As part of the Lunar Empire names for Glorantha and Runequest, here is a list of potential Carmanian name ideas.
This is taken from published sources, stemming the known names and some ‘Jiggery Pokery’ from me.
Its a cheat list and should save some time and add a flavour to your names.
I’ve merged prefixes and suffixes again so its a long list and there may be some howlers
Carmanian Mens Names Continue reading Lunar Names Part 2 – Carmanian Names
After raiding the fortunate succession and then hacking some Babylonian names I have come up with a list of Dara Happen names.
The longer the name generally the higher status of the individual. Note women’s names are much shorter than men’s names.
Names are often appended with titles, honorifics or family names as suits the tradition of a family.
Dara Happen Mens Names Continue reading Lunar Names Part 3 – Dara Happen Names
I had to created a editable Electronic version of the Theylean Gloranthan Calendar to work out Joh Miths Itinerary on the previous post.
It is a resource I will use more and more as I run my sandbox campaigns to keep track of the different plot streams , creating separate tabs for each group of NPC’s or plot arcs as I see fit.
I’m sure there are prettier version out there, but I thought it may be an interesting resource to share, as it may save people 20 mins when creating there own timelines.
Joh Mith is one of the main characters in Griffins Mountain as written, and the much loved Issaries trader makes his yearly journeys from Satar through to Balazar and then in theory onto Gon Ortas Castle.
I have realised that the itinerary given in Griffin Mountain doesn’t allow room for an expedition to Gon Ortas castle. He is also now based in Jonstown. In my campaign Rhegus Whitehair has died and thus there is no longer the need for the Elkoi trips. Also the settlement at Swim Here offers an alternative rest stop to Dykene, which saves him a few days on the trip out to Gon Ortas castle.
Therefore I am suggesting an alternative itinerary for Joh which means he can make a trip to Giantland each year, and also winter in Johnstown. See what you think. Continue reading Joh Miths – Caravan Itinerary
The following group has really been written as a test of the character creation system, for NPC’s and as pre gens for a game I may run in the future. However if a ref has a need of a detailed and interesting lunar patrol for interaction, or recurring NPC’s these guys may make an interesting group.
The core of the group area half crescent(different terms for file) from a mercenary company of Peltasts called the Sons of the Moon, who usually recruit and operate in Vaunch and Holay and are often hired by the provincial army. They are currently being rotated through Balazar on garrison duty.
These mercenary’s are lunar worshippers and are loyal to the Empire, they are also a cohesive unit and have been working together for some years, like most units they are prone to resent outsiders. Continue reading Lunar Patrol – NPC’s or Pregen Characters
The write up of the Giants and Giant land in the original Griffin mountain (pg199 in the reprint) is excellent , and this article is suggestion for the deepening of the background . There are a couple of places where I have deviated from, the Griffin Mountain original, and this is to attempt to bring the mythos up to date and in-line with current thinking as I found it inconsistent.
The only thing which I take issue with is concept that Gon Orta was 12 meters high in the first age, due to the YGMV(Your Glorantha may Vary) concept, in my games active maturing true giants are never less than 30 meters tall, True giants and common/young/wild giants are two distinctly different races.
There are distinct groupings of active giants in the Elder Wilds and Eastern Rockwood mountains. The first is an organised grouping in Giantland lead by Gon Orta, this group contain Gon Orta and a number of his closest associates.
The second cannot really be described as a formal grouping, they are a collection of individuals and loners. The wild giants who can be found in most places across the Elder Wilds, causing disorder and destruction either by intent or merely by trying to survive.
A much smaller third group of Giants are called twisted giants and though small in number, they are significant enough to be a cause for concern . First due to their size and then for the regularity at which these beast appear. Almost always formerly wild giants which are mutated significantly by chaos.
True giants are mythic beings who existed early in Godtime and are the compatriots of true Dragons and the Gods themselves, some being parents of the earliest of the Gods. Few of these beings are active in time. Gon Orta a very young and inexperienced true Giants is the only one his kind who is perceived as being currently active in this part of the world. And only a handful have been chronicled within time.
The 11 giants who by Myth and Legend form the Big Giant Mountains, are all true giants. They are considered inactive by most, and the trolls who burrow in there mountains doubt they are giants at all. Younger common giants often claim ancestry from one of the Mountains but scholar cannot see how this is possible.
The giant cradles which have through time passed down the Zola Fel river are all the babies of true giants. Where these go and what they do after passing down the Zola Fel river has been un-documented, but there have been no well supported myths of adult true giants returning to Giant Land within recorded time.
