In this Issue:

The Cave of Waha - Andrew Larsen
Timinits and Trolls part 3 - Gianni Vacca
Cults of Chern Durel - David Millians
Language of the Durulz - Jane Williams w/ art by John Hughes.

Andrew Larsen

This location can be placed anywhere in Prax or the Wastes, as the narrator needs. It is best located in a more remote and mountainous area, such as the Eiritha Hills, the eastern side of the Condor Crags, or the Bleak Hills. It is well-known to the shamans of Waha and other Praxians may have heard of it, but few non-Praxians know of it (unless the narrator chooses to place it near an Oasis or other settlement).

Waha and the Bad Spirits

During the Great Darkness, Waha confronted many bad spirits who plagued the Wahano and Eirithana. Although he fought them many times, and always triumphed, they continued to plague Prax. Finally he went and dug a deep cave in the hills, so deep that no light or wind could reach to the bottom of it. He made certain that there was only one way into or out of the cave. Then he went and tracked down the evil spirits, one by one. Some he wrestled and tied with ropes and threw into the cave. Others he chased and as they fled from him, he drove them into the cave. Others he tricked into entering the cave. Then he ordered Oakfed, the Wildfire, to stand at the mouth of the cave and burn those spirits who tried to leave until they died or fled back into the cave. He drew the mouth of the cave low to the ground, so that the foolish would not be tempted to enter. Occasionally, when the Wahano are bad, and forget the way of Waha, he allows some of the bad spirits out for a time, so that they can plague the Wahano and remind them of why they must follow Waha’s yassa.

The Cave Today

The cave is located at the base of a low range of mountains. It is home to a small stand of saxual trees, which provide the only source of water in the immediate area. The cave itself has a very low entrance, barely three feet high, which resembles a scowling mouth; most who enter the cave must do so on their hands and knees, although Impala and Bolo Lizard riders merely have to crouch down.

Inside, the cave has a fairly high ceiling. The walls of the cave are painted with many scenes depicting Praxian myths, including the Survival Contest, Waha’s struggles with Oakfed and the Dark Eater, Oakfed’s fight with Zola Fel, and the digging of the Good Canal. The front portion of the cave is a shrine to Waha and Oakfed, and also the residence of the shaman who tends the shrine.

Further back the cave narrows and turns downward into the earth. At the point where it narrows is a fire pit in which a large fire burns but produces no smoke. This is the Holy Fire of Oakfed, and it is sacred to that Great Spirit; it is, in fact, a piece of Oakfed. It must be kept constantly alight, because it is the thing that keeps all the bad spirits trapped deeper in the cave. The fire itself will harm or destroy any spirits forced into contact with it, depending on how powerful the spirit is. Any spirits brought into the cave become more uncomfortable the closer they get to the fire. (If you are playing Runequest, bound spirits complain and familiars will refuse to approach it. If you playing Heroquest, animist characters must make a Tradition score roll against a High Difficulty to persuade the spirits they have charms from to stay with them; failure causes the spirits to depart as if they had been released, so that they must be rebound.)

The shaman who controls the Cave of Waha may, if he wishes, allow a character to contact Oakfed through the Holy Fire. This is an unusual honor; shamans of Waha or Oakfed are likely to be permitted to do so, especially if they can offer a clear need to do so; other Praxian shamans will probably have to work to persuade the guardian of the shrine. Non-Praxian animists are unlikely to be able to convince the guardian without remarkable circumstances, since the Oho-wahano do not respect Waha’s yassa.

If Oakfed is contacted and appeased here, he will allow a character to take away either some of the ash from the fire pit or one of the sticks. Characters with Water Rune association will never receive either treasure. Both have magical uses.

The Sacred Ash harms impure creatures, including things with Chaotic Features and corporal undead (including zombies, skeletons, and vampires); other creatures may be impure depending on the Narrator’s decision. In Runequest terms, a dose of the ash will inflict 3d6 damage to an impure creature; if combined with rune magic that controls the wind, it will inflict 1d6 damage to a large group of target creatures. In Heroquest terms, it will provide a temporary ability of Burn Impure creature at 17; it is unlikely that characters will get enough Sacred Ash to make it a permanent ability.

A Sacred Firestick is a partly charred piece of saxual wood. It will ignite upon command and will burn until commanded to extinguish; despite burning, it is never consumed. A Sacred Firestick holds some of Oakfed’s power against spirits. In Runequest, it has a POW of 15 and must be attuned; it grants the holder a bonus of +20% when in Spirit Combat. In Heroquest, it grants the character a Burn Spirit ability at 17, and may be acquired permanently by spending 1 Hero Point. As long as the character possesses a Sacred Firestick, he or she gains the Taboo Never Bathe; should the taboo be violated, the Sacred Firestick immediately bursts into flame and is consumed.

The cave continues down into earth, but it is dangerous for characters to go beyond the Holy Fire unless they are equipped with a torch lit from the Holy Fire, because they will probably be swarmed by bad spirits. In Runequest, characters will find themselves repeatedly in Spirit Combat with powerful spirits. In Heroquest, they will need to make a roll against Very High or Nearly Impossible Difficulties. If equipped with a Holy Fire torch, spirits will hover around the edge of the light, but will not approach; eventually though, such a torch will begin to sputter and go out as it is consumed.

Despite the risks, there are reasons to descend into the Cave of Waha. It is a Spirit Place, and contacting spirits here is easier than elsewhere. Entering the Spirit Plane is also easier here. It is also a place to contact a variety of knowledgeable but dangerous spirits that are too powerful to summon elsewhere.

The Guardian of the Cave

The Cave of Waha has been continuously tended by a shaman of Waha or Oakfed since the Darkness. Some guardians have simply committed themselves to this duty, while others have been given a Taboo by Waha or Oakfed requiring them to tend the shrine. The guardian of the shrine (or the senior guardian, if there is more than one) is considered to outrank all other Waha shamans except the High Khan of a Nation or the Greatest Khan at the Paps, but his authority only extends within the Cave and its immediate vicinity. When the guardian dies, he is cremated in the Holy Fire.

