By Dave Butler & Michael Dalzen

Runes: Fire & Truth

Elmal is the sun. He is a weapon companion of Orlanth and a member of the Storm Tribe. He unblinkingly executes any deed needed for the tribe. During the Darkness, he defended the stead from all foes while Orlanth was on his Lightbringers Quest, and so Elmal helped keep the world together so that Orlanth could recreate it at the  Dawn.

Holy Days

Every Fireday is a holy day, and in addition, there is one seasonal holy day per season other than Sea Season, as follows:

• Victorious Sun Day(Fire / Fertility / Fire)
• Husband Day(Fire / Mobility / Earth)
• Truth Day (Fire / Truth / Darkness)
• Thane Day (Fire / Harmony / Storm)
• The Long Night (Freeze / Luck to Gods / Fate)
• Survival Day (Fire / Luck)

Initiate Membership

Requirements:  Standard.
Cult Skills: Battle, Cult Lore (Elmal), Insight (human), Javelin, Listen, Any Spear, Ride, Scan, Shield, Worship (Elmal).
Favoured Passions: Devotion (Elmal), Honor, Loyalty (leader).
Notes: The Elmal cult teaches its initiates the cult secret Shield Wall (see below).
Spirit Magic: Bladesharp, Detect Enemies, Farsee, Firearrow, Fireblade, Lantern, Parry, Protection.
 
Rune Magic

Common Rune Magic: All.
Special Rune Magic: Bless Crops (uses the Fire rune), Catseye, Command Fire Elemental (small or medium), Detect Truth, Dismiss Fire Elemental (small or medium), Oath, Summon Fire Elemental (small or medium), Sunbright, Truespear (uses the Fire rune).
Enchantments: Ban, Binding Enchantment, Magic Point Enchantment, Matrix Creation, Spirit Armor Enchantment.

Faithful Thane (Rune Lord)

Requirements: A candidate must have 90% in Javelin, any Spear skill, and Loyalty (leader), plus 90% in two of the following abilities: Battle, Honor, Insight (human), Listen, Ride, Scan, or Shield.
Allied Spirits: Faithful Thanes may be given an allied spirit, especially if they are seen as facing a daunting defensive task. The spirit may inhabit a spear, a shield, or a horse.

Character Creation

Cult Starting Skills: Any Spear +20%, Shield +15%, Scan +10%.
Special Rune Magic: Bless Crops (uses the Fire rune), Catseye, Command Fire Elemental (small or medium), Detect Truth, Dismiss Fire Elemental (small or medium), Oath, Summon Fire Elemental (small or medium), Sunbright, Truespear (uses the Fire rune).
Cult Spirit Magic: Bladesharp, Detect Enemies, Farsee, Firearrow, Fireblade, Lantern, Parry, Protection.
Favoured Passions: Devotion (Elmal), Honor, Loyalty (leader).
Notes: An initiate learns the Elmal cult secret Shield Wall (see below).
Associated Cults: ChalanaArroy, Ernalda, Eurmal, Issaries, LhankorMhy, Orlanth, Storm Bull.

ELMAL SUBCULTS

Anatyr the Chieftain
Spirit Magic: Glamour
Special Rune Magic: Morale
Special Note:Insight (human) +10%

HyalorHorsebreaker
Spirit Magic: Slow
Special Rune Magic: Command Horse
Special Note: Ride +10%.

RedaldaHorsefriend
Spirit Magic: Mobility
Special Rune Magic: Bless Horse (see below)
Special Note: Animal Lore +10%. Redalda is the only subcult through which women can worship Elmal, and Redalda is only worshipped by women.

Rigsdal the Night Watchman
Spirit Magic: Lightwall
Special Rune Magic: Stay Alert (see below)
Special Note: Celestial Lore +10%

Associated Cults

• ChalanaArroy: Provides Cure Chaos Wound.
• Ernalda: Provides Earth Shield.
• Eurmal: Provides Reflection.
• Issaries: Provides Path Watch.
• LhankorMhy: Provides Detect Truth.
• Orlanth: ProvidesFearless.
• Storm Bull: Provides Face Chaos.

ELMAL CULT SECRET
SHIELD WALL

Initiates of Elmal are taught a cult secret, the Shield Wall, which is incorporated within their use of the Battle skill when commanding a troop of 5 or more (the initiate himself included), armed with large shields.

The organizing initiate rolls his Battle skill. If successful, all participants in the Shield Wall (including the initiate) may roll their Battle skill to augment every Large Shield Parry or Spear Attack, so long as they stay in the Shield Wall. If the organizing initiate’s initial Battle roll was a Special, all subsequent augment rolls are made with +20%; if the organizing initiate’s initial roll was a Critical, all subsequent rolls are made with a +50%.

ELMAL SPECIAL RUNE SPELLS

BLESS HORSE
Truth Rune – 1 point
Touch, Instant, Stackable

This spell provides relief to a horse. Each point of Bless Horse grants one form of relief (e.g. from fatigue, from hunger, from birthing pains, from disease, from an injury, from a curse) to a single horse; in the alternative, a single form of relief may be granted to additional horses by stacking additional points of Bless Horse (multiple forms of relief may not be provided to multiple horses in a single casting).

At the gamemaster’s discretion, the caster may need to expend magic points (e.g. to heal hit points) or engage in a POW v. POW contest or Spirit Combat (e.g. in order to relieve possession by a hostile spirit).

STAY ALERT
Fire/Sky Rune  – 1 point
Touch, Duration 24 hours, Stackable

For the duration of the spell, the target stays awake and alert with no penalties. Each additional point of Stay Alert will either cause the spell to affect an additional target or add an additional 24-hour period to the spell’s direction. If the Stay Alert spell lasts more than 24 hours, it can only affect a single target and Stay Alert cannot be stacked with Extension.