From: RuneQuest-Request@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (RQ Digest Maintainer)
To: RuneQuest@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (Daily automated RQ-Digest)
Reply-To: RuneQuest@Glorantha.Holland.Sun.COM (RuneQuest Daily)
Subject: RuneQuest Daily, Sat, 08 Oct 1994, part 2
Sender: Henk.Langeveld@Holland.Sun.COM
Content-Return: Prohibited
Precedence: junk
---------------------
From: joe@sartar.toppoint.de (Joerg Baumgartner)
Subject: Cities of Heortland
Message-ID:
Date: 7 Oct 94 14:04:30 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 6517
This is the Heortland City Guide, as per my campaign. I don't know whether
anything like this ever has been considered or published, and most ideas
haven't yet occurred in actual gaming, so I'm open for suggestions,
comments and alterations.
Cities in Heortland, but not (directly) ruled by the King of Heortland,
or not native Heortlending:
*Whitewall
An oppidum with certain similarities to Alesia (maps in most editions
of Caesar's Bellum Gallicum).
The name comes from the "Celtic Wall" (a drystone construct supported
by a wooden framework, nearly impervious to siege engines) around this
hilltop city. The stones for the wall are white quartzite from the
riverbeds around (similar to the facing of Newgrange), and gleam
blindingly if the sun stands right. IMO the causeway leading up to
Whitewall would come from the southwest, thereby making the light
reflection another weapon against attackers.
Whitewall is noted for its Great Temple to Orlanth. It is also the
traditional seat of the tribal king of the Volsaxi.
Whitewall's architecture differs considerably from that of Sartar, being
a lot older, and more traditionalist than Sartar's modern Hendriki-style,
dwarf-technology cities. Thus the cities founded by Sartarite kings
have hewn stone blocks rather than drystone walls.
(Runegate has been mentioned as a city in KoS. Since its founding predates
the coming of Sartar, I suppose it originated as an ambitious and large
fortress for the Runegate chieftains, as a means of dominance over the
neighbouring Colymar, Malani and Lismelder and smaller clans/tribes. The
vigorous clans and tribes in this area, like the Varmandi, made these
ambitions nought, and in hte end the Runegate tribe joined the Colymar.
IMO Runegate had Celtic walls which were one reason why the Lunars had
to call upon the Crimson Bat instead of simply storming the place.)
*Smithstone
The other larger settlement in Volsaxi lands, on the main crossing of
the Marzeel River. The trade with Sartar via northern Heortland uses
this place as embarkation port for river trade with Karse. The Highway
leading north probably started as a joint venture by the Pharaoh and
the hero Sartar to establish trade with Dragon Pass and the lands
beyond, but has fallen in disrepair when the hero Sartar seceded from
the Holy Country and founded his own kingdom, and the Pharaoh chose to
boycot his unfaithful subject.
*Karse
In the 1st and 2nd Age, this port dominated the trade up the Creek-Stream
River into Dragon Pass. Even after the Closing fell, Karse remained a
port city, and transported Esrolite grain into the densely populated
urban regions of Dragon Pass. Only in 1120, when the Dragonkill War
started the inhuman occupation which totally closed off the north, too,
Karse ceased to function as a port. Its local importance had been
reduced in importance earlier when Lylket (the ruins on the shore of
the Mirrorsea Bay shown on the map in RQ2) fell in the course of the
Machine Wars, since the road into the northern Hendreiki lands (around
Jansholm) had to go the long way upriver, almost to Smithstone, before
it could avoid the cliffs. As a consequence, most of the city fell into
disuse and disrepair.
I intend to use the Midkemia Press supplement "Carse" published by
Chaosium, since I suspect strongly that the name equivalence is not an
accident. Note that while the Lylket ruins appear in RQ2, Karse isn't
shown on that map. And having visited Caernarvon in Gwynedd, Wales, I
plan to make use of the fact that there was a Roman legion's quarter
about a mile inland from the castle. IMO Karse originally was a larger
city than the current one, extending through the valleys in the
basalteous rocky outcrops from Lodril's Mountain, now better known as
Shadow Plateau after Argan Argar flattened its top. Of course, one has
to read the map in the Chaosium book upside down to get the Marzeel
River in from the correct direction...