The current shaman is Chaka Old-as-Dust, a Bolo Lizard Rider. As his name suggests, he is extremely old, nearly 200, and has lived at the Cave since he became a khan. He is tiny and stooped with age; he is barely three feet tall. He rarely wears clothes anymore, since he is generally alone. His eyes are sharp, but he tends to talk to himself when not actively conversing with someone, and sometimes forgets that he is talking to living beings and drifts into conversations with spirits. Despite this, he is not senile, but very sharp, and deeply knowledgeable about spirits; about some matters involving spirits, he is more knowledgeable than any living khan of Waha. His Bolo Lizard has been dead for a very long time now, and Old-as-Dust has not used a weapon, except for ritual purposes, in decades. Should players attack him, he is easy to defeat physically, but very dangerous magically. In Heroquest terms, he has Spirit, Death, and Mastery runes; if confronted physically, he presents a Low Difficulty, but he commands a wide range of spirits and if he can respond magically, he presents a Very High Difficulty.

The Bad Spirits of the Cave

There are a wide variety of bad spirits trapped in the Cave of Waha. Almost any dangerous spirit that the Narrator needs can be found here, although few of them are Chaotic. All are hostile spirits, although some of them can be negotiated with, while others are mindlessly malevolent. Here are a few options. Runequest narrators will have to provide statistics for them. Some of these can only be found at the Cave, while others can be encountered elsewhere in Prax and the Wastes.

The Ungtai

These are spirits of Hunger, who came to Prax following the Dark Eater. They appear as silhouettes with enormous empty mouths. The Ungtai are mindless, driven simply by an insatiable hunger. They attack living targets and seek to possess them; if they succeed, the victim immediately begins seeking food to eat. The victim will do nothing but eat, and will do whatever is necessary to get food; herbivorous creatures will eat whatever plant matter they can find, while meat-eaters will attack the closest living creature and seek to eat it. Those possessed have remarkable strength, and if unable to eat will struggle with almost berserk frenzy. The Ungtai are by their nature a violation of the yassa; they eat things that are not to be eaten, and they do not butcher the animals they consume. Praxians who are possessed by an Ungtai must be purified after they are exorcized, unless they have been prevented from breaking the yassa’s food laws.

Ungtai are associated with the Hunger Rune.

Chagga, the Filthy Mother

Chagga was one of the grand-daughters of Eiritha; each Nation claims she belongs to another Nation (thus the Sables claim she was a High Llama, while the High Llamas say she was Bison). When Eiritha commanded her children to be fertile and give birth, Chagga began to mate with bulls of all kinds, and with humans as well. Eiritha was horrified and told her that what she was doing was wrong, but Chagga said that she wished to be like her grandmother and give birth to many nations. She produced many children, some of whom Waha succeeded in trapping in his cave.

Chaggas appear as human women and cows of different types who are grotesquely pregnant; their bellies drag on the ground and their breasts or udders hang low as well. They only attack females of species associated with the Man or Beast rune. Often, they attack as their victims sleep. Once possessed, the victim becomes pregnant (regardless of age), and the pregnancy progresses rapidly, coming to term in less than a week. They give birth and then find themselves pregnant again the next day. Unless exorcised, the victim will gradually get weaker and weaker and finally die of exhaustion.

The possessed mother gives birth to something unusual, but exactly what varies enormously. Most commonly it is a calf or baby of a different species from the mother, so that an impala will birth a gern, a bison may produce an agimori, and a human may drop a sable. Sometimes the victim will produce twins, triplets, or more, not always of the same species. Rarely, a human gives birth to a full-grown human, with the knowledge and skills of a baby. Praxians consider such offspring to be unclean, and usually kill them at birth, but non-Praxians often mistake them for spirits made flesh. If they survive to maturity, they are always malevolent. Cows that have been possessed by a chagga are butchered and their meat left to rot; exorcized women are considered unclean and must undergo an Eirithan heroquest before they are permitted to lie with a man again.

Chaggas are associated with the Life Rune.

Waroolo

Waroolo is the spirit of stampede. It plagues herd beasts and humans associated with beasts. Waha wrestled it into the Cave, but regularly releases it to trouble the Wahano and force them to prove their strength. It most commonly attacks herd beasts, but can affect mounts just as easily. It does not possess them, but simply moves among them, filling them with fear and driving them to flight. Waroolo can also frighten sentient beings with a Beast Rune connection. This includes Awakened creatures, Morokanth, and Eiritha and Foundchild worshippers, among others, but it is less powerful against them.

In Runequest terms, Waroolo can automatically inspire fear and flight in Fixed-INT creatures. Against sentient beings with a Beast Rune connection, it attacks with a POW of 15; those it overcomes must flee in fear. Each round, the target may roll to overcome a POW of 15, and if successful, the panic subsides. In Heroquest terms, regular beasts have a Nearly Impossible Difficulty to resist it, while sentient beings with a Beast Rune connection have a High Difficulty. Those who do not resist must flee for a duration determined by the degree of failure.

Only Waha shamans know the proper technique for sending Waroolo back to the Cave. If any other shaman defeats it in Spirit Combat, Waroolo will flee, but will return within a day or two to continue plaguing the clan. If a Waha shaman defeats it, however, it can be forced into a leather bag and buried in the ground. This will force it to return to captivity in the Cave.

Waroolo is associated with the Disorder Rune.

The Bad Ancestors

Back in the Great Darkness, when Waha commanded the Survival Contest, some humans refused to play, and they rejected Waha’s yassa, doing things he had forbidden. Waha tricked them into entering the Cave, but they often find ways to escape. The Bad Ancestors do not attack characters, but rather seek to seduce them with promises of magic they can find nowhere else. But the magics they offer always require the characters to violate the yassa or the strictures of their Tradition. Thus they offer healing magics to the followers of Waha, and death magics to Eirithans. Or the charms they offer come with Taboos that require the character to kill an animal without using the Peaceful Cut. If the character accepts the magic and then is plagued by a Spirit of Reprisal, the Bad Ancestor will help defend the character, thus increasing his alienation from the Praxian Traditions.