True giants are subject to a spiritual journey which they call the Inner Path, this starts with the journey down the Zola Fel and time with Magasta, but will continue through a True Giants life. When asked Gon Orta has explained it would be pointless to try to explain this path to a non giant, and even says common giants cannot comprehend it.
However true giants have a spiritual discipline called Gentling which changes the nature and the intellectual capabilities of common Giants. This is the teaching of a much watered down and simplified version of the inner path.
Blueface the shaman has been known to say that the big giants are very real and only inactive on this plane. They are spiritual beings that mainly exists and act upon the hero plane at this moment in time. The mountains are only physical shadows of powerful spiritual entities which are active elsewhere.
A gentled Giant is a common or young giant who has been disciplined by a true giant for a number of decades and has had their natural associated with the disorder rune broken. The only gentled giants within the Elder wilds are those who have been taught by Gon Orta.
Gentled Giants act in many ways like oversized humans due their main runic association now being man. They can worship human gods, join and form societies and groups without significant ranchor or strife.
There are a limited number of Gentled Giants within the Elder Wilds known giants are Boshbisil, Hen Cik, Sa Mita and Bunscoto being the notable ones (all described in Griffin Mountain).
Gon Orta has a desire to mentor more of the Giants of Giantland but the process seems to require willing co operation from the Giant involved which isn’t always forthcoming.
Most common or young Giants, still have their associations with the disorder rune and roam the Elder Wilds alone or in small and temporary( for giants ) groups. They are aware and are in awe of Gon Orta, but really have little appetite to follow his rules for any other reasons than fear of the consequences. As such they tend to avoid his castle and have as little to do with him as possible.
They claim ancestry from true giants only because they have heard of Giants do that, and have no real concept on what their relationship with True giants actually is.
They are commonly found in Elder Wilds plains, mountains, non elven forests and troll strongholds, They are avoid elf forests and mostali Mountains. They are highly destructive in nature, but some do seem to be able to co-exist with and in troll society.
Wild Giant Write ups
There are a very small number of giant have succumbed to the taint of chaos, every decade or so one of the Wild Giants seems to be completely consumed by Chaos and transforms itself into a chaotic horror. This are often hunted down by Gon Ortas giants or by the trolls but a few survive hiding out in the mountains or outer reaches of the Elder Wilds. Occasionally raiding more populated lands.
Gon Orta is deeply concerned about this but currently has no understanding of how or why this is taking place. It is in fact Granny Keeneyes who when she can is luring giants to festering isle, to be corrupted with the lagoon.
Twisted Giants who are currently known are;
Summary
The Newtlings of the Elder Wilds are the most visible part of integrated culture of intelligent marine life across the upper tributaries of the Arcos River and the Elf Sea. This culture includes intelligent fish, a variety of water spirits and naiads. This is not a structured or unified community, but newtling are aware of the variety subtleties of life in the river in a way that a human never could be.
They are rarely aggressive and are keen to cooperate when they can, however they don’t seem overly concerned by the monsters in the Elf Sea and Rivers of the region, and it is highly possible that some kind of accommodation between the two parties exists.
History
Newtlings see themselves as the children and servants of the river spirits and their history is one and the same. Newtlings have been present in the Elder wilds as long as rivers have been which goes back early into the Gods age.
In the first age newtlings of the Elder Wilds had a complex and difficult relationship with the elves of the Elf Sea who did not fully understand the nature of waterborne life and chose not to worship the spirits of the river.
They have never had a good relationship since. The two races rarely fight but just choose to keep their distance from each other and do not interfere in each other’s business.
Trolls have always been enemies of the newtling for no reasons more complex that the newtlings are seen as prey and their tails a delicacy by many of the Uz. Newtlings have always just retreated from troll areas of dominance and will continue to do so.
The absence of their cousins the Dragonewts in the Elder Wilds region leaves the newtlings with no natural allies in the region.
Historically Newtlings have seen humans as the most cooperative and friendly of the major races in this area, having had broadly amicable relations and trading with local votanki tribes since the dawn. However as the Lunar Empire came into conflict with the denizens of the Oslir river and refugees fled over to or travelled the river Arcos, the local Newtlings have become very aware of this much more serious threat from humans.
Legends & Myth
Most newtlings see the River Gods and by inference themselves as the unknown and unappreciated saviours of the Elder Wilds. They are very aware that the Seronde river daily sacrifices herself to send her waters to plug the hole in the world created near Festering Isle at great personal cost.
