In my Glorantha Elmal and Yelmalio do co-exist around Sartar, though not sometimes uneasily, because they fulfil different roles.
The Elmali worship a Sun god that joined the Storm Tribe. They therefore live in Orlanthi clans and tribes. Some Sartarite tribes probably have whole Elmali clans, but most don't-- other Elmali are minorities within predominantly Orlanthi clans. Most are farmers (just like most Orlanthi are farmers), but a minority are Huscarls. Sartar Kingdom of Heroes is probably the best, most up to date treatment of the Elmali in Sartar.
Whilst this is probably a case of MGWV, I would also envisage some of my Elmali as gravitating towards typically Solar activities within their communities: Some of the farmers and/or their Redalda-worshipping wives, will be horse-breeders and horsemasters. An Elmali thane might well be asked to train or command the Fyrd, if he is a better spearman than many Orlanthi thanes (who prefer the sword at close quarters), and/or because he is probably less likely to go off-Tula on a dangerous adventure. The clan's bowyer and fletcher (probably the same bloke) might be Elmali too (Solar association with the bow); As might the Chieftain's falconer (Solar association with birds). By contrast my Yelmalians live much like they did in Cults of Prax or Sun County, in their own communities. I still have a Sun Dome Temple south of Sartar (or on the southern edge of Sartar) and other Yelmalians in the more Lunarised parts of Northern Sartar, but that may be MGWV too. Unlike the Elmali they are not part of the Storm Tribe, but they are not really part of the Pelorian invasion either.
My limited, and possibly incorrect, understanding of the Revelation of Monrogh is that Monrogh (called Monroo in at least one source), told his worshippers to reject both Elmal and imported Pelorian sun worship, and to follow a new faith, the 'modern' Yelmalio cult.
However many Yelamlians would have been Elmali until the Revelation of Monrogh, so it is quite believeable that at least some Elmali still see them as 'Splitters' or worse-- possibly to a greater extent than the Orlanthi do.
I therefore see my Yelmalians in Sartar as clinging to a precarious neutrality between Sartarite nationalism and the Lunar Empire, and willing to fight for whoever will pay them (which in the early days will usually be the Lunars).
I think there is even one (old Hero Wars) post-Fall of Whitewall scenario in which the Yelmalians begin as mercenaries fighting alongside the Lunars , but begin to reconsider their position due to the Lunars' use of Chaos-tainted creatures on the battlefield
I see Elmal and Yelmalio as offering fairly similar magic. There are accounts of the two cults' Divine Magic in the MRQ Cults book, and in HQ you would make it up based on the cults' runes anyway. Elmal might not have the same prohibition on out-and-out fire magic though, as he didn't go to the Hill of Gold and get mugged by Zorak Zoran.
Hope this helps (or at least provokes onstructive debate),
Richard Hayes
From: Guy Hoyle <guy.hoyle_at_rnSl82-tpXi0BBIfcv9JPMdTAgQTRc80XukdoUlaGX-IhbHWvRX5tzywERaDupTAGA1sBYX2mrPW2NJzsJE.yahoo.invalid>
Subject: Oh no! Yelmalio vs. Elmal!
To: WorldofGlorantha_at_yahoogroups.com
Date: Saturday, 7 August, 2010, 14:03
I don't want to start a new debate over the divisive Y vs E debate again, but I'm trying to pull together a Risus campaign set in Dragon Pass. I've been playing RQ since 1978, so that's a big part of my view of Glorantha (I still love the monomyth!), but I plan on using some background and adventures from later products like the Sartar book. So, the issue of Yelmalio vs Elmal has cropped up. I favor the old view of an old Yelmalio presence (established more than a century ago). However, I like the notion of "Elmal the Loyal Thane", who also has also been around for quite awhile. Is there a way for these two notions to coincide?
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