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The Mountain City: a Godtime Myth
"King Griffin's Stronghold"
In the golden age, King Griffin was the Guardian of the Gate of the Palace of Law. His image may still be seen on palaces throughout Glorantha. Golden lion and golden eagle both, he was the companion to the Lord of Light, and the favoured mount of the Lord's son, Yelmalio. From his back, the Son of Light could survey his father's realm. High in the mountains was a city to which humans climbed that they might be nearer to the Light. The Son of the Light would descend upon King Griffin's back to greet the humans, and to bring a touch of light to the mortal world.
As the world became more stormy, Yelmalio relied on King Griffin to carry him through the storms buffeting his father's palace so that he might reach the people below. And often, when the Son of Light was off attending to his father's business, King Griffin would go alone to carry the light to the humans. When the great darkness came, King Griffin was caught in the mortal realm. He guarded the flame in the centre of Yelmalio's Hall and defended his master's followers throughout the darkness. The Sun Hawks and the Stone Falcons, children he had fathered with local bird spirits, warded off demons of the air and helped the people find edible prey on the ground. The Sun Lions and the Stone Panthers prowled outside the walls of the stronghold and through the forests to hunt out the spawn of chaos and the enemies of Yelmalio's people, people who copied the great cats' stealth and strength.
One day, the wild storm god Orlanth stole King Griffin's wings, and used their speed and strength in his war against the gods of the Sun and the gods of Darkness. Lonely, and despairing at his loss and separation from his beloved master, King Griffin went mad. He fathered wild and vicious mountain lions, wingless like himself and as bestial as he had become. He seized and abused local bird spirits and fathered the pitiless owl and the loathsome vulture. He devoured the humans who had once honored him and his master. The stronghold was deserted and people cursed the memory of King Griffin.
Seeing that Griffin longed to escape the earth, Votank the Master of Spirits helped King Griffin recover his senses and told him to track down Orlanth and steal his wings back. King Griffin, with the help of Votank, did so. And before he departed the earth, King Griffin gave Votank the keys to the hidden stronghold, and promised that he would return to make good the suffering he had caused Yelmalio's people. Where that stronghold is and where Votank put the keys remain secrets to this day.
Oral History: The Sacred Stones
"How the Circle of Stones Came to Be"
This was our home, before Balazar came as king among us. The plains are its carpet, the blue sky its roof, the mountains its pillars. We love the fortresses the great king gave us, but we know that all of us live in one big beautiful house. On this land were written the signs of the gods, signs we learnt to read before Balazar gave us the letters of the Sun: three lines for harmony; the circle with the point for the sun's eye and the breast of mother earth; two waves for the rivers and lakes; the two arms reaching up for the truth; the swirl of the winds; the knife of death; the eyelid of the beast; the stick figure of man; and the sacred shaman's glyph.
In the middle of the plains we saw a rock in the shape of the Spike of Law and on it we wrote the sign of the Sun and the sign of truth. Now, when the great darkness came, the Spike exploded and showered its fragments throughout the world. Since all living beings of the world are trying to put back together the perfect world we lost, we figured that we should help by recreating the lost house of the gods in the middle of our big beautiful house.
So, from the mountains we rolled down a boulder swirled with the blue and the white of the storm. Out of a sweet blue river we rolled a boulder and marked it the the water runes. Out of the earth we raised a stone that looked like the first hunter, who had sheltered in Mother Earth. We put a broad, strong stone next to him: his wife and nurturer Hearthmother. Before them we raised a black stone and in white we inscribed the spirit glyph; this was done to honour Votank, master of spirits, the child of Hearthmother and Foundchild. Guarding them all is King Griffin, majestic and dreadful. And around the Little-House-Inside-the-Big-Beautiful-Ho use stand the stones of Brother Dog, ever friendly to our family but ever vigilant against our enemies.
This was all done by our grandfathers and grandmothers when the world was young. Ever since then, the Little House has been cared for by all the tribes of this land and even the remotest plainswalker or mountain dweller has been to see the Little House at least once in his or her life.
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