They know that the river of the damned flows upstream from the Serond to Festering Isle as the Lady of the River pours her waters into the breach to stop chaos swarming through. They feel other races and Gods ignore this sacrifice and fail to send to aid or help, and leave the Lady to fight this battle alone. They are often resentful of this lack of appreciation of the river and its peoples.
They also believe the rivers to be peacemakers in the land, with the rivers creating barriers between warring races, tribes and factions. They again see this as a role that stops the madness or pointless conflict which welcome chaos into the world. However newtlings are willing to engage in conflict if required but are generally passive preferring peaceful solutions to most problems.
Many newtling revere a water spirit called Assimar ‘woodbiter’, who mastered the magic which controls the great monsters of the Elf Sea. Early in the second age Assimar set these creatures upon the ships of the elves for slights both real and imagined. Within a generation the elves had stopped sailing on the seas and the rivers of the Elder Wilds.
The newtlings of the Arcos basin have prophesied of a hero or ‘Mendar’ to save them from the feared assaults from the Lunar Empire as it expands and to avoid the fate of newtlings of the Oslir River. Exacts facts are unclear and muddled apart from the knowledge that the ‘Mendar’ will not be a newtling and will a foreigner.
Distribution
Newtlings live in villages of 50 to 80 bachelor and adult newtlings, which will be looking after a similar number of younger newtlings. These villages will always be well protected by water, but most are land based in such places as underground caves, islands, bank sides.
These villages are found along all the major rivers of Balazar and the Elder Wilds, but not in Troll or Elven strongholds, the coast of the Elf Sea is an area of particular concentration of villages.
Bachelors may be found ranging some distance from villages but still tend to stay close to major bodies of water.
Key Groups
Some groups of newtling villages in an area form looses alliances there are for such groups worth note in the Elder Wilds region.
Key Personalities
I published this nasty group of Tusk Riders about a month ago and got comments which suggested they were a little over powered and would make a mess of anything found in Balazar.
Both of which were true, but hadn’t phased me as these guys are not designed to be one (or many) combat encounter, but are designed to be a campaign plot theme. However seeing as I had not stated as such its very understandable that readers had not understood this.
Background Principles
I have a number of thoughts as regards major plot which will be going on in the campaign setting;
I would define the tusk rider as this type of ongoing major plot device, which add background colour and teaches them about the campaign setting whilst the players can deal with their own plot.
For example,
My characters are a small party of Lunar fixers and hired help on their way to Elkoi. They are met by a Balazaring Clan who claim to be loyal to the Lunars and King Glyptus but have suffered at the hands of the Tusk Riders. The players are requested to pass this message on the Lunars in Elkoi, with complaints about the actions of these lunar agents. This message is delivered and some political wrangling happens just at the periphery of the characters vision.
This slight interaction very quickly tells the players the following facts about the campaign setting;
It could also create a whole storyline of being sent to molify the aggrieved clan without fighting the Tusk Riders, or being sent to rebuke the tusk riders on behalf of the empire.
Also an event as large as the tusk riders arriving in Elkoi lands has a number of knock on effects, and could have more especially if Halycon sets the tusk riders in the rebel clans in Elmwood.
So am using them to create a sense of movement, politics and threat whilst the players are still in the mindset of “That is dangerous let’s not go near it.”.
When I want to introduce direct interaction with them to campaign I will look to do the following to ensure we do for maximum game fun;
Hopefully these initial encounters lead to a series of more direct encounters with the tusk riders in small groups which may be more challenging.
Introduction
Recently upon the word of the Aid to the Lunar Minister of Provencal Security concerning Balazar and its domains, Uhtan (Warlord) Ravic Deadman has been promised silver and hunting and raiding rights across significant land in Balazar, if he would bring a warband to support the work of the Lunar Empire for 2 years
Uhtan Ravic Deadman has brought 5 rides of Tusk riders north in his Warband, he knows the promises made are unlikely to be kept, but has little interest in land rights or hunting grounds. What he wants is the ability to raid, fight, bully and steal with the backing of the Lunar authorities. He knows this contract will go wrong but wants to cause as much harm and make as much profit as much as possible before it does.
Each ride of warriors is independent and only Ravics brutal personality keeps them together as a warband. The different rides will most often raid and work independently, but come together to camp in their hastily built stockade in the southern West Plain. Gold is paid to Ravic on a per job basis from Halycon and the tuskers riders are often used to support Barons Blackshields.
