Homeland: Rathori
The Rathori are a primitive hunter-gatherer people who live without
permanent homes migrating seasonally to find food and survive the
seasons. Their native tools are wood and stone and they must trade
for metal tools and weapons from the Third Eye Blue people. They are
kin too and descended from bears. The Rathori are the largest
hsunchen group in Glorantha, numbering around 900,000, concentrated
in Rathorela, a land of rolling hills and green valleys, covered with
evergreen trees, in north-east Fronela. They are also the most
sophisticated group, bearing many charecteristics of settled peoples.
The Rathori scorn towns and villages, sleeping in simple two-man
tents while moving between summer hunting camps, or dwelling in
lodges during the winter, where they tell stories around the fire.
Several lodges may group together several families from the same clan
in a small village. Outside of each lodge is a totem pole. Rathori
familes, or dens, keep to a traditional but ill-defined territory.
When families meet the outcome is dependant on the relationship of
the leaders, not custom. Leadership is personal, people become
leaders because others follow them. Dens may have different leaders
for different opportunities or threats.
Men and women have distinct gender roles. Men hunt, women gather and
nurture the children. Still there is some overlap, only women may
hunt some animals and men must learn to sew and teach their nephews.
Everyone knows how to fight, and women may become warriors. Crossing
gender roles is taboo, except for shamans. The people send those who
cross such boundaries, or `wake the dragon' into exile; rumours
persist of secret bands of these `upside down people' hidden in the
deepest parts of the forest.
The den revolves around the mothers and people trace their descent
through the female line. A den is usually small, about 10-30 people,
centered on a group of sisters and their daughters with their
husbands, perhaps with an older grandmother. Men join the pack by
marriage, leaving their family behind. The clan encompass anyone
related along the female line closer than a second cousin; clans are
around 100 people. Mariage partners come from outside the clan, but
within the people. Clans only rarely meet together, such gatherings
are only possible when there is an abundance of resources, such as at
the Salmon Run in fall. Clans have no political authority, and its
members rarely act in unison. A people is everyone who shares a
common animal ancestor. There are three Rathori peoples, the
descendants of: Irgar the Grizzly, Irdag the Black Bear, and Orenra
the Blue Bear. The people have many small differences which make them
unique. Kings, and lines have kings have been known among the people,
but the their power is limited to those who they can personally
influence or command. Kings come to the fore in times of trouble,
when the clans co-operate to face a common threat or challenge.
People have little property, except for the tools of their trade, due
to the necessity of carrying everything in the summer months. The
lack of property means that there is less focus on material wealth
and society is egalitarian. There is no body of law or established
punishments, the den makes its own judgements based upon the needs of
the ancestors, spirits, and people; however, there are taboos such as
cutting Grandmother Earth's skin with a plow. Raiding and feuds with
outside groups is known, but war is uncommon.
The Rathori have friendship with the elves who live in their woods.
This is not an elf forest, though many of the elves here came from
the great elf forests of Winterwood and Erontree. The Rathori
obtained their legendary longbow from the elves, and are Glorantha's
only exponents of the weapon. Other lesser hsunchen people live in
Rathorela including the Flari (Owl People), Hogari (Mammoth People),
Kloisari (Badger People), Lotari (Raccoon People) and Sabadari
(Wolverine People). Others live nearby, such as the Uncoling
(Reindeer people) who live in Tastolar.
Rathori Homeland Keyword
Occupations Available: Gatherer, Hunter, Shaman, Warrior.
Native Abilities: Longbow, Rathori Customs, Stalk, Wilderness
Survival, Work Stone and Wood.
Typical Personality Traits: Calm, Fear Dragons, Reflective, Reserved.
Typical Relationships: to Den; to Clan; to Ancestors; to Shaman.
Magic: Birth Totems (common religion); Descendants of the Earthmaker
(animism).
Common Names:
Men—Aki, Einar, Gangu, Harrek, Hralf, Ismo, Jari, Jonat, Kari, Kost,
Lars, Oss,
Women—Aila, Auri, Heta, Heli, Irja, Jann, Oila, Olga, Sonja
Where: Rathori live in Rathorela, Fronela
Brother Bear
Every Rathori knows that he is descended from bears and kin to the
bears. The people share their territory with bears, however, people
do not have bears, as companions like some other hsunchen. The
Rathori understand that the bear is a solitary animal, who does not
enjoy the company of people and must be treated with respect. During
the fall, the people hunt bears, for their meat and their fur is
prized. Bear hunting is a sacred contest, preceded by dancing and
drumming that lasts for days.
The Rathori domesticate dogs and a pack of hunting dogs can be found
travelling with a typical den. Hunting dogs make good followers or
sidekicks for Rathori hunters.
Origin
Rathor, the White Bear, taught the people how survive the Darkness,
teaching them to dance, sing, and hunt and eventually in the coldest
depths of the Great Winter, to sleep while he watched over them. When
he awoke them, at the return of spring, he appointed his sons: Irgar
the Grizzly, Irdag the Black Bear, and Orenra the Blue Bear to guide
the people.