The Bad Ancestors have a variety of Runes, depending on their nature.

A Labour of Love

Gianni Vacca

Playing Tunnels & Trolls in Glorantha

Part 1: Issue 13, Summer 2012
Part 2: Issue 14, Autumn 2012
Part 3: Issue 15, Winter 2013

Part Three: Adventuring

III – Game Mechanics

All Game mechanics are as detailed in Tunnels & Trolls (avaliable from Flying Buffalo)

IV – Equipment

Weapons

Timinits & Trolls is an old-school FRP aimed at reliving the thrill of exploring dangerous ruins, killing the horrible monsters living therein, and returning to one’s village full of loot. Weapons are thus the main equipment most delvers will be interested in.

Weapon

STR
needed

DEX
needed

Damage
dice + adds

Cost
(guilders)

Weight
(w.u.)

2H

Axe

17

8

4

40

150

N

Axe, great

20

10

5 + 3

50

190

Y

Bow, composite

15

15

4 + 3

150

60

Y

Bow, elf

15

18

6 + 5

N/A

50

Y

Bow, self

15

15

4

50

50

Y

Broadsword

15

10

3 + 4

50

120

N

Dagger

1

4/10

2 + 1

20

16

N

Footman’s lance

10

10

4

30

120

Y

Hammer, war

16

3

5 + 1

50

300

N

Hatchet

6

6

2 + 3

25

50

N

Javelin

5

7

2

35

30

N

Mace, heavy

17

3

5 + 2

40

200

Y

Maul

19

6

6 + 1

40

220

Y

Pike

15

12

6

30

100

Y

Rapier

10

14

3 + 4

100

20

N

Scimitar

10

11

4

50

100

N

Short sword

7

3

3

25

30

N

Spear, boar

13

8

4 + 2

20

100

Y

Spear, common

8

8

3 + 1

15

30

N

Spear, long

5

12

5

20

120

Y

Sword, two-handed

17

14

5 + 2

150

160

Y

Armour

After his weapon(s), armour is often a delver’s best friend. Umathings are limited to chainmail. Malki may wear any armour (provided they can buy it!).

Name

STR
needed

Protection
Points

Cost
(Guilders)

Weight
(w.u.)

Banded mail

13

13

320

450

Chainmail

12

12

250

360

Cuirbouilli

8

7

170

160

Heavy Cloth

3

1

20

30

Heavy Plate

19

20

1300

700

Lamellar

13

9

200

320

Plate

16

18

460

450

Quilted

6

3

50

100

Ring Mail

14

13

435

410

Scale Mail

10

8

210

300

Soft Leather

7

5

50

75

Shields

Protection provided by a shield is on top of armour but limits the delver to 1H weapons.

Name

STR
needed

Protection
points

Cost
(Guilders)

Weight
(w.u.)

Buckler

2

3

10

75

Pavise

14

7

130

700

Target shield

10

4

35

300

Tower shield

12

6

100

500

General Equipment

Prices are per Umathing markets and fairs. Prices in the countryside are higher but usually entail barter rather than the exchange of metal currency; prices are usually lower in large Malki cities, except for animals.

Item

Cost

Weight

Bow saw

50

30

Crowbar

120

200

Draught hog

350

N/A

Grappling hook

30

50

Lantern

12

20

Oil, flask

15

5

Rations, 1wk

35

15

Riding horse

3600

N/A

Rope (15m)

50

100

Tinderbox

4

2

Torch

¼

1

Wagon

1000

N/A

War horse

9000

N/A

Horse barding is available at a price of 10× the price of the same armour for humans (e.g., plate barding costs 4600 guilders).

V - Magic

There are four kinds of Magic in Timinits & Trolls: Wizard Magic, Hedge Magic, Cult Magic, and Spirit Magic.

Both Wizard and Cult Magic function with spell lists. Hedge and Spirit Magic are freeform.

Magic is fuelled by the delver’s POW characteristic points.

Wizard Magic (or Wizardry)

This is the magic system as described in the standard Tunnels & Trolls rules. Wizardry is sorcery. It deals in revelations offered by the Invisible God that allow practitioners to manipulate the physical nature of the universe. It allows them to bend nature rather than channel it, which means that Umathings and many other Pamaltelan cultures view sorcery with suspicion and hatred. Wizardry does not need faith or virtue or whatever, just knowledge and the requirements of the specific spell (which may impose specific taboos or requirements).

If, for any reason, a delver who is not a Templar or a Wizard has access to learning Wizardry, than he must learn each level of power-up spells as a separate spell.

Casting a Wizard Magic spell requires:

knowledge of the relevant spell,

minimum INT and DEX,

and a successful INT skill roll of the level of the spell being cast

If the target has a POW greater than the caster’s POW, the spell doesn’t take effect, but the target loses as many POW characteristic points as spent by the spell caster. If the target has a POW less than or equal to the caster’s, the spell takes effect.

Hedge Magic

As written above, Hedge Magic is freeform. Casting a Hedge Magic spell only needs the Hedge Magic talent, and a successful Hedge Magic skill roll.

Use the following guidelines for the spells:

Effect: 1D per level of difficulty of the Skill Roll
Cost: same as effect; if no die is rolled 5 POW characteristic points per level
Duration: instantaneous or one-use, but the GM may allow an extended effect by increasing the Skill Roll level

Examples:

healing 1D hit points is a 1st level spell, and costs 1D [same as what has been rolled] POW characteristic points

adding 2D to one’s combat adds is a 2nd level spell and costs 2D [as rolled] POW characteristic points

adding 1D to one’s armour points is a 1st level spell, and costs 1D [as rolled] POW characteristic points

decreasing the difficulty of a ranged combat roll by 2 levels is a 2nd level spell and costs 10 POW characteristic points

Hedge Magic spells are often self-centred. Should someone cast a Hedge Magic spell onto an unwilling target, then the following apply:
If the target as a POW greater than the caster’s POW, the spell doesn’t take effect, but the target loses as many POW characteristic points as spent by the spell caster. If the target has a POW less than or equal to the caster’s, the spell takes effect.

