Great stuff, Ian.
However, I myself would much prefer that separate questions be made
into separate emails, for ease in answering and thread-following in
subsequent discussion. I hav a feeling this will have a long and messy
follow up.
> 1) What is up with the island of Guabelle off the south-west coast of
> the Castle Coast? It doesn't seem to be part of the CC, but it seems
> important enough to warrant a name on the few maps I've found online.
> Ginorth doesn't even get named as often.
People live there. That is the reason any of the islands on the map on page 80 of G:CotHW has a name.
> 2) Are all the Kanthor's Isles named? I've discovered Ginorth of Wolf
> Pirate fame; Volonne, Culonmac, and Varskolin of the Quinpolic League;
> and Gilboch of Seshnela. If the answer is yes, and the reason is
> G:CotHW, just let me know. I think I should probably buy this book anyway.
Probably not by humans. I don't think most humans even know the topography of those islands. The ara is shunned by people, who fear the cruising Luatha, who have the nasty habit of capturing or killing all humans they find there. Likely that the beastmen, triolina, aldryami and luatha have names and know the area, but not humans.
> 3) Elf forests in the Coast? Yea? Nay? Anything that makes them special?
Yes. I'm not sure if they have a Great Tree, and am not going to search that out now (I think not, but am not certain.) The elf woods of Kanthor existed from the Dawn Age and continuously since then. Friendly in the Dawn Age, the residents shunned humans, and even the God Learners avoided their woods.
> 4) Who controls the mines in the Iron Mountains? Mostali? Seshnela?
> The Castle Coast? Arolanit? All of the above?
Mostali do. They trade with some few humans, based on traditipnal contracts which they are bound to obey, until of course humans violate the terms.
> Revealed Mythologies spends a lot of time on the exploits of Zzabur;
> this makes sense and all. However, it seems odd to me that he would
> feature prominently as a *hero* to a population that got kicked out of
> Danmalastan during the bad times.
Zzabur has a mixed history. He is generally considered to be responsible for killing Malkion, thus making him "bad." But he did good things too, like organizing the spell to break the glacier at the end of the Ice Age. The GL admired him and prctically worshipped him as originator/lord of sorcery. Sorcerers still do, in many places, even though many of them do not realize it is Zzabur who is being so admired (since they use of his many titles, instead.)
> That's okay, Malkion is there to do
> things like race Eveddo and recommend fish. But, um, after Malkion
> dies, we're left with something of a gap.
A gap in... ?
> 5) I'm confused on timing here. Zzabur seems present when Malkion
> dies, but I also thought Malkion and the Chosen were expelled prior to
> Malkion's death. What is the proper sequence of events here?
Malkion and his Chosen were expelled and founded New Malkionela while he was alive* and Zzabur was still responsible for his death.
> RM is
> just confusing me on the issue. Should I just let it go and accept
> that due to the nature of the Darkness, Malkion could die and still
> lead his people to Malkonwal?
Please keep in mind that RM is an Unfinished Work and thus has many such contradictions.
> 6) And who *is* the Malkioni culture hero?
Malkion, in general.
> Zzabur is certainly
> prominent, what with being active *well* into History, but he doesn't
> feel *right* to me for a culture based on him basically being a dick
> to Moses *and* Jesus in the form of Malkion and Hrestol.
Zzabut is not the culture hero for the Malkioni. He is, of course, one of them for the Brithini.
> 7) Many, if not most, saints seem to have existed In Time.
Correct.
> How exactly
> does this translate into Malkioni HeroQuesting - do these events
> within time still have timeless reflections on the Hero Plane?
Not the Hero Plane of the Gods War, no.
If they are connected to the great critical events of history, then
the passage to them would be similiar.
> Are
> these saints themselves merely reflecting actions and stories
> performed BEFORE the Dawn by other mythic figures?
Not really.
> Should I be
> focusing more on the Girl Twins of Jederes and Desdoram than on
> Gerlaint Flamesword and St. Shalara when writing myths?
