BTW, some bits of that (particularly in the Homeland Talastar section)
was lifted and borrowed from the long out-of-print Dorastor: Land of
Doom book.
- In WorldofGlorantha_at_yahoogroups.com, "Jeff Richard" <richaje@...>
wrote:
>
> Here are a few random Talastar notes from various projects I have been
> working on. There is no particular order to these snippets (although
> most are dated to around 875-910), and I reserve the right to change
> anything before it is ever published. :)
>
> HOMELAND - Talastar.
> Your character is from Talastar. Your people are called Orlanthi
> because worship the gods Orlanth and Ernalda, as well as the many
> other gods and goddesses of the pantheon of the High Free Ones or
> "Tarkarlings". Their religion teaches that our existence – both now
> and in the afterlife - is constantly endangered by evil forces called
> Chaos. Only the valiant struggles of gods, heroes and ordinary folk
> has saved Glorantha so far.
>
> Talastar is a very hilly and rocky country, producing inferior crops,
> but supporting hardy sheep and hillmen. Below Talastar is the fertile
> valley of the Erinflarth River and behind it is the Tobros Mountains.
> It is hot in the summer and cold in the winter with moderate rain
> year-round.
>
> There are Seven Tribes of Talastar: the Arkailing, Biling, Linsting,
> Skanthing, Tenling, Ulreding, and Vosdaling peoples. The Biling, with
> their mighty fortress at the Hold, are traditionally the most
> important of the Seven Tribes and have in the past often collected
> tribute from the other tribes. The Skanthing are the most resolutely
> independent and wild.
>
> Both the Erinflarth and the Tobros Mountains have their source in the
> haunted and cursed Dorastor. Once a rich garden inhabited by men and
> gods, the proud people of Dorastor became the rulers of the High
> Council of the Lands of Genertela. They abandoned wisdom, tradition
> and caution, and when the hero Lokomayadon convened the Second
> Council, its ruin was begun.
>
> Lokmayadon sought order without principle and created his own god –
> Nysalor – a god who was empty and false. He tried to conquer the
> world and kill the good gods and goddesses, but Harmast Barefoot
> quested into the lands of myth and brought back the nemesis of
> Nysalor. Harmast returned with Arkat the Destroyer, who did not rest
> until he destroyed Nysalor.
>
> Arkat destroyed Dorastor, and commanded all the gods to curse it, and
> set great signs to keep everyone away from it forever. That should
> have been the end of it. But it wasn't. Foolish magicians and
> mystics went into Dorastor and performed rites which reawakened the
> cursed to life. The evil ones have awakened.
>
> The Erinflarth flows down through the lowland cities of Lakrene and
> Dara Ni, until it finally joins the Oslira river in the marshes around
> the dread green walls of Alkoth. These lands are now ruled by the
> powerful draconic magicians of the Empire of Wyrms Friends (EWF).
>
> The Talastarings view themselves as a strong, proud and independent
> people who rely on themselves and their gods, and who will not bend to
> the will of any Empire, or to the horrors that come out of Dorastor.
> Outsiders view the Talastarings as rebellious and feuding bandits,
> whose lives consist of herding and stealing sheep.
>
> APPEARANCE
> The Talastarings are a sturdy and hardy people with brown or reddish
> hair and olive skin. Men and women grow their hair long and men wear
> beards. Rich and important men often affect long and oiled beards,
> which are frequently curled with tongs to create hanging curls. Both
> genders are tattooed with markings of clan, cultic initiation and for
> other magical-religious reasons.
>
> Commonly, men wear a fringed wool skirt and cloak – these are brightly
> colored and patterned. Rich men usually wear ornate tunics over the
> wool skirt and sport abundant jewelry. Some nobles even wear a
> resplendently colored wool toga.
>
> Women typically wear a wool dress with bare arms and shoulders and a
> cloak. Some women affect male clothing (skirt and cloak or skirt,
> tunic and cloak) for cultic or ceremonial reasons.
>
> The poor are barefoot and wear no footwear, as are members of certain
> cults and religious societies. Most people wear heavy soled leather
> sandals with a long lace that was wound up the wearer's leg.
>
> Headgear – either a stout broadbrimmed hat or a felt cap – is common.
> Many priests and godtalkers have distinctive headgear, most
> distinctively a high, horned conical hat associated with the gods or
> the cap with ram's horns sewn into it associated with Hagodereth and
> Vorios.
>
> King Bilinith "the Great Captain"
> Great Captain of Talastar (445-448), King of Talastar (448-457).
> Served the High Council of the Lands of Genertela during the late
> Gbaji Wars as a Warlord and placed in charge of the defense of
> Talastar. He and his kinsmen held out against the Army of Truth at
> the mighty fortress of the Hold until managed to break the demoralized
> besiegers with a sortie. They pursued the besiegers to the Erustus
> River but were defeated by the Army of Orlanth. Bilinith submitted to
> the Army of Orlanth and was recognized as King of Talastar by the
> priests of the Army of Orlanth.
>
> Later other Talastaring leaders gathered and were acclaimed king as
> well, but Bilinith was always strongest and forced them to pay tribute
> to him and acknowledge him as overlord. When Bilinith died, his
> lieutenant Matulanth became King of Talastar, and he led his army to
> fight the rebellious Dara Happans. He was killed fighting in Terarir
> in 460. His successor was King Hantruvanth who was acclaimed king of
> the Bilings (460-475). He failed to make himself King of Talastar
> despite many attempts and many wars.
>
> King Haramatuth the Undying
> Born in 817. King of the Bilings (847-present). Once a vigorous and
> energetic king, he was crippled and cursed by Erzadanang in 855.
> Forced to submit to Erzandanang's draconic power, Harmatuth
> unnaturally endures and cannot die a natural death of old age or
> sickness. Now senile and powerless, he is a mere puppet of High
> Priest Laneth Fork Tongue.
>
> Viskuranth
> The oldest name of Orlanth in Talastar is Viskuranth ("Son of the
> Spike") - this is the Orlanth that lives on Top of the World, rescued
> the Great Goddess Ir by killing Emperor Yelm. He then received
> Kingship of the Gods from the Great Goddess Ir and lives on the Top of
> the World. Viskuranth is associated with the Ram and Thunder. In the
> First Age, Theylan missionaries proved that Viskuranth is just another
> name for Orlanth. No worshiper of the Viskuranth believes that
> Viskuranth is not Orlanth – they just have several names for him.
>
> Matu
> Matu is the Great Storm of Orlanth physically manifest as storm and
> thunder. He lives atop the Sacred Thunder Mountains of Talastar and
> breathes out storms with every breath. Matu commands all other winds
> and storms; he is sometimes called King of the Umbroli or even just
> Umbrol. He knows the winds of all the seasons. Matu is sometimes
> called Umatum or even Umath and has a great rivalry with Shadzor of
> Alkoth.
>
> Ir the Great Goddess
> Ir is the Great Goddess, Queen of the World. She is also known as
> Ernalda. Despite being Queen of the World and the Source of Power, Ir
> was enslaved by the Emperor Yelm when the Old Gods appointed him
> Emperor. However, Viskuranth fell in love with Ir and rescued her by
> killing Yelm. She married Viskuranth and made Viskuranth King of the
> Gods and now lives with Viskuranth atop Mount Visku.
>
> Jeff
>
Received on Tue 06 Nov 2007 - 07:35:00 EET