Re: A lot of Kralorela questions

From: Peter Metcalfe <metcalph_at__VRYh4a-0xJPEgpFYsbVSDX1628lFvY8vHhsZMZZtqWFmYEGQeC5zg7MxISYFeH6yD3>
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 2010 20:25:37 +1300


arun wrote:

> I wanted
> to include the Mountain of Light Animals and the Mountain of Dark
> Animals (seen in maps from Arcane Lore) I am tempted to make the
> Mountain of Light Animals the mountain range on the island of Fanzai,
> and the Mountain of Dark Animals to be in roughly the spot of the
> Plateau of Statues (ie the Plateau comes later). Am I miles off with
> these locations.

I always thought of them as the Mountains of Light and Darkness and that they were part of the Shan Shan. They are probably the Twin Mountains referred obliquely in Revealed Mythologies. That said, I can't fault your identification of the Mountain of Darkness but the Mountain of Light could IMO be Diamond Mountain, not Fanzai.

> 2) I've split the Kralori into 4 groups, primarily so each player in
> a 4 player game controls one. I've called these groups the Shiyang,
> Vaska Long, Hum Chang, and Boshan, essentially after the regions that
> they should end up in.

Another possible division might be the Gang of Four: the Earth Eater, the Shadow Cancer, the Secret Waters and the Star Permutator; thus Thalurzni's purification is really a casting out of old traditions among these peoples.

> I am not sure what to call the Mountains north of Jankley
> Bore and am tempted to make these the Thrown Mountains that were
> thrown at the Dozaki by Aldryami - from Uz Lore.

The Thrown Mountains IMO are the northeastern part of the Rockwoods as the Green Elves that were threatened might be the Elves of the Elder Wilds. I think the material for the mountains came from the Plateau of Statues.

Another range of Mountains is the Umath Mountains which I think is the mountain range lying west of the Shan Shan and north of the Snow Line.

A possible name for the Mountains of Ignorance could be Sortum. I know Revealed Mythologies has it floating around in the Kahar Sea but it probably ran aground after the Austerity Conquest.

 > Can the forces of Sekever that attack Shavaya,
> are driven away by Daruda, fight Vayobi, and do some dodgy deals with
> Immanent Masters all be included in one group of nasties (I'm
> thinking the Legion of Red Bones, the Demon beneath Tzu Lung, the
> Lobster Demon of the Suam Chow, are all Sekeverans)

I don't see why not.

> 5) How far up the coast is it possible to grow rice. Shiyang seems to
> go a long way if it reaches all the way to Tzu Lung. I'm tempted to
> think that rice is only grown as far north as the valley of the
> Emerald Fish Lord.

Shiyang is said specifically to be centred on the river valley which rules out Tzu Lung IMO. I'm tempted to argue that Hsin Yin is at best a border city or even a city of Kralori exiles.

> 6) The Suam Chow sinks at the arrival of Daruda, driving the
> Sekeverans away. I'm interpreting this as the Suam Chow becoming
> Islands. I then think that they remain as Islands until the Dragon
> Awakening Shudder, during which time they are flooded by the Sea
> Dragon, but then they return to being Islands. The map of Kralorela
> in Mongooses' Second Age seems to have solid land there (as well as a
> few unlikely looking rivers) but I think this must be in error.

Perhaps Shang Hsa was mad enough to dyke the Suam Chow as a symbol of his power?

> 7) The Tunnelled Hills are described somewhere as the ruins of a city
> from the Godtime. Would this be a Genert city, or could it be part of
> Sechkaul/Teshnos.

It's an interesting question. The Heortling Maps (same as in Arcane Lore) has a range of mountains beyond Genert's Garden (which it calls the Umath Mountains) and beyond them lie the Dragon Woods. But since the Heortlings never travelled much into Genert's lands, the mountain range that they remember may simply be the Mountain of Darkness plus the Tunnelled Hills.

I doubt that Teshnos extended so far into the wastes although the various rulers of that land may have tried to establish a colony there.

> 8) I am wondering if the Shaytunn (from Glorantha: Introduction to
> the HeroWars) and the Two Headed Demons cleared by Imolo Wen are
> actually both 2 headed demons, or actually Pentan style horse riders
> (ie, they have a horse head, and a human head)

I interpret the two headed demons as being Pentans.

> 9) Zabdamar - have they always fought the Kralori, ever since the sea
> of Fog was created, or did they fall out later?

They may have fallen out when Thalurzni expelled the Secret Waters.

> 10) Can I assume Warring Ford (as in the Battle of Warring Ford,
> between the Elder Races and Emperor Yanoor) is some place between
> Shiyang and Ignorance?

You could. But that would be boring IMO. A much niftier possibility would be to have the warring ford somewhere within Kralorela meaning that the Dwarves and Uz conquered parts of Kralorela when the Emperor was relatively weak.

Another possibility is the Wastelands with the Dwarves and Uz representing the Mountains of Light and Darkness. The Warring Ford is some untrustworthy ford over a "serpent" in the Greatlands between Diamond Mountain and the Plateau of Statues.

--Peter Metcalfe            

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