Cult Magic

Cults are a very important aspect of the magic-rich world of Glorantha. Joining a Cult is abstracted by spending 500 AP.

In gaming terms, one of the main benefits of becoming a Cult initiate is getting access to Cult Magic spells. With regards to Cult Magic, a Cult initiate becomes an Acolyte. An Acolyte is basically a “dual classed" character – and the only instance of such a character in Timinits & Trolls – the first class is whatever class the character already had, and the second class is Acolyte. The character level of the latter is computed using POW only.

Acolytes are limited to Level 5. Upon reaching the 5th level as an Acolyte, the character must decide if he devotes himself entirely to his cult, in which case he changes his character class and fully becomes a Priest, thereby losing all his previous class benefits (Talents however remain at whatever value they were), or if he remains an Acolyte, ‘stuck’ at Level 5, and continues his progression in his ‘other’ character class.

Acolyte/Priest Description

(greatly inspired by Mirabile Dictu! Priests as Characters in T&T; Dorothy V. March, Sorcerer's Apprentice issue 17) Background: Any (except precluded classes). Requisites: POW & CHR must be equal to or larger than 10. Primary characteristics: POW only. Talents: Whatever Talents the initiate already had. Combat:

Acolytes may use the same weapons as their ‘other’ character class.

Priests may be skilled in the use of any one class of weapons, of a type sacred to or associated with their Cult. Priests may also use any form of armour unless it is precluded by the tenets of the Cult.

Magic: A starting Acolyte is tattooed with the runes of his cult. These serve as the focal points of concentration when casting Cult Magic spells.

A starting Acolyte knows all 1st level Cult Magic spells. Spells beyond that level must be purchased from the temples or churches of the cult.

Casting a Cult Magic spell requires:

knowledge of the relevant spell,

minimum CHR,

and a successful CHR skill roll of the level of the spell being cast.

If the target as a POW greater than the caster’s POW, the spell doesn’t take effect, but the target loses as many POW characteristic points as spent by the spell caster. If the target has a POW less than or equal to the caster’s, the spell takes effect.

Cult magic spells are described in issue 17 of the Sorcerer's Apprentice; if the GM does not have access to them, he should devise his own cult magic spells for each cult in his campaign, using the wizardly spells as examples, and based on the particular tenets of the cults

Spirit Magic

Spirit Magic is the province of shamans, which in Timinits & Trolls are only available as NPCs.

Shamans channel the power of their ancestors and of the spirits of their land using the following rules (greatly inspired by the following: You Are Chosen).

Shamans communicate with the ancestors of the tribe and the spirits of Pamaltelan nature. Shamans do not normally adventure and hence are used as NPCs in Timinits & Trolls. A Shaman must choose a main ancestor or spirit as his or her main source of channelling power.

Background: Tribal Umathing or Olodo only.
Requisites: CHR must be equal to or larger than 15.
Primary characteristics: STR, CON, CHR, LK.
Talents:

Channelling (CHR — roll 2D instead of 1D; doubles add and roll over)

Choose three other starting Talents.

Combat: Shamans only get half of the calculated combat adds.
Magic:
Shamans may only cast Spirit Magic. Spirit Magic works as follows:
Whenever the Shaman wants to channel his spirit’s power, he must vocally petition his spirit. The player picks a Skill Roll level on Channelling: if the roll is successful, he can apply that many dice as a temporary bonus or penalty to a specified ability score, Skill Roll, attack, or defence. If the roll is a failure, the Shaman loses CHR characteristic points equal to the Skill Roll level, which the Shaman can only recover through prayer [ten minutes of uninterrupted prayer allow a Shaman to recover one CHR characteristic point] or by performing a liturgy to the Shaman's spirit [the liturgy takes place on a Holy Day and lasts at least one hour but it allows the Shaman to recover any lost CHR characteristic points up to his full CHR score]. On a fumbled roll, the Shaman can’t use Spirit Magic again until he has a chance to pray or perform a liturgy.

Here are some examples of Spirit Magic use:

Kolat the Kolating asks the Thunderer to charge his hammer with a booming peal. The player calls a Level 3 SR on Channelling, and succeeds. The blessed attack does three extra dice of damage, one time.

Umbra, incarnate of the Lord of Shadows, commands the darkness to conceal her attempt to sneak into a chieftain’s bedchamber. She makes a Level Two SR on Channelling, gaining a 2-die bonus to her Stealth Skill Roll. [These two dice act as an ability bonus, and don’t count for DARO or prevent automatic failure if the stealth roll fumbles.]

Faith Healer Fhred wants to heal a mortally-wounded companion, so he utters a prayer along with a Level Five Skill Roll on Channelling. If he makes it, his fallen friend recovers five dice of hit points.

Nuala, prophet of the Flame of Pamalt, asks the flames to shield a sleeping chieftain from the assassin who snuck into his bedchamber. She makes a level 4 SR on Channelling, granting the chieftain 4 dice of protection when the flames blaze up against a single blow.

The effects of Spirit Magic can be subtle or dramatic, depending on the situation. They may even appear spell-like, but their mechanical impact is limited to the bonus or penalty they confer, and whatever narrative consequences the GM deems suitable.

The range of such blessings and curses is constrained only by the deity’s domain and the GM’s discretion; likewise with the timing: a Shaman could utter a blessing that affects events instantly or far in the future. The duration is usually limited to one action or one combat round, but the GM may allow an extended effect by increasing the Skill Roll level.

A Shaman of level 6+ may also Astral Travel, a spell-like power similar to the 11th level spell Ghostly Going, but which only applies to himself. The POW cost of Astral Travel is as follows:

POW spent

Effects

10

The Shaman may Astral Travel in the mundane world in a 10km radius

20

The Shaman may Astral Travel in the mundane world in a 100km radius

30

The Shaman may Astral Travel anywhere in the mundane world

40

The Shaman may Astral Travel in mundane world and in the spirit world

50

The Shaman may Astral Travel in the mundane world, in the spirit world, and in other people’s heroquests

Organisation: Shamans are loners and can't join any organisation. However, Shamans from any given tribe form a loose organisation of sorts, and can sometimes call upon their brethren for succour.

