As Pete M has said, Elmal is not banned but not encouraged by the authorities, either, so while his worship is quite rare in the river valley communities, it's quite acceptable in the wild and woollies. Indeed, in many ways it fits an adventurer much better than Yelmalio, as the latter would automatically be under the command of the Sun Dome Temple (UW1 p24 - 'Glory Spears'). It also fits much better with the 'cultural needs' of the SW of Tarsh - the clan needs vigilant guardians and individual heroes, not a bloody phalanx!
Yes, the Ormsgone Valley tribes are Alakoring, but at the very fringes of Tarshite authority. They could be from the furthest-flung Hardhill or Yarandros clans.
On the subject of passes through the Rockwoods, I imagine that there would be routes of the sort that a few hardy travellers on foot could use, just not major breaks. It's not official, but I've also toyed with rumours of the 'Green Treasure Path' that cuts SW all the way to the aldryami realm of Arstola Forest.
All the best
Mark
The Unspoken Word, a Gloranthan magazine http://www.celtic-webs.com/theunspokenword
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