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Jacksonboro: The Summit, and What Followed. Megan Aguilar

The miles stretched. We played cards in the RV to pass the time and avoid talking too seriously. There were reservation in that cab, clutched tight in the chests of hardened men and women. The debate over this endeavor, held at the common hall overlooking the new docks at Battery Point, only ended the previous evening. Contending arguments were heated. Roughly a quarter of our people, both the…

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#Beaufort #Blue Ship #Jacksonboro #Kevin Lafayette #Megan Aguilar #The Addisons #The Battery Library #The First Consul #Walterboro #Year 5 #Zombie Apocalypse

Jacksonboro, Prologue

Recorded by Megan Aguilar, Annalist of the Fort Sumter Irregulars, July 16 Year 5. Revised August 3 Year 7. We don’t travel highways in the old fashion without significant need. Even with the streets we hold swept of the worst debris and the dead, with our reach advanced all the way to Calhoun and the western bridges under permanent guard, we lack the numbers or the fuel to make regular forays…

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glorantha

So what's the legend of Argan Argar stealing Lodril's spear?

Argan Argar once fought Lodril and defeated him. He clapped him in chains of darkest shadow and made him his slave. At Argan Argar’s command, Lodril built the Palace of Black Glass, which was a gift to his lover Esrola. Afterwards, Argan Argar took Lodril’s spear and revealed its secrets to his kin. This is how trolls learned to use the spear, which is a weapon of the hated Fire Tribe.The mace is the weapon of the Darkness Rune and the weapon of choice for most trolls. If you see a dark troll wielding a spear, they’re almost certainly an initiate of Argan Argar. In some places, the spear is the symbol for the Argan Argar cult.

bdrobertson

How did Argan Argar and Esrola become lovers?

glorantha

I would know more of Elmal. How did he come to join Orlanth's ring? Was he a member of the Sun pantheon before then? Is he still a god of that pantheon wearing an Orlanthi mask? Are these even meaningful distinctions in Glorantha?

Elmal is the Sun God of the Orlanthi. He is the Hearthguard, the Horsefriend and the Loyal Thane of Orlanth.

Elmal was not always part of the Storm Tribe. He was originally part of Yelm’s Fire Tribe and was an enemy of Orlanth. But one day, Chalana Arroy healed Elmal of his blindness, and the god could finally see the unjust ways of his tribe for what they were. He realised that there were more things in life than the perfection of light, so he left his tribe and became a wanderer.

glorantha

tell us about odayla the hunter

Odayla is the Storm Bear, god of hunters and the wilderness. He was the child of Orlanth and Verala, the Lady of the Wild. Though he lived as a god with his father, he had the wilderness inside of him and never stayed at home for long. He ranged far out into the wild, living with the beasts there and learrning their magic. He became a great hunter, able to walk through the world unseen and unheard. There was always a new animal to hunt, a new secret to learn.

alternativeart

Wayne Barlowe selected by Alternative Art

3liza

"no touching!"

bdrobertson

that's cool and all but why go for the Wayne Barlowe art about some chump monk instead of the pieces with mutilated demons riding the damned souls of human emperors stretched and distended into infernal war elephants

#sargatanas #waynebarlowe #godsdemon

glorantha

Please tell us of a hero of the Lunar Empire.

How about I tell you about the greatest hero of the Lunar Empire?

Jar-eel the Razoress is the Fourth Inspiration of Moonson, grand-daughter of Hon-eel the Artess, daughter of the Red Emperor and the living incarnation of Sedenya. She is a member of the Eel-ariash noble clan, a product of their generations-long breeding program to reincarnate the Red Goddess in the Middle World. They were successful, but their daughter’s achievements in this world and the next are rapidly eclipsing theirs.

Ever since she was a child, Jar-eel has been performing miracles. When she was no more than 8, she travelled to the Red Moon, met Sedenya and became Illuminated. When she was 14, she led the Imperial Bodyguard up a cliff face to storm the city of Boldhome, capital of Sartar. When the violent rebel Beat-Pot Aelwrin led a slave revolt in Oraya, Jar-eel not only crushed the rebellion but turned Aelwrin into a loyal friend. When the invasion of the Holy Country failed, Jar-eel masterminded the assassination and spiritual dismemberment of Belintar the God-King

Jar-eel is charismatic, intelligent and a hero of immense power. She is famous for her beauty and for her poetry, which shows her wry sense of humour. She is also famous as a deadly warrior, a living goddess and a killer of things unkillable. Entire regiments have surrendered when faced with her radiant glory, laying down their arms in awe and terror.