VI - Foes

Players used to playing Sartarite characters in Third Age Glorantha will really feel like total strangers in Timinits & Trolls; Chaos is weak in Second Age Glorantha, there is no Lunar Empire, and the Empire of the Land and Sea is on the wane.

Timinits & Trolls adventures are hence going to be rather “old school" in style, which is actually what this game is all about: the God Learners have left many ruins behind, where crazed sorcerers are still engaging in forbidden research, and the Zistorites, despite their downfall, have also left many uncontrolled weird machines.

Chaotic monsters are likely to be replaced by undead in terms of monstrous foes: Nontraya the Spurned is always seeking to harm Ernamola the Earth Sister (Ernalda), and as such is likely to be the main antagonist of the Umathings.

Players used to playing Sartarite characters should also be used to mostly human campaigns with very scarce non-human presence, except for the occasional Uz. Umathela is different; non-humans are very much present and also generally bellicose. Even Timinits, who are friendly to the Malki, are hostile towards Umathings.

David Millians

The people of Ignorance worship a riotous collection of depraved gods and demons. Their land is littered with huge, ancient monuments and statues, many bearing strange pictoglyphs. Prophets and upstarts have interpreted these markings throughout the ages, producing bizarre new practices and revealing strange divinities.

Common Magic

Many Ignorants use only Common Magic, for anything else has, over the ages, proven to be too powerful and dangerous.

Hsunchen Beast Cousins

Ignorants may or may not be closely related to the Kralori, and some are definitely descendants of Hsunchen tribes, but they remain as suspicious of the Beast Folk as their cousins to the south. They have acquired a number of useful charms by lineage or theft, but deny any connection to their Hsunchen neighbors.

Charms: Eat Anything, Elephant Strength, Find Fish, Find Fruit, Hide in Fog, Kick to Kill, Ripping Claws, Run Through Forest, Spot Prey, Stay Warm, Walk Over Snow

Little Mandarins

(by Mark Galeotti)

The Little Mandarins - ancient ancestors and local village totems - became widespread in Chern Durel when numerous Kralori fled north during the rule of Shang Hsa May-His-Name-Be-Cursed. Many natives have taken to this Common Magic.

Charms: Escape Foreman’s Attention, Frighten Bandit, Know Way Home, Light Fire Quickly, Move Quickly Through Mud, Pacifying Kowtow

Dang Lang

Dang Lang is the Little Mandarin of the Jankley Bore.

Charms: Hear Hoofbeats from Afar, Run Many Leagues, Smell Lost Lamb

Sticks & Stones, Ice & Bones

The few scholars that have stooped to examine such things at all have concluded that this motley collection of bauble and cant magic originated during the darkest eras of history, when the world began to freeze and die and demons ranged over the land. Some surely came from the trolls or perhaps in fighting against them.

Charms: Smell Danger, Smell Edible Substance, Smell Water

Spells: Curse Hoarder, Warm Me Up, Words Will Never Hurt Me

Stupid Gods!

(This is someone else’s text, taken from a Digest entry long ago. I have no record of the author’s identity, but it is his or hers.)

The name of this religion is more of an exclamation than a proper theological name, a phrase heard whenever things go wrong in a way inexplicable to the Ignorant.

Feats: Avoid Work, Disinherit Descendants, Not Know One's Place, Recite Gobbledigook, Shiver, Uncontrolled Emotion.

Charms: Annoy Parents, Believe Illusion, Shirk Duties, Survive Poor Health.

Spells: Crude and Rude, Enjoy Gluttony, Ignore Advice, Revel In Wealth, Ward Against Superstition.

Specialized Magic

Most Ignorants, like people everywhere, do not specialize in their magic, instead knowing just a few elements from this diverse and strange collection of magical traditions.

Not listed here but common in Chern Durel are the ways of the Wooyee shamans of the East. Ignorants are most likely to be part of the practices of Ancestor Worship and Hungry Ghost.

Black Sun

Basko, the Black Sun, came to Chern Durel out of the west, contrary to the normal motion of the sun. It led a vast horde of trolls, freshly sprung from the Darkness. As was often the case, the land was in great disorder, and the trolls easily came to power, calming the human populace with controlled blood sport and regular purges.

Many times the legions of the Blood Sun battled evil monstrosities and armies of demons, and every time they threw them back, but when the loyal forces of the Kralori emperor retreated to the north, they drove out the troll lords and placed limitations on their cults. Kralori mandarins remain in power, but the worshippers of the Black Sun continue in their time-honored practices.

Black Sun Priests dress in gaudy ceremonial robes, often including organs, flayed skins, or strings of rotting fish. For them, these symbolize their mastery of darkness and destruction. For outsiders, they typify the debased character of the cult.

Basko the Black Sun may or may not have connections with Kazkurtum of Dara Happa or Destix of the Lunars.

Entry Requirements: None.

Abilities: Intimidate Trollkin, Mythology of Black Sun, Member of [Temple], Speak Uz, Uz Cuisine, Uz Customs

Virtues: Calm, Foolish, Proud

Affinities:

Darklight (Blast Chaos, Burn with Darkness, Enhance Darksense, See in the Dark)

Illusion (Blood Feast Specter, Confabulate Chaos, Enhance Loveliness, Enjoy Squalor)

Spirits:

Shadow spirits (Command Trollkin 13 to 18, Elude Chaos 15 to 10W, Extinguish Light 10 to 20, Troll Ghost 15 to 5W, Veil of Shadows 10 to 10W)

Secret: Rise from Sleeping Death (A deceased character must succeed in an opposed roll of 10W3 and may then rise from the dead.)

Allied Spirits: Some Black Sun priests gain a special ally, one of the 2,000 Maniacs, the ghosts of the trolls killed fighting the invading Dragon Lords.

Holy Days: Followers of the Black Sun celebrate their god on the first day of every week. Their high holy day is Deep Darkness Day (5/7/1).