Ravic does not believe that any of the Balazarings can stand against his riders and there are few that can. Small bands and individual tusk riders travel north from the stinking forest time to time to join what is considered to be a successful war band.
Uhtan Ravic Deadman
A grizzled old tusk ride of some 35 years of age, he was been fighting and raiding since the age of nine and is still alive where few of his comrades are. Ruthless, violent, cruel, cunning and vicious he is everything a tusk rider leader should be.
He has travelled all over dragon pass, deep into Prax, and has been north into Balazar twice before. The Uhtan has successfully lead his ride for over ten years now, but has taken his current title only for the past two. However he found little difficulty in raising five rides for the war band and is considered a successful leader.
Despite his cruelness and demeanour, Ravic is an incredibly bright individual who can see subtleties in situations and anticipate what will happen in the future very well. This makes him cautious and he makes decisions defensively and always assumes he will be double crossed in any given situation.
Ravic is a powerful servant of the bloody tusk and has bound spirits in hands taken from a Chalana Arroy priestess, an Issaries priest and a Orlanthi warrior. He rides beast of a Tusker which has been awaken by Ravics allied spirit and is known simply as Gore.
The deadmen
Ravics personal ride are called the Deadmen and they decorate their armour with the bones of humans, and there tuskers with the bones of various mounts so they often look like undead at first glance. There are about 30 tusk riders in the pack. The Uhtan keeps his 4 lieutenants in competition and conflict with each other, but if someone gets powerful enough to be thinking about a challenge they are killed or thrown out of the ride.
Blood Rain
A ride of 18 tusk riders who are well travelled through dragon pass and down into Kethelia, they are experienced warriors and are a highly efficient and effective unit. They have been working with Uhtan Ravic on and off for 2 years now and have a good understanding with him.
The rides Athan is Snape Longeye, a particularly sly individual, who is fond of the ambush and the sneak attack. The rides name comes from the habit of hanging their prisoners upside down, and draining their blood onto the celebrating warriors underneath
A notable figure as well as Snape is ‘Draco the Wild’ an up and coming tusk rider of 14 years, who fights with the vigour of youth and experience of a warriors twice his age. A few in the war band mark him for either great things or a dagger in the back.
The Ironfist
A ride of experienced mercenaries who are much travelled, the ride contains 12 Tusk Riders who are known to worship both Zorac Zoran and the Bloody Tusk. This is their first time working with Uhtan Ravic, but both have good reputations and expect the arrangement to go well.
The ride is named after a mystic item which the rides Atan wears, this iron gauntlet grants the wearer the power to catch an opponent’s weapon in combat.
The current Atan is Frac the Black, who took the group over 2 seasons ago after challenging the previous Atan. He is a fearsome warriors with nothing subtle about him.
Deathbringers
The 8 tusk riders of this ride follow Atan ‘Raki the Cheetah’ a former Agimori from Prax who was captured and then survived tusk rider initiation over 10 years ago.
Due to Atan Raki still feeling the needing to prove himself the Deathbringers are more intentionally cruel than other rides. They also take more risks and have a much higher mortality rate. The surviving riders are very competent and ruthless warriors.
They have rode in Prax and the Stinking Forest previously and have only worked with Uhtan Ravic once before.
Ravagers
A ride of younger less experienced 16 tusk riders from the stinking forest, they are much less experienced and more arrogant than other riders. It is the first time they have followed Uhtan Ravic and he wouldn’t have taken them on if he could have got a more experience ride.
They are good time boys, who have only encountered battle on home turf with superior numbers to this point. There Artan is a female tusk rider called Wispa who is a competent warrior but has to use her powerful sexuality to control the ride.
Terms
Ride – A permanent group of 5 to 35 Tusker Riders who follow an Atan and have family lies or connections.
Warband – A collection of rides lead by an Uhtan or war leader, this group is only ever temporary in nature and its continued survival is dependent upon the strength of its leader, the opportunity and the current success of the campaign.
Atan – Ride Leader loyal to no one, whose cooperation is earned or bought by a Uhtan
Uhtan – A warband Leader
In this version of Griffin Mountain changes have happened as regards the Lightbringers hall in Trilus.
They are broadly speaking as follows;
So now the current Lightbringer residents of Trilus are;
Pay and Toraths Orlanthi Group
Native Orlanthi
Chalana Arroy
Issaries