The Razoress is one of the New Gods of the Lunar pantheon, worshipped by the Moonsword cult headed by Beat-Pot Aelwrin. The Moonswords master an esoteric fighting discipline before joining the elite Bloodspillers regiment of the Imperial Bodyguard. The Bloodspillers are loyal to Jar-eel above all else, and have followed her into countless battles.

Currently, Jar-eel is in the Lunar Heartland, engaged in lengthy debates with the Keepers of the White Moon. Soon she will answer the call that will take her to Dragon Pass, to play her role in the Hero Wars.

bdrobertson

radical

glorantha

Lawspeaker, what is this land of Kralorela, and what is the nature of its Dragon Emperor?

Kralorela is the largest and oldest stronghold of Vithelan civilisation. They call their empire the Land of Splendour. The Kralorelans believe theirs to be the greatest culture in Glorantha, with a history that stretches back five million generations, well into the God Time. They are extremely xenophobic and maintain strict policies of isolationism; the first Kethaelan ships to reach Kralorela were sunk, with Godunya leaving only nine sailors with one ship and nine eyes between them to warn off outsiders.

Foreigners have been able to breach the borders of Kralorela twice since the Dawn. The first time, the God Learners took over, and since then all foreigners have been referred to as God Learners. The second time, Sheng Seleris invaded with his Great Horde, and the land still bears the scars of his brutality. These experiences have created little desire in the Kralorelans to change their ways.

bdrobertson

rules

glorantha

Lawspeaker, correct my ignorance on the subject of the Kingdom of Ignorance.

Chen Durel, the Kingdom of Ignorance, is a country north of Kralorela. It’s filled with crumbling pyramids and ancient ruins that date back to civilisations lost in the God Time. It’s mostly populated by trolls and trollkin, who serve as the slaves to a cabal of Kralorelan humans. It lacks the xenophobic isolationism of Kralorela, and the city of Jangi-Shar is the terminus of the Etyries Caravan. It is also a far more barbaric country than Kralorela, infamous for blood sacrifice and gladiatorial combat.

bdrobertson

fuckin' woah

glorantha

What can you tell us of the Red Emperor of the Lunars?

The Red Emperor is the son of Sedenya and ruler of the Lunar Empire. He has many titles: the Moonson, Our Father, Lord of the Four Quarters, Staff and Pillar to God, Leader of the Egi, Shah of Shahs and the Bright and Illustrious Emperor of Dara Happa, to name a few. He is the supreme head of the political government, the highest priest of the Lunar religion and the commander-in-chief of the army. He is a god and a god of gods, with divine authority over the myriad deities that comprise the Lunar pantheon.

The Red Emperor exists to embody the Lunar creed of We Are All Us. There are thousands of people in the empire from many different cultures, but they are all united by the Emperor. There are countless cults and organisations serving the empire, but they are all led by the Emperor. The Lunar Empire has existed through war and peace for centuries, but there has always been a Red Emperor to lead it.

Over the course of his rule, the Red Emperor has taken on many different identities, called his Masks. His first was Doskalos, who was one of the many dead in the Battle of Castle Blue. After that was TakenEgi, who is to date the longest-serving Mask of the Emperor, until he was killed multiple times by the warlord Sheng Seleris. Since then, the Mask of the Emperor changes according to the current needs of the Empire. Each Mask is different from the other, leading some people to believe there has been more than one Red Emperor, but they are wrong.

The current Mask is named Argenteus. He is a benevolent ruler who makes few practical efforts to administrate and expand the empire. He is far more interested in filling the empire with love and ecstasy. While his advisors handle the chores of basic governance, he lives a decadent life amidst the thousands of friends, enemies, lovers and relatives that make up the Imperial Court.

glorantha

Lawspeaker, I beg of you: what is Occlusion?