Other Side: The Black Palace lies within the Burning Hells.

Other Connections: Followers of the Black Sun are often leaders among the commoners of Chern Durel.

Disadvantages: Outsiders view this cult with contempt at best.

Blood Sun

Zerel Fan, the Blood Sun is an elder deity of Ignorance, a god of blood and gladiators. His ancient prophet was Jorazzi Redhand, who rose to renew his god and his people through instituting systematic human sacrifice. He took powerful magic from the weak forest people and used it to grow the corn that still feeds the people of Ignorance. The sanguine culture of the Blood Sun fell when Death came and withered it.

The leading priests of the Blood Sun are male and female pairs, preferably siblings, especially twins. In ancient days, the Wizards of Gore ruled Chern Durel, but now they oversee the fertility ceremonies of the cornfields with blood sacrifices and incestuous fertility rites.

Entry Requirements: Bloodthirsty 13

Abilities: Corn Lore, Farm Corn, Knife Fighting, Mythology of the Blood Sun, Member of [Temple], Sacrifice Human

Virtues: Bloodthirsty, Hardworking, Love Corn

Affinities:

Blood Feast (Blood Feast Specter, Feed Trolls)

Blood Rain (Bless Corn Field, Spread Disease, Spread Fertility)

Blood Red (Bless Incestuous Pregnancy with Twins, False Healing)

Secret: Heroform Blood Sun (The character transforms into a gigantic, shining, bloody boar-scorpion with the traits of Armor of the Blood Sun 10W2, Bleed Acid 10W2, Desiccate 10W2, Sting of Death 10W2)

Holy Days: Blood Corn Day (1/4/2)

Other Side: The Corn Fields of the Blood Sun lie in the Hinter Hells.

Other Connections: Priests of the Blood Sun guarantee the livelihood of countless farmers in Ignorance, so they are feared and honored by many.

Disadvantages: The government of Kralorela destroys this cult whenever it appears in the provinces of the empire. The mandarins have trapped this god in Jankley Bore, and its adherents hope to free it.

Bodkartu, the Terrible Woman

Bodkartu is the fearsome sister of beloved Halisayan, so the sister-in-law of Emperor Thalurzni. When the emperor married his loyal wife, Bodkartu also joined his household, though she remained in her sister’s shadow, out of sight. No one ever speaks of what happened to her, but she has always been wronged and vengeful. She nurses her anger and mysteries in the darkness, and when a target for her wrath becomes apparent, she strikes without remorse. Many times she saved preserved the dignity of her kinswoman and family, often at great sacrifice for herself.

Bodkartu is the goddess of secrets and forbidden lore, especially women’s lore. She answers the prayers of oppressed women with disease, poison, strangulation, and mysterious disappearances. Only six official, legal temples exist in Kralorela, but any woman may enter them, beg their intervention for some misdeed suffered, and know that her prayers will be answered. Small cells of her followers hide in most communities of any size, and they have been known to take matters into their own hands.

During the reign of ShangHsa May-His-Name-Be-Cursed, followers of Bodkartu, sanctioned and not, spearheaded much of the covert action against the False Dragon Ring. Emperor Godunya acknowledged their invaluable contribution but wisely maintained the ancient conditions upon their activity. They are said to guard some of his most secret plans and mysteries.

Mystically, Bodkartu is the guardian of secrets, and the wise often implore her mercy before their deepest meditations.

Entry Requirements: Be a wronged woman or a female guardian of secrets.

Abilities: Brew Poisons, Garrote, Initiate of Bodkartu, Mythology of Bodkartu, Member of [Coven], Strangulation

Virtues: Remorseless, Secretive, Self-Sacrificing

Affinities:

Curse (Curse Bowels, Curse of Fever, Curse of Impotence, Curse of Sores, Curse of Weakness)

Revenge (Extend Suffering, Find Oppressor, Sense Wronged Woman, Strike Fear Into the Hearts of Men)

Secret (Hide from Authority, Ward Place)

Secret: Hidden Secret of Bodkartu (Success against a challenge of 10W3 hides a secret forever; it is unknowable unless someone chooses to heroquest into Bodkartu’s Realm itself.)

Holy Days: Women’s Night (1/7/7) follows a day of role-reversals and feasting. Men know that their women judge them at this time, and few are willing to walk about on such nights.

Other Side: The Well of Darkness is said to contain Bodkartu’s lair, but no one is known to have returned from this place.

Other Connections: Other than those few in the official temples, Bodkartu cultists are loathe to reveal themselves as what they are, but they often have connections throughout their area. A few are involved with the highest levels of government and the greatest secrets.

Disadvantages: Men fear them, and officials destroy illegal cells and their members whenever they find them.

Opinions differ on the origin of the Gang of Four. Most Kralori assume they are ancient demons cast out by the righteous emperor. A few, though, speculate that they were servants or allies of Daruda banished by Thalurzni on his ascension to the throne. Others wonder if they were creations, failed or otherwise, of Thalurzni.

Earth Eater

One of the Gang of Four, Earth Eater was banished by Emperor Thalurzni for his sinful nature. Earth Eater is an angry, demanding god, expecting meals of blood, including human sacrifice. He stands by his worshippers, however, supplying them with daughters and sons that protect them and give them sustenance in their harsh land. He slowly grinds down the will of invaders and can consume those that defy him. He is popular among both humans and trolls in Ignorance. In fact, many Ignorants and Kralori assume he is a troll deity.

Entry Requirements: Sacrifice seven drops of own blood onto the earth of Ignorance.

Abilities: Farm Ignorance, Herd Beasts of Ignorance, Mythology of Earth Eater, Member of [Temple], Soul Vision

Virtues: Angry, Greedy, Hungry

Affinities:

Decay (Crumble Stone, Curse Friendship, Fade Color, Reduce to Dust, Sap Strength, Weaken Womb, Wilt Plant)

Devourer (Create Sinkhole, Eat Anything, Open Chasm)

Earth (Appease Corn God ritual, Dominate Beast, Plow Stony Ground, Strength of the Ox, Work Hard)

Secret: Bloody Earth (This ritual involves a sacrifice of people equal to the trait’s rating. Success grants an appropriate augment based on the trait.)