Normally the harbour of Karse would have sanded up in the time of
disuse (in the Holy Country, squads of newtlings are employed to clear
the quayes of mud an detritus), but when Belintar slew the dark monster
summoned by the Only Old One the Creak-Stream River was blocked, and
the input of detritus and mud was reduced to the meagre load of the
Marzeel River, previously only a tributary.
Resettlement of Karse started in the time of turmoil in Heortland,
which also send most of the ancestors of today's Quivini north. Not
unlike the case of New Pavis, the founding noble and builder of the
grandiose castle was an unimportant member of the royal house of the
Hendreiki who led a personal following into the sparsely settled ruins
and started to reestablish river trade, at least into the Kitori and
Orlanthi lands to the North, and also into the Blackwind Marsh, where
troll boatsmen would emerge now and then. His ambitions were sponsored
by Belintar, who sensed that this venture would cause a manifestation
of unity of his realm. Belintar also provided the plans for the castle,
one of the most advanced in all Glorantha. (He might also have been
interested in reestablishing the port of the Fleet of Black Ships
mentioned in Holy Country documents.)
Karse soon regained its fame as the city where anything is possible,
since several of the more notable residents' families of 2nd Age Karse
made it into teh newly founded city. The early estimate for the
populace proved to have been too niggardly, so that about half of the
city now sprawls outside the city walls, but this development came with
the reopening of Dragon Pass for trade in the later 1300s.
Because of the direct involvement of the Pharaoh and the bad atmosphere
between the re-founder of Karse and his king, the city has remained
outside of direct control of the Hendreiki kings ever since. The
natives of Karse are a mix of Heortlanders, Esrolites, a few Sea-folk
descendants, and a healthy dose of outsiders, none of which have
managed to dominate the city completely.
(This should reinterpret the local history given for Carsein a
sufficiently Holy Country context...)
*Refuge
This city, while lying on the continental part of God Forgot, doesn't
belong to either God Forgot or Heortland, although it was conquered by
an enterprising Hendreiki King a few centuries ago, who also installed
the Marcher Barons around Knights Fort, on the border to Orani's
Mistake in Prax. The native populace differs somewhat from the
Brithini-like lords of God Forgot and its enigmatic other inhabitants,
possibly has a certain amount of Oasis Folk and Praxian outcasts.
(I intend to use the article from Tatou (?) by Guillaume Fournier,
"Refuge - La Cite Derobee", based on Chaosium's Thieves World box,
although I'd change some details about the Malkioni/Brithini
sorcerers.)
Now to the Hendreiki cities:
*Jansholm
Large city (7500-12500) on the Solthi River
IMO situated on a river island (holm meaning river island), similar
(identical map?) to medieval Paris. Jansholm lies close to the border
to the Volsaxi lands, and acts as a mediator between the more civilized
Hendriki lands and the very traditional (i.e. rustic, barbarian) Volsaxi
inhabiting the Marzeel Valley. Tools, weapons and cloth of Hendreiki
manufacture find good prices among these northern neighbours, so a number
of thriving crafts guilds have developed. Wheelwrights flourish from their
trade with the Volsaxi nobility. (Nonmagical) woad is shipped south
to Durengard, along with peaty grain spirits from the Smithstone area,
agricultural produce to support Jansholm, and goods from Sartar and the
Lunar Empire. Most of the latter are transported by river barges to
Karse, though.
IMO the Solthi River allows the use of river barges with only two portages
between the small barge harbour on the west tip of the city island, below
the bridged rapids dividing Jansholm from the surrounding lands. The
island position allows fairly weak but still highly effective
fortifications.
Aeolian churches and Orlanthi temples:
- St. Elmal's Cathedral houses the troll fighting knights and wizards
(because of the hordes of food trollkin emerging from the Troll
Woods now and then, devastating the trail of their advance)
- Jan's Minster has a great library (I suppose that Jan is the founder,
and now the City God/Spirit of Jansholm, now included in the Aeolian
array of patron saints), and is one of the best sources for studies on
Heortling customs and history.