Occlusion is the dark side of Illumination. It’s realising that the Many is One, but ignoring that One is Many. Occlusioned Illuminates are extreme solipsists, and what’s more, the power of Illumination makes them right. What they believe, what they desire, that is the way the world works. The Bright Empire was full of Occluded, and they thought nothing of committing unspeakable horrors for Nysalor. The Lunar Way requires and encourages Illumination, but the Sevening Rites are designed to weed out Occluded before they can Illuminate.

To understand just how bad Occlusion can be, we need only look at Sheng Seleris, the Star of Pain.

glorantha

Tell us of the various styles of Illumination around Genertela, and the dangers of such power!

Absolutely! But first, I think I should explain a little about what Illumination is.

Illumination is a mystical process of enlightenment that was first introduced to Glorantha by Nysalor and spread by the Bright Empire. Very little of that empire has survived into the Third Age, and Nysalor’s Secret Doctrines are almost entirely lost. But the Lunar Empire has resurrected worship of Nysalor, and Illumination is a major part of the Lunar Way.

The story of Illumination says that it was the first, the First Being, the entity that existed even before existence. When existence began, Illumination was lost. It was rediscovered by Yelm, the Emperor of the Universe, who had always been the One, above and beyond the rest of existence. When he was slain by Orlanth, he was just one of the Many dead who were lost in the Underworld. Realising this, Yelm was enlightened, and the universe could finally be recreated.

The One is Many. The Many is One. Being able to comprehend this is the basis of Illumination.

glorantha

Who where The Empire of Wyrm’s Friends and why did the True Dragons destroy them?

The EWF (also known as the Empire of Wyrm’s Friends, Empire of the Wyrm’s Friends and the Empire Without Friends) was the other major empire in the Second Age. I guess it would be more correct to say that the True Dragons finished them off, since the EWF fell apart for a variety of reasons, but I digress. They had their origins in Dragon Pass, which at the time was home to one of the oldest and most powerful dragonewt societies.

The EWF began with Rostand the Speaker, who fell victim to one of Eurmal’s pranks. Trickster split his tongue, heart and brain, which allowed Rostand to speak the language of dragons. This allowed him to learn draconic magic, and he taught others how to do the same. Soon, dragon magic and dragon thinking was spreading throughout Dragon Pass; its mystical potential attracted people from all walks of life, and people could start using dragon magic without even trying.

#glorantha #dragons #dragonewts #dragon pass #EWF

glorantha

Where did the God Learners come from? When and how did they begin God Learning?

The God Learner movement came from the eastern continent of Jrustela in the Second Age. They got their start in the year 646 with the revelations of the Abiding Book, the holy book of the Malkioni faith. In only a year, Malkionism became the dominant faith in Jrustela.

The proto-God Learners were the Seven Explorers of Eradinthanos, who crushed an elven revolt in Umathela with spells they’d devised after studying the Abiding Book. The heirs of the Seven Explorers developed the RuneQuest Sight, a magical method of studying the world. The secret is now lost, but it apparently allowed its users to see the underlying metaphysical patterns in the world.

What the God Learners learnt is that the magical forces that made up the world had quantifiable qualities and relationships, which the God Learners organised into the now-famous system of Runes. They followed the Runes to their sources in the Otherworld and from there started to develop the unified theory of mythology they’re now famous for.

bdrobertson

Raaaaad, thank you.

#glorantha #godlearners

glorantha

Can we hear a thing or two about True Dragons?

So in Glorantha, a big old flying lizard might come along and burn your house and eat your livestock. It’ll hoard all the gold it can and generally make a nuisance of itself. And you might call this a dragon and you’d be fair to do so.

But it’s not a True Dragon. It’s a Dream Dragon, and it’s a poor replica of the real thing.

All_Blvck_Everything

how to be perf 101

cool.

i dreamed about this woman after seeing her picture last night

alayne-stonecoldfox

Hello. I spent rather too much of this evening scrolling through your blog and giggling at X-Men pictures. I've been out of the superhero comics stream for a while now, and have a question: is Jean Grey alive now? And if so, how did that happen?

not …really.

Past sixteen year old jean grey from the sixties has been brought to the present.

And that same jean grey all grown up has travelled back from the future.

so right now theres past, present, future versions of jean grey, and present jean is still the dead one. theres just past version, and future version of the past version,

bdrobertson

It's worse than I could've possibly imagined. Thank you.

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