A hundred years ago Rathorela fell under a curse called the Syndic's
Ban. The people went to sleep in mid-winter, but whey they awoke, a
hundred years had passed. The world had changed during the Deep
Sleep, but for the sleepers, only one winter had passed. In1609,
Harrek the Berserk, a Rathori warrior, killed, skinned, and bound
Rathor the White Bear, grandfather of the peoples. Since that time no
Rathori has been able to contact the White Bear, or use his winter
survival magics to avoid sleeping through mid-winter. The shamans
report that hostile spirits have overrun Rathor's demesne and all
rituals have become more dangerous, with unexpected intrusions. The
grandmothers remain worried for the future.
Common Religion— Birth Signs
When a Rathori child is born his uncles and aunts make a note of the
positions of the stars, the presence of animals, and the shape of the
clouds and determine the child's birth signs. The shaman tattoos
these signs of power on the child's wrists and they will give the
child their first magic as they grow into adolescene. Some folks grow
out of their birth signs and seek deeper paths, but many use them
like old friends throughout their lives.
Talents: Climb Tree, Dig out Grubs, Find Edible Plants, Ignore Sting,
Make Spark, Make Safe to Drink, Menacing Growl, Mimic Prey, Shrug Off
Rain, Sniff Out Trail.
Specialized Religion Earthmaker
The religion of Earthmaker is the dominant tradition of Rathorela.
All adults belong to one of the practices here, either as spiritists
or practitioners, see the listing below for sample majestic spirits.
Your hero is probably a spiritist of the tradition, and thus gains
the benefit of the Earthmaker Tradition keyword, below. Some people
learn the spirit ways very young and become spiritists before they
are adults.
Rathor is the greatest spirit for he taught the people how to survive
in the Darkness. His children Irgar the Grizzly, Irdag the Black
Bear, and Orenra the Blue Bear guide the peoples of the Rathori.
Sample Majestic Spirits of the Earthmaker Tradition
Men and Women: BearFather
Spirits—Bear, Den, Man.
Gatherers:
Spirits—Den, Health.
Hunters: The Silent Stalker
Spirits—Hunting, Bow .
Shamans: Horned Man
Spirits—Ancestors, Special Spirits.
Any: Root, Leaf and Branch.
Local spirits propitiated by the Telmori as they wander through their
territory.
Spirits—Forest, [Hero], Land, Stream.
Reasons to Have Left Home
Young men must leave their den on adulthood to seek their fortune.
Some travel great distances to do so, hoping to win the finest mate
for themselves on their return. Some are exiled because of feuds, or
for breaking taboos, such as taking on non-gender roles. The Janube
city-states always need new bodies for the fight against the kingdom
of War, and the Lunar Empire always has a need for new soldiers to
fight its wars to the soutn.
Occupations
Gatherers
Gatherers take foodstuffs from the bounty of the Grandmother Earth
knowing the good plants and roots to eat and the poisonous ones,
where to find medicine, how to make tools from bark and stem, which
insects are good to eat, how to steal honey from bees, and how to
find eggs, nuts and fruit, trap small animals, and catch fish from
the stream in baskets. Despite the name, gatherers often `garden' the
landscape, using slash and burn to remove unwanted plants,
encouraging the distribution of the seeds of useful or edible
varieties, and creating habitats for insects. These activities are
small-scale and long-term because the family may not camp in this
area again for some time.
Beginning Hero Suggestions: Gatherers have useful survival abilities.
Gatherers can serve as guides and healers.
Appropriate Homelands: Pralori, Puma People, Rathori, Telmori.
Abilities: Carry Heavy Load, Dodge, Find Food, Hide, Keen Senses,
Know Grubs and Insects, Know Local Area, Know Plants, Make Medicine,
Retrace Path, Set Traps, Wilderness Survival.
Typical Personality Traits: Clever, Patient.
Typical Relationships: to Hunting Band.
Typical Followers: Gathering is a social activity and the den's women
tend to co-operate. Older women teach the younger their knowledge of
plants and insects as they travel and an experienced gatherer often
has a couple of such followers, who do much of the carrying and
fetching.
Standard of Living: Minimal.
Typical Equipment: Digging stick, knife, cooking gear, survival gear,
and furs.
"Glorantha, Glorantha Trading Association, Sartar Rising, Imperial Lunar Handbook, Lords of the West, and Odyssey of Terror are the trademarks of Issaries, Inc., and are used under license. HeroQuest, Hero Wars, RuneQuest, and Issaries are the registered trademarks of Issaries, Inc., and are used under license." "Glorantha is the creation of Greg Stafford. Greg Stafford and Issaries, Inc., reserve the right to use any Gloranthan names, places, and concepts, from any Original Material, in any future Gloranthan development or publications, without further credit or payment."
Thanks to Jeff Kyer for inspiration from BoG
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