Great Temples:
- Lighbringers' Temple (Orlanth LB, Lhankor, Chalana, Issaries, Eurmal)
- Temple of Storm and Earth (Orlanth Thunderous, Ernalda, Barntar,
Mahome, Voriof, Voria, Heler, Elmal)
In my campaign, Jansholm becomes the seat of Richard's sherriff in
northern Malkonwal, responsible for taxing and holding off the
uncivilized Volsaxi, Mularik Ironeye, a former Lieutenant in his
company of mercenary knights. A certain Nottingham flavour is to be
expected. However, under the covetous eyes of du Tumerine clerics he
will keep his household socerers at lower profile than later in Tarsh.
Mularik hasn't quite settled down and regards this office (correctly, as
the 1620 invasion proves) as temporary benefit only. Thus he tries to
raise as much ready cash as possible from the native population. This
involves land ownership, too, since the levels of King's Feorm (tax)
depend on ownership of the land. Another trick of his to dispossess
natives is not to step in when raids occur before the back-breaking
taxes are paid. With the Troll Woods and the Footprint as handy sources
of raiding parties, several northwestern clans had to give up a lot of
their bocland in exchange, only to increase their tax duties.
*Backford
Large city (2500-7500) on the Syphon River
Situated above the best fording the Syphon offers, on the south bank.
The Syphon River is unique in that it flows upriver from the exit of
the Footprint, and so has the sheerest drops through its gorge down
towards the Mirrorsea Bay. No boat travel is possible over any sensible
distance.
*Durengard
Large city (7500-12500) on the Bullflood River, IMO capital of Hendriki
Heortland, and later of Malkonwal. One of the prime candidates for all
kinds of large temples and churches.
Among the mundane features besides the royal castle there is a great
cattle market northeast of the city, and the weavers guild is powerful in
the city council.
*Leskos
Large city (2500-7500) at the Bullflood mouth
The best port controlled by the Hendriki before their conquest of
Refuge, and closer to the inland markets. The city is situated on a
peninsula between the river cut and the loamy coastal stretch into the
Mirrorsea Bay. A steep underwater drop of several metres on the river
side allows wooden quays usable at both low and high tide. (I intend to
use a city map borrowed from the layout of Kiel, the city I live in.
The city was founded in 1242 as part of a colonisation effort in then
Slavic lands, a parallel usable here too: Several of the leading
families immigrated from Esrolia when the city was founded around 1320
ST, in an effort by the Pharaoh to reestablish sea trade across the
Mirrorsea Bay, to unify his newly won lands. Maybe there existed an
earlier port a bit upriver, but with the end of overseas travel in 950
it will have fallen in disuse, and possibly sanded up in the 270 years
in between.)
Until 1616 main connection between Durengard and the City of Wonders,
apart from Belintars magical bridge to Durengard. Hastily fortificated
after a Wolf Pirate raid in 1606, but taken and plundered again in
1616. After 1617 the du Tumerines possessed extant trade privileges
remanded in 1621 after they refused to share the greater part of the
revenue with Fazzur.
*Duchamp
Large city (2500-7500) on the Minthos River
The trade centre of southern Heortland, with highways to Durengard,
Vizel and Mt. Passant, on the south bank of the River. I suppose there
will be a ferry service across the river.
*Vizel
Large city (2500-7500) above the Minthos River mouth
The city seems to huddle into the cliff, possibly giving a panorama
similar to the pockets of Boldhome. I envision a number of stairs of
white limestone, with the port on the lowest layer, possessing quayes
made of stone. This port is the gate to southern Heortland. Its position
relatively far up the river makes the tidal change less drastic than in
other ports upon the Mirrorsea Bay.
*Mt.Passant
Large city (7500-12500) in the southern plain
This city dominates the grain producing flats of southern Heortland
from a small hillock. The softly rolling landscape surrounding it can
be seen to great distances.
