I'm a big believer in shattering canon for maximum game fun, as long as you let players know that you're doing so and don't bait and switch.
I'm considering a possible campaign where the visible effects of the sinking of Jrustrela and the Closing are simply the isle of Justrela being hurtled forward in time - to 1625 ST. Here, a complete (though battered) God Learner empire is now sitting on Jrustrela. These Jrustreli are not idiots, and Emperor Ilotos would pretty quickly discern that the defeat of Zistor, their being thrown forward into the future and the world generally snapping back in the face of God Learner abuses is due to God Learner mythic tampering. With the island in disarray, Ilotos uses the disaster to lock down control onto the various God Learner heroquesting schools, passing a new set of laws that forbid the manipulation of foreign myths. Further, the RuneQuest Sight is lost to the Jrusteli, due to the fact that the world changed as it passed into the 3rd Age. Ilotos uses the excuse of portraying excessive myth tampering as equivalent of the practices of Arkat's Stygian Empire as his justification. Lucky for Ilotos he was on the isle when the disaster hit!
This doesn't make the Jrusteli weak, however, not by a long shot. They are still the most puissant sorcerors on Glorantha, and while they can not benefit as they were able to from their former plundering of the Hero Plane, they still understand heroquesting like no other people does. While now careful to appease and not invoke the wrath of the Gift Bearers, the Jrusteli can make limited use of other people's myths, finding that they must invest at least as much time and prayer energy as true worshippers would, for less of a return (ie, misapplied veneration of theistic entities.)
As they gain their feet, they look to the north. They see Seshnela, controlled by Bailifes The Hammer and Theoblanc. They are offered the choice of swearing fealty to the throne of Jrustela or being crushed under Jrusteli armies. For the next 5 years, while the Lunar Empire is preoccupied with rebellions in Pent and Sartar, the God Learners reconquer their old territories in Seshnela, stopping at Fronela and Loskalm, and warring over the independent states in Ralios.
For their part, the Lunar Empire, reeling from the Dragonrise in Sartar, reinforces their defenses in Carmania. The disciplined, adroit God Learner armies clash with the Lunar Army, back by the colleges of magic. Both sides carefully probe each other, both on the god plane and in the real world. God Learner sorcery matches against Lunar Mysticism, while battles are fought over Malkioni and Lunar myth in the God Plane. Loskalm, locked in a life or death battle with the Kingdom of War, stays aloof from struggles elsewhere.
This gives Argrath and his kingdom much needed breathing space. Argrath carefully makes use of secrets of the old EWF - not so much that proper reverent worship of the gods would be threatened by Wyrmfriendism, but a cautious, respectful approach to Draconic mysticism is taken. This reaps huge dividends - this is what enables the Dragonrise in 1625, and also leads to such things as the rediscovery of the EWF battle banner, a symbol of Unity powers which puts forth as false the Red Goddesses lie that "we are all us" when the subtext is that We Are All Her. A common Orlanthi battelcry of the period is, "I am I!" and "I fought, we won!"
Thus, the newest phase of the Hero Wars, the three way war, is about to begin!
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