Re: About the Battle of Night and Day

From: Tim <tim_at_...>
Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2012 11:51:42 -0000

> I tried to translate an article of Wyrm's Footnotes #15: "Battle of
> Night and Day"...
> This text of the article is available at
> http://moondesignpublications.com/page/battle-night-and-day
>
> I recklessly faced the writings of Greg Stafford with my weak
> english ability... w)
>
> Below is several questions and comments during the effort above.
>
>> drizzling ann night
> Probably the sentence means that it drizzled whole night just
>before the battle. I assume "ann" is a typo.
>
Certainly looks like it, and "all" is the most likely correction ("at" would probably work to, but "all" is better)

> about the High King Garindath
>> in his sword howled a hundred men
> I assumed that is a poetic description that the High King swings
> his sword, it sounds like a hundred men howling.
>

or, like Elric's Stormbringer, his sword has slain 100 men, who'se souls/spirits/ghosts are now trapped in the sword.

or, as his armour is "thickened by the prayers of every Heortling woman" in the same sentance, maybe it is just his sword is magically supported by his warband. It may also be Literally howling - the "Great Sound", with which he threatens his enemy.

>> "I am Garindath, the son of Thunder," he cried, "All you lesser
>> beings should flee before me. I bear Justice and Death. Flee, or
>> be crushed by the Great Sound."

> about the High King Garindath
>> For personal service, a gale bore each boot
> I am not sure about the meaning of this sentence. "boot" might be
> the boots which the soldiers put on their feet.

Yes, I think this is right - we are told the High King "crouched upon his flyers as steadily as on earth". I think these "flyers" are the "gales" that are Garandith's followers that grant him the power of flight by carrying his boots...

>
> 3)What's wrong about Lokamayadon?
> Franky speaking, I began to like the character of Lokamayadon.
>

This is, of course, one of the great strengths of Glorantha - outside of "Pure Chaos", we can usually find something to like on either sides of a conflict, if we choose to look at things the right way (In the same way that we can see the Lunars as evil despotic conquerors, or an enlightened civilising people, for instance).

Lokomayadon's big problem, of course is that he lost, and that much of our knowledge of Glorantha has been presented from the point of view of his enemies, the Heortling Orlanthi.

I'm sure you could run a campaign where players were followers of Ostentelka, threatend by the evil Arkat, who you know to be the chaotic deity Gbaji the Deceiver made flesh, and his allies amongst the rebellious Orlanthi )who are denying the truth of Tarumath, the High Storm) and the inhuman Uz...