> The suggestions from others have all been good. Just to throw some
> more grist into the mill, here are a few other, more esoteric,
> possibilities.
>
> The actual supplement supporting Trader Princes won't be out for a
> while (Jeff Kyer is working on it currently) but it sure is a good
> setting. The trader princes were originally western merchants who
> built a `silk road' type connection to the holy country, just south
> of the mountains through Maniria. When Dormal the sailor found the
> way around the closing of the sea, they were suddenly at a
> disadvantage. Now the coastal cities are booming, the Trader
Princes
> are trying to control them, and fortune seekers and agents from all
> over Glorantha are flocking to these boom towns. Oh yah, pirates
are
> attracted to them too, including the infamous Harrek (Q: When
Harrek
> comes to your city, what do you give him? A: it doesn't matter, he
> just kills you and takes what he wants anyway). The advantages
here
> is that there is a ready excuse to be from anywhere (including all
of
> the core HQ homelands), and it is easy to explain why you are
working
> together—you are working for one of the trader princes (or against
> one of them). There is less of the common enemy, other than fickle
> fortune which could wipe it all away at any time.
*yoink* Whether or not I use it centrally, a Trader Prince is too interesting not to keep in mind for possible backround opportunities.
And to be honest, a coastal city in the Southern Manirian region has already crossed my mind. Make it my Mos Eisley/Casablanca port of call. Traders from everywhere, desperate refugees, seekers of knowledge, all in one turbulent pot.
> If you have players who want to be lunar, but you still want the
> lunar empire to be the enemy, then you might like the upper reaches
> of the Janube river, in the eastern part of Fronelia. You would
have
> to do a lot of background work and your own culture definitions
> however, so I wouldn't suggest it unless you want to play the
> differences between the lunar religion and the actual lunar state.
> Basically some independent city states in this area were converted
to
> the lunar religion before the syndic's ban, which isolated each
> section of Fronela for decades. To the west there is mighy
Loksalm,
> a wizardly meritocracy (or so they say), nearer is the pure evil of
> the kingdom of war. You have bear hsunchen (and rheindeer ones
too)
> to the north, and of course the lunar empire to the east. The
empire
> wants these cities, the cities do not want to be had. I think this
> area is just screaming to be developed as a setting, but I don't
> think it is in the plans. So it would give all sorts of potential
> for strange magics and weird goings on, but as I said, you'd have
to
> create most of it from scratch.
Not to start, but I LOVE this idea. Especially since it puts into sharp relief the differences between the Lunar Way and the Lunar Empire. This would be way too much to try to start in, though, since I'm trying to get the players hooked on Glorantha before I start mainlining it into their systems. (First taste's free, baby.)
That does bring up two questions I had, though. I've as of yet only encountered refrences to Loksalm and The Kingdom of War indirectly. anyone want to do the thumbnail sketch?
> In more developed areas, I think both In Wintertops Shadow (the
tarsh
> exiles) and Thieves Arm (in Farthest (alda-chur and so on) could be
> adapted to what you want. In the former case, various opponents of
> the lunars may have sent agents to work with the exiles, in the
> latter various factions may be working in Farthest, where the lunar
> control is somewhat indirect, potentially allowing better
development
> of covert operations.
Both look intriguing. I think unless they REALLY want to be up in the Lunar's faces, the more indirect approach of Farthest would suit better.
> What ever you choose, it sounds like you'll be having a lot of fun.
One does hope. One does hope.
LC
> --Bryan
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