This region is likely to be the most prosperous of Heortland
IMO Mt. Passant is the second most likely candidate for harbouring the
Lhankor Mhy temple mentioned in Elder Secrets.
--
-- Joerg Baumgartner joe@sartar.toppoint.de
---------------------
From: joe@sartar.toppoint.de (Joerg Baumgartner)
Subject: House of Black Arkat, and Scholar Wyrm
Message-ID:
Date: 7 Oct 94 14:05:05 GMT
X-RQ-ID: 6518
David Cake in X-RQ-ID: 6467
> There are an awful lot of Temples that appear on no map!
Sad but true. The situation is especially bad in Heortland. There is
the House of Black Arkat which hasn't been fixed geographically, and an
important Lhankor Mhy temple inhabited by Scholar Wyrm. It almost drives
me nuts that wherever I put either of these in my Heortland campaign
I am likely to be Gregged, TotRMed, Codexed, Dailied, or whatever. Unless
other people get Joerged...
IMO the House of Black Arkat is situated somewhere north of the Kingdom
of Malkonwal, since I cannot imagine that the du Tumerine Rokari would
have tolerated this nest of heresies for long. Compare the map in Uz Lore
p.33. The IMO most likely place for the House of Black Arkat would be in
the neighbourhood of Smithstone, roughly at the place where a tributary
forks north from the Marzeel River, into Sun Dome County. This is
conveniently equidistant from both the Troll Woods and the Shadow Plateau,
in a region not infested by other Henotheists or Stygians, close enough to
cause trouble with Yelmalio worshippers, and within reach for human Kitori
who want to study there rather than in their woods.
> Most of the maps
> of Heortland are pretty large scale and thin on detail, so it is no
> surprise to me that it appears on no map.
Which is true for anyplace except Old Sartar (like on the Lismelder
map in Tales 5) and the Zola Fel Valley.
Now to the other Heortland temple of note. The Lhankor Mhy temple
housing Scholar Wyrm IMO is likely to be located in a larger city,
within Hendriki Lands. (I don't think that it is in either Whitewall
or Smithstone, which are the only two cities of Heortland north of
Hendriki Lands. Karse seems off bet, too - who else uses the Midkemia
Productions city book of Caernarfon in Gwynedd as the model for Karse?
Also out is Refuge, already heavily burdened with lots of other places
of interest. (I intend to use a synthesis of Chaosium's Sanctuary and the
article from Tatou (?) by Guillaume Fournier, "Refuge - La Cite Derobee".)
This leaves one of the Hendriki cities, later in Malkonwal. My favourite
candidates are Durengard or Mt. Passant. Reasons for this are my ideas
about the Hendriki cities, as in the Malkonwal City Guide below.
A question aside:
Would the Rokari fanatics recognize that the library is a temple, or would
they regard it as just a handy source of knowledge to use for the glory
of the Invisible God? I don't think they'd burn any library contents, even
if most documents have strange pagan invocations on them. Some of the
documents would be of immediate use to them, like the Hendriki Hideage,
or the registers of bocland (land in possession of families) and common
land, held by the Clans as a fief from the King. (Bocland is mainly
important because only this land could be given to a church or temple as
a token of piety. Such land would have been usurped by the du Tumerines
at once...)
> The Arkat write up also says that
> Arkat temples are rarely larger than shrines, so even presuming that the
> House of Black Arkat is a very large temple by Arkati standards, we are
> still talking a minor temple. No wonder it doesn't appear on any maps.
I think that points of interest ought to appear in GM maps. I mean,
Stone Cross altar is hardly a big settlement, but it appears on any
map showing southern Dragon Pass. Battle Sites and unusual commodities
should be mapped.
> I quote the entire official knowledge on the subject of Temple of Black
> Arkat, for reference
> 'The Temple of Black Arkat
> In the Holy Country, in the land of Heortland, is the House of
> Black Arkat. This is a temple of the cult which teaches sorcery to its
> initiates, and is, in every way, just like the troll cult, except that all
> its initiates are human.'
