From: Sandy Petersen (sandyp@idgecko.idsoftware.com)
Date: Tue 10 Sep 1996 - 01:59:55 EEST
David Cake
>Otter Hsunchen in Ralios - I recall that the area known as the New
>Fens of Ralios (just next to Ramalia?) includes giant intelligent
>otters.Perhaps they are either related to the Udari, or this is a
>result of confusion, and the 'giant intelligent otters' are really
>transformed Udari, shy of outsiders?
The New Fens aren't really in Ralios -- they're in a kind of
no-man's-land at the western end of Wenelia. The New Fens drain into
the Homeward Ocean, and are separated from Ralios by the
thinly-inhabited frontier land of Pralorela. To their east lies the
most primitive part of Wenelia. To the west lies the reprehensible
land of Ramalia. The city of Handra is the only real port between the
Holy Country and Pasos, so the town is pretty cosmopolitan for being
built in an inaccessible swamp. .
The giant otters of the fens are one of Glorantha's many
obscure non-human species. I don't think there are any Udari in the
New Fens, at least not as an organized tribe of permanent residents.
I'm sure that Udari would be friendly to the otters and vice-versa,
if they ever found out about each other. I know little about the
otters' "culture", except that they are generally friendly to the
humans, and not particularly shy.
I'm sure Ramalians hunt the otters for their pelts. But this
is not done by the folk of Handra.
The city of Handra, as I recall from conversations with Ken
R., is purposefully acultural, and attempts to be all things to all
people, with varying degrees of failure.
Their enemies are pirates from Smelch, the black troll ships,
and the Ramalians. Their friends and allies are the other intelligent
folk of the swamp -- newtlings, ducks, otters, and trachodons.
A merman civilization inhabits ancient Slontos, but I know
not if they've opened negotiations with Handra.
Richard Crawley asks about Ostrich Riders. here is my opinion about
this group:
OSTRICH RIDERS
Probably the rarest "real" tribe of all . They're pygmies, and ride
big birds. They eat their birds' eggs, which are laid in fairly large
clutches. Once a year, the birds sit on their eggs and so for that
season (Sea), the tribe is basically immobilized and vulnerable to
large-scale raids. Like many small tribes, they primarily worship
Foundchild. But they also worship a star-god, and the tribal rulers
are required to be Waha-men and Eiritha-women. Mike Dawson identified
this star-god as Yelmalio, but I'm not sure that is correct.
Foundchild is clearly a sky god, anyway -- he came from the stars,
the Arrow medicine bundle is related to him, etc. The Ostrich riders
are probably primarily shamanic in nature, without much true theism.
Their ostriches are nearly identical to Earth's variety.
I had never suspected a draconic connection, but that might
be fun to work with if you were to have a band of Ostrich Riders as
your players. Of course, it's unlikely they'd have ever seen or heard
of a dragonewt, unless the tiny community of 'newts in Pavis make
special trips out to the Riders (certainly possible).
Sandy P.
Sandy P .
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