Praxians tell you any different - 
they have a totally different ecology!

Sandy, please tell us about how an Orlanthi learns to tame his Bullish 
brother!

Megacorp News. We're about to start major work on Wyrms Footnotes. Steve 
Thomas is taking a whole month off work (unpaid) to get it done. I 
therefore hope to see it in print June or July time. 

Otherwise, all of our efforts are now going into writing the Convulsion '94 
freeform "How the West was One", based around the events at the 7th 
Malkioni Ecclesiastical Council in Sog City. This game will be rerun at 
RQ-Con '95. 

Someday I'll take a look at issue #12. 

By the way, where is Strangers in Prax? 

I'll now duck back into cover. Let me know when RQ wars are over. 

David Hall

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From: f6ri@midway.uchicago.edu (charles gregory fried)
Subject: pomo
Message-ID: 
Date: 2 Apr 94 11:06:32 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 3495

Bryan,
I second your "MOB of broos"!

Martin,
Thanks for the reassuring update on that disturbing poll.
However, to say that 'postmodern' refers to an architectural movement is
like saying that 'American' refers to a type of cheese.  Both are true, but
hardly capture the whole phenomenon.  Postmodern architecture, as a concept,
is entirely derivative upon postmodernism as a theoretical movement.
Perhaps this discussion should move off this list, but, finally, while I
agree that revisionists and there ilk aren't likely to be subjectivists
(although keep in mind the Nazi's self-conscious use of propaganda!), I would
still argue that the broad dissemination of subjectivism and relativism makes
it much harder to resist such peoples' propaganda. I'd be glad to discuss
this in private correspondence. On the other hand, since so much of
Glorantha is about the interpreting and reconstituting of stories,
this stuff isn't TOO far off point....I hope.....

-- Greg Fried