David and I disagreed whether this necessarily included worship of (other)
troll deities by the "initiates". Opinions?
>> The Troll Adoption Rite (Book of Uz pp 34-35) is their supreme sacrement.
> A plausible idea, as Arkat himself underwent it, and did particularly well.
> (see Jonstown Compendium fragment in Troll Gods). It seems unlikely to be
> common in a cult with no troll members, regarded disdainfully by most
> trolls, though.
True. The greatest problem I see is to find an adoptive mother within
the cult, to perform this ritual.
> I have a much simpler answer to why no trolls are involved, which also
> neatly answers the question of why there are two separate groups of
> Darkness worshipping humans in Heortland.
> It is simply that I think that the Temple of Black Arkat is not
> near the Troll Woods, and not too close to the Shadow Plateau, and thus has
> no trolls in it simply because it is not near any trolls. It could well be
> a relic of when the Only Old One ruled.
I agree, to a certain extent (see above). I don't think that the temple is
located south of the Solthi River. The du Tumerine (Arch?)bishop would
hardly have tolerated such a dark, plotting quasi-Malkioni organisation
in his see, would he?
> The general consensus (at least Joerg and I and Sandy agree) is
> that the two races live side by side due to the sacred marriage of their
> leaders. They are divine magic users, and the reason that they can combine
> troll unfriendly gods with the Orlanth pantheon is that they do not revere
^^???
> Orlanth himself that much, but see Argan Argar as the more common deity.
IMO Orlanth would be tossed together with Heler into a weather and
farming god, and maybe a few minor deities from Orlanth's Stead would
receive the same worship as in Sartar. Ernalda/the Grain Goddess most
likely are revered as one cult, without any sovereignty aspects - these
are held by the Kyger Litor priestesses of the troll half of the tribe.
> Thus the Troll Kygor Litor Queen has no problem with allying herself to an
> Argan Argar King, and the Ernaldans simply revere Argan Argar as foremost
> husband protector. No Henotheism necessary, I'm glad to say.
Nor likely. The human Kitori live in the woods, probably farming on
clearings, using slash and burn techniques. Quite likely their steads
are isolated from the rest by swampy ground or on the shore of small
lakes, reachable only via roughly planked and easily defended tracks
through the mud. In the dark shelter of beeches, firs and pines, their
troll allies are effective even by day, and the missile weapons of Sun
worshipping enemies are at their worst.
Such a society wold be extremely individualistic, and tending to shamanism
rather than henotheism, which craves some civilisatory infrastructure, IMO.
The Arkati sorcerers could fill the niche occupied by smiths operating
hidden woodland forges in Real Earth myths and fairy tales - the lack of
need for charcoal is one of the most severe differences between Glorantha
and an Iron Age (iron producing) world.
> There are Arkati among the Kitori, though. They exist in roughly
> the same proportions as among the trolls of the area, which is to say a
> very small percentage. Of the small number of Arkat worshippers, though, a
> large %age are professional sorcerers (Joerg and I disagree on what %age,
> but at least 10% or so, I think higher), and another large proportion are
> part of the household of a professional sorcerer.
I.e. a larger proportion than in Malkioni lands, where most of the
populace can be considered to use a bit sorcery, however meagre.
> but there is probably a significant minority of Zorak Zorani anti-chaos
> fanatics, given the closeness of the Rubble.
The Footprint, of course.
> BTW note the great strength of the Argan Argar cult - and
> conveniently situated on or near the major trade routes from Sartar to
> Heortland. Very convenient.
However their main income comes from inhibiting the trade. When Sartar
made clear that he didn't plan to expand the Holy Country, but to
establish a Kingdom of his own, the Pharaoh discouraged the migration
into Dragon Pass, and even sponsored the Kitori raids on this trade route
as a reprimand to Sartar's activities. (Source: WF6)
Argan Argar has significant Ruling God aspects, and IMO these would be
more prominent than the Trade God aspects in the Shadowlands.
--
-- Joerg Baumgartner joe@sartar.toppoint.de