Malkioni HeroQuesting is derived from the HQing of the Theists, as
explained in the Middle Sea Empire.
Travel to the Gods War period(s) would entail visiting the nodes of
the beings that lived then, which in many cases means beings not
worshipped any more (including Zzabur, of course). Also, they can
enter through the other non-sorcerous Otherworlds, a dangerous and
troublesome way of doing it, but then, all HQing is troublesome and
dangerous.
> 8) Speaking of myths, are there any proper Chaos "gods" in western
> myth that might still have active "Satanic cults" underground? I'm
> specifically looking at Chaos entities that provide Grimoires.
> Vivamort was big in Tanisor, and Dadamus may or may not be associated
> with Chaos, or just Darkness. And then, of course, there's The Devil.
> But who are his Demons other than Vivamort or Kajabor?
Gbaji and his minions provide the most rady access to the cults you seek.
> 9) I'm basing my understanding of the old pagan Seshnelan theist
> religion on Latvian mythology, with a dose of certain Welsh elements
> (such as magic wells and odd non-human saints). The heavy serpent and
> grain imagery associated with Seshna Likita seems to have a mirror in
> the heavy serpent and grain imagery associated with Latvian old
> religion. And of course the Pendali/Basmoli were spirit practioners,
> right?
Yes.
> How much of these Old Time Religions survive amongst the lowest
> classes and isolated communities of Seshnela, the Castle Coast, and
> points Monotheist?
A lot, in most areas. I thought that even the examples of HQ rule book hinted at that.
> I mean, I understand there's been something close
> to a thousand years of God Learner/Hrestolic domination of Seshnela,
> but even in real world Europe where the magic *doesn't* seem to work,
> we see a lot of pagan carryovers into modern folk practice. Have the
> Old Faiths been subsumed entirely into quaint traditions and folklore,
> or are there secretive underground cults still meeting at the crumbled
> wells and sacred mounds of the West? I know the answer for MY
> Glorantha, but I'm curious about you folks.
"quaint traditions and folklore" = Common Magic today.
> 10) I have festivals associated with a few of the rogue Eranschula;
> Ehlim's Day is the Solstice (as far as I know, Glorantha has one
> equinox and one solstice); it remembers the day Ehlim tried to take
> all the sun's energies into himself, and failed, but at the cost of
> weakening the Sun (the days get shorter until we reach the Equinox at
> the start of the new year). I see it as a day of wild tomfoolery and
> much fun and japery at Ehlim's expense. There is probably a strained
> air to the proceedings, as the days *are* also going to be getting
> shorter and the darkness stronger until the intercalary symbolism of
> Holiday and "I Fought, We Won".
Although of course, IFWW is not know, AS SUCH, to the westerners.
> Any ideas for a similar festival for Worlath? Am I working too much
> paganism into my monotheism with these festivals?
I don't think so.
I think Worlath's Day would be the start of winter.
HOWEVER, I am not sure that they would be called after those forbidden entities, but have otheer names, either of the heroes who resisted the bad gods/saints, or maybe just the event itself.
> 11) Share some knowledge with me about real world monotheist
> mysticism. I have a whole mini-myth cycle in my head associated with
> the Ancient Animals of Danmalastan, with numerology playing some part.
> For instance, when the Five Material Animals are the important, named
> parents these are stories about the Castes and appropriate virtues,
> while if the Eight Power Animals are the named parents, these are
> broader lessons about doctrine. I also have some rough mantras going
> from One God through three pairs, five tetrads, four pentads, two
> trios, and then back to One God. I fear I'm getting a little too Hindu
> and abstract, and was hoping to pull back into some RW western traditions.
Look to Alchemy for some models of RQ mysticism. RQ mysticism has certain univesal charaqcteristics, and tends to be similiar at the "top" and vaiable at the "lower levels."
Issaries, Inc.
c/o Greg Stafford
1942 Channing Ave, #204
Berkeley, CA 94704 USA
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