Re: Re: Where in Glorantha

From: Philippe Sigaud <sigaud_at_...>
Date: Fri, 16 May 2003 08:37:42 +0200 (CEST)

John Hughes <nysalor_at_...>:

> Every once in a red moon someone posts something so foundational, so
> breath-takingly original, that once you stop jumping around the room
> in
> delight, you also begin to see afresh the raw power of Glorantha as a
> mythic
> mindscape.
>
> Thanks so much for this Jorganas (Joerg?). I'll try and respond
> imaginatively once I've stopped dancing round the room.

That's indeed quite an original setting. Maybe also reusable in the Ui area (west Maniria, I think) ? Volcanoes from caladra and poor orlanthi trapped in the ice due the influence of the powerful Coldest God. Never even heard of dawn or Arkat or whatever... The basic campaign I'd play would be the trip to the surface, of course. And outside, the world is so hot, so stuffy, full of strange things and green, such an ungodly green ! And of course, you can also confront your classical orlanthi to this strange place...

Anyway : here are a few more ideas :
- someone proposed polar bears. I suppose they could be ice bear : sort of hollri, in the shape of a bear. Imagine an ice-sculpture, in the orme of a bear, radiating cold. The very incarnation of evil, for these peoples

• a horned giant is trapped in the ice wall of the cave. People have offered sacrifice to his dark shape during centuries, for nothing (or protection against cold ?). Now, the ice is melting (maybe the effect of the Kalikos expedition) and the Giant is slowly getting out of the ice. Who is he ? An ancestor, a monster, a hero , a simple giant passing along and trapped in the ice ? [and a gulliver-like scenario]
• these people must love lava. So there is certainly some sort of sacrifice to a lava god. A local one maybe, or some echo of Quivin ? I love the idea of a fallen Star Captain. Remind me of the Dara Happan stories about Lodril touching the word and becoming (I suppose) the Fire in the Deep. Their source of heat and lava could be an aspect of lodril, a son of him or a fallen star captain caught under the earth, trashing wildly (you can hear the god fighting if you put your ear above some crevices), melting the earth under his fury. One day also he will be free... And some persons (males, I suppose) are quite receptive to his fire magic, ruiing on lava beds, vomiting noxious fumes against their foes, etc. Lava Lords ?
• these people strangely clothed, with the moon on them, who told you they were real people ? I mean, do they have horns on their heads, like us ? Do they have fur on their bodies ? No ! So listen to the priest and think no more about them. They are demons from the Cold Beyond, that's all. [this one [this one from a book by Silverberg I think. The PCs can be men mingled with Uz or somesuch. Why stay human ? And the shock when they encounter human beings for the first time ! They must have image of Vadrus/Orlanth with horns like ram , fur on the body and maybe even paws, who know ?]

> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "jorganos" <joe_at_...>
> To: <HeroQuest-RPG_at_yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Friday, May 16, 2003 1:58 AM
> Subject: Re: Where in Glorantha
>
>
> > John Hughes
> >
> > > And when the rain cloak of Skyfall Lake just isn't wet or
> > > cold enough... how about an isolated mountain valley on the
> > > ocean edge of Valind's glacier?
> >
> > You mean the northern edge? The western edge of the Glacier is far
> > out on the ocean, without any mountains ever shown in any maps.
> >
> > I'd make it the edge near the White Sea if you want mountains or at
> > least hills to go with the Glacier.
> >
> > > Barbarian type pcs, close interaction with new types of
> > > elder races and powers, mysterious raiders and no contact
> > > with the outside world for centuries. Much skiing, shivering,
> > > avoiding avalanches and sheltering from supernaturally
> > > powerful thunderstorms.
> >
> > For a slightly cosier version of this, think of lava beds below the
> > Glacier - huge domes melted into the ice from below, with islets
> > peeking out of the icy torrent which gets occasionally steamed up
> > where it encounters new volcanic activity.
> >
> > You get to see no sky, just the icy dome above. There is light -
> > diffuse, through the ice, depending on the season. You'll get things
> > like ice-encased Aurora Borealis. It will be possible to raise some
> > kind of crop (something like rice-paddies in the melt-off puddles?).
> >
> > Hollri might attack in the shape of kamikaze icicles. Trolls will
> > roam the higher, dry clefts of the glacier. (Other?) Vadrudings
> might
> > enter the region.
> >
> > I'm even inclined to give this enclosed place a population of polar
> > bears and other arctic (and ice age tundra) megafauna.
> >
> > There might not be any timber available, which should provide for an
> > interesting technology based on beast bones or cast-rock artifacts
> > (from the lava streams). Heating would be available from carrying
> > cooling lava. Fires would be discouraged as they poison the air.
> >
> >
> > For further inspiration, think Viking Iceland, Jules Vernes'
> "Journey
> > to the Middle of the Earth", and Alan Dean Foster's "Icerigger"
> > trilogy. The choice of the magic system is up to you, about any
> > should be applicable. This might even work as an apostate Mostali or
> > very strange aldryami outpost.
> >
> >
> > Another, similar exotic setting could be one of the nearer
> > underworlds, where some earth people (sort of humans, or very minor
> > daimons) cohabitating with giant shrews or moles fight off invading
> > troll giant insect herders. They'd need some source of light in
> their
> > vast main cave, but that could be a fallen Star Captain chained to a
> > pillar in the middle of the cave.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
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