Holy Days: Ignorants celebrate this god on the same days as the major Kralori annual and agricultural festivals, though in twisted, parodied form.

Other Side: Earth Eater inhabits the Bloody Hall, which his followers believe to lie deep in the ground. The Kralori know this to be one their many hells.

Other Connections: Earth Eater is an important deity in Ignorance, and his temples receive support from its thousands of farmers and herdsmen.

Disadvantages: This cult is illegal within the empire, and invading Kralori troops destroy its temples when they encounter them.

The Majestic Spirits of the North

Numerous Hsunchen tribes dwell across Ignorance, including Barred Seal, Cloud Leopard, Combed Sheep, Deer, Eagle, Four Tusk Elephant, Spurred Deer, Tiger, Wild Pig, and Yak. The Kralori consider them Ignorants, but their local human neighbors despise them and treat them poorly when they can. A little commerce does occur, but as a general rule, the Hsunchen of the north avoid others, even their own kind, whenever possible.

Okerio Allgiver & Ebe Wild Man

Okerio was the Wife given to Ebe by Mercy of Dragon. Aptanace the Sage and his descendants, the True Humans, came from their association. Ebe was the First Human. He related with many Lives for his Loneliness until he was given his Wife, and he made many other races, such as the Dozaki (Trolls) and Babadi (Dwarfs). Ignorants sometimes say that they are the bastard children of Ebe and that Okerio is a slut who has nothing to do with them. Despite this a few know some of their magics.

Feats: Enjoy Life, Get Angry, Sing Raucous Song, Vigor.

Charms: Endure Hunger, Inspire Pity.

Spells: Bless Beer, Make Rice Wine, Tame Wild Man, Vigorous Mating.

Secret Waters

One of the Gang of Four, Secret Waters was banished by Emperor Thalurzni for her sinful nature. Secret Waters is dangerous, seductive, and mysterious, and she can take many forms, including that of a man. She demands regular sacrifices of blood to be poured onto her waters, and many rivers and lakes in Ignorance bear her taint. She torments her enemies and guards her worshippers. She is especially popular among the women of Ignorance.

Entry Requirements: Sacrifice seven drops of own blood onto the waters of Ignorance

Abilities: Boating, Fishing, Mythology of Secret Waters, Member of [Temple], Seduce, Soul Vision

Virtues: Mysterious, Scary, Wanton

Affinities:

Fear (Call Ghost from Water, Extend Suffering, Frighten Other)

Secret (Camouflage Intent, Hiding Place, Obscure Place, Verbal Cipher)

Water (Drown, Make Waves, Poison Water)

Secret: Madness (Success with this ability curses the mind of the target. This trait overcomes many of Secret Water’s priestesses, leading them to drown themselves.)

Holy Days: Secret Waters’ holidays are the same as those of the Blue Dragon of the Deep.

Other Side: Secret Water dwells in the Shadowed Pool into which her followers dive to seek her magic. All others approach her at their peril.

Other Connections: Secret Waters is popular with fishing folk and women in Ignorance.

Disadvantages: This cult is illegal within the empire, and invading Kralori troops destroy its temples when they encounter them. Also, Thrunhin Da is hostile to this cult and has always sunk its followers that venture too far from their home shores.

Shadow Cancer

One of the Gang of Four, Shadow Cancer was banished by Emperor Thalurzni for her sinful nature. Even Ignorants fear her power, for unleashed, she brings anguish to them and their enemies alike. Her temples are rare and small, mostly receiving only propitiary offerings. A few Ignorants seeking a short cut turn to her for her special powers. Many Ignorants and Kralori assume she is a troll deity.

Entry Requirements: Mark of Shadow Cancer

Abilities: Mythology of Shadow Cancer, Member of [Temple], See Weak Spots, Soul Vision

Virtues: Creative, Hungry, Quiet

Affinities:

Growth (Speed Growth, Sprout Extra Body Part, Stunt Growth)

Hunger (Blight Plants, Drive Away Beasts, Foul Food)

Shadow (Call Gloom, Command Shadow Demon, Safety in Obscurity)

Secret: Spread Destruction ritual (This ceremony curses an entire area, usually a village or section of farmland. Some parts of Ignorance have centuries-old such blights, and some say they slowly spread.)

Holy Days: This cult’s special days vary and are known only to the leading priests in local temples.

Other Side: Shadow Cancer inhabits the Looming Hell, thought its followers say a little bit of it lives inside everyone and everything.

Other Connections: Shadow Cancer is respected and feared throughout Ignorance.

Disadvantages: This cult is illegal within the empire, and invading Kralori troops destroy its temples when they encounter them.

Star Permutator

One of the Gang of Four, Star Permutator was banished by Emperor Thalurzni for his sinful nature. This enigmatic sky deity is mysterious even to the Ignorant. Cultists claim that he is the original sky god, the original god, in fact. Scholars seem him as little more than a pernicious demon that tears and inhabits rents in the firmament. His shrines are rare, usually on hilltops or deep underground. The God Learners categorized Star Permutator as a chaos god.

Entry Requirements: Sacrifice of an intelligent being under starlight.

Abilities: Mythology of Star Permutator, Member of [Temple], Soul Vision, Void Contemplation

Virtues: Secretive, Variable, Watchful

Affinities:

Change (Alter [Substance], Displace Personality, Induce Mutation, Refine [Substance])

Stars (Call Down Star Daimon, See by Starlight, Star Light, Star Songs)

Void (Dissolve Target, Drain Energy, Reveal Emptiness)

Secret: Open Void Gate (This ritual allows a void priest to create a portal into the unknown realm beyond the world. Used primarily in ceremonies, it increases their potency.)

Holy Days: This cult’s special days vary and are known only to the leading priests in local temples.

Other Side: Star Permutator dwells in the Void Palace beyond the edge of the sky.

Other Connections: Star Permutator is respected and feared throughout Ignorance.

Disadvantages: This cult is illegal within the empire, and invading Kralori troops destroy its temples when they encounter them.

The Way of the Mystic Sun

The original prophet of Ignorance, whose name is now lost, was cursed with foresight and described his vision of woe in great speeches, mostly in unknown languages. His followers built huge, stone monuments and documented his visions of the worlds to come. These monoliths and ruins still litter the landscape of Ignorance. Some have been dragged away for other purposes, while others serve as homes, stables, and storage bins.

Later, or perhaps in another telling of the same story, the prophet Shadow of the Storm came after the defeat of the Solar Storm and predicted the appearance of the “Suns to Come.” The people chose ignorance and fell into a malaise. The sun mystics claim that they can still bring enlightenment to the land and its people, if they will listen, but they usually receive only scorn and are left to their eremitic habits and strange ritual in the wilderness.

The teachings of this cult contain a few simple magics, but they are best known for their impressive ability to shift the form of the sun. True mystics avoid these practices, other than shifting the sun as part of millennia-long rites, but many followers of this way become little more than village magicians.

The way of the Mystic Sun teaches a cycle of solar forms and deities. These cycles exist on many levels literal and spiritual, daily and cosmic. Mystics differ in their insights and conclusions based on their masters and on their readings of the carvings all across their lands. The resulting jumble of interpretations and statements explains much about the people’s lack of interest in their teachings (Some scholars see parallels with Dara Happan and Lunar theology, something Solar theologians completely reject). Kralori mystics say the sun mystics are completely deluded.

A commonly espoused solar system includes the following cycle.

The Early Light – Self-creating progenitor for all creation, it engenders creativity and insight. Its true name is thought to be lost, making it inaccessible except for the most enlightened.

The Rising Orb – Ever-ascendant, it transports the cosmos to the heights of it potential. It is as much process as deity or form.

The Victorious Zenith – Always lofty, it allows a mystic to see across and experience all creation. Some mystics refer to this entity by the name Metsyla.

The Solar Storm – Said to be the child of Victorious Zenith (described by some as Shavaya), it enjoyed enlightened from the teachings of the Great Mystic,6 who opened its third eye. This facet of the sun represents the turbulence of mystic experience within a confused world.

The Blood Sun – Incorporating all that is painful in the mystic experience, it liberates mystics through searing visions.

The Black Sun – Dark and introspective, the sun of night offers madness and enlightenment, renewing the cycle of the suns.

Entry Requirements: Mystic abstentions of various kinds

Abilities: Go Without Food and Water, Interpret Stone Scripts of Ignorance, Way of the Mystic Sun

Virtues: Ascetic, Aloof, Contemplative

Feats: Engrave Stone, Resist Cold

Spells: Scourge the Unwise, Sense Ignorant Engraving

Spirits: Night, Sun

Fetishes & Talismans: These vary widely, but tattoos are most common. All limit a mystic’s path to enlightenment.

Secret: Solar Evolution (The mystic can shift the phase of the sun by one or more stages. The degree of success determines the degree and range of the effect. Some mystics speak of the day they will be able to do this for the whole world.)

Secret Requirements: Interpret Stone Scripts of Ignorance, Way of the Mystic Sun, and any one Virtue at 1W2 each

Other Side: There is no other side.

Other Connections: A few mystics hold positions of esteem, but most live in the wilderness or scrape a living with their meager magic in the towns of Ignorance.

Disadvantages: This cult is highly illegal within the empire, and invading Kralori troops slay its practitioners when they discover them.

Jane Williams
Artwork: John Hughes

As is well-known, the Durulz speak the language of the humans nearest to their homes, though with a slight accent due to the beak - in particular, they find the letter “R” wather difficult. But that’s when they’re talking to humans. What do they speak amongst themselves?

A careful study by a group of renowned scholars of Durulz culture (Jane Williams, Chris Gidlow, Jamie “Trotsky” Revell and John Hughes) has revealed that they speak a language colloquially known to humans as “quicking” (rather like “quacking”, only faster), but known to the Durulz themselves as Ogewicś$łw $qoisąg - a literal translation would be “Proper Gander”. In fact, this is a debased form of the original Proper Gander (or para-Keet), but no Durulz will ever admit it. The few Keets who have ever commented on the subject refer to the Durulz language derisively as “pidgin”.

The written form, as used by the scribes of Laker Mhy, is called Mudlark, consisting of sharp birdclaw strokes designed for ease of use with papyrus and reed. No one can read it of course. Especially not ducks. It sets them arguing.

The spoken language lacks some phonemes common in human languages (the “R” being particularly notorious), and adds some others which can only be properly pronounced with a beak. The long /s/ can be approximated as a combination of a hiss and a spit, but the heavily emphasised /qk/ is more difficult, and human linguists are advised not to attempt /$/, particularly the aspirated form, without a skilled healer to hand. /k/, /Kh/ and /c/ may be regarded as allophones. Or not. Ducks tend to argue about this.

To produce the effect of Quicking in stories or games without having to continually generate a stream of nonsense, we recommend this procedure:

1) Go to Babel Fish, or similar on-line translator, and translate the desired phrase into Polish.
2) Reverse the direction of each word (yes, ducks use Reverse Polish)
3) Replace all instances of "R" with "Q", replace any un-accented "a" with "$"
4) Replace the word for “and” (“i”) with “ssstj” (and give similar treatment to anything else that looks too short).

There is an automatic translator at: www.jane-williams.me.uk/glorantha/quickingtrans.cfm You try to pronounce the result at your own risk.

Some sample translated phrases:

Proper Gander - Ogewicś$łw $qoisąg
My sword’s bigger than your sword - Jóm zceim tsej yzskęiw żin jówt zceim
Shut up and do what you’re told - Jinkm$z ęis ssstj ćiboq oc ic ąż$k (this phrase is normally only used by ducks to drakes)
Danger! Danger! Dive! Dive! - Owtsńezceip! Owtsńezceip! $in$wo! $in$wo!
My hovercraft is full of eels - Moim Poduszkowiec jest pełna węgorze (a colloquial phrase to describe a successful day’s fishing).