Men of the West: Warfare in Glorantha [v2.08 ed.]

Citation preview

Men of the West WARFARE IN GLORANTHA

By Martin Helsdon

with invaluable assistance from

Jeff Richard

Derived from the writings of

Greg Stafford, Sandy Petersen, and Charlie Krank

Front piece: design taken from a Holay vase of the early Hero Wars period. A confrontation between hoplites wearing classic Sairdite panoply.

Cover by: Illustrations and Cartography by:

Mark Smylie Ingye and Meime at the city of Galin Martin Helsdon

Dedications: For Greg Stafford, 1948-2018, for creating the world we play in. For my mother, Barbara Helsdon, 1934-2019. With thanks to Nick Brooke, Hervé Carteau and Harald Smith.

Author’s Note: Whilst every effort has been made to make this book as canonical as possible, it does not define canon. This volume is a companion to The Armies and Enemies of Dragon Pass. The duplication of material between the two has been kept to a minimum, and the reader is referred to that book for the details and definitions of arms, armor, types of troops, formations, logistics, and other information. By necessity, the organization of this supplement differs from that of its parent, to provide an overview of the regions of Seshnela, Fronela, Ralios, and Western Slontos, giving an outline of their military history, and a description of their armed forces. An understanding of the history and religions of the West is essential in grasping the military developments and the ways of war there. The West of Genertela is not medieval Europe; the zzaburi although ascetic figures who are often members of religious sects are not medieval monks; the noble heavily armed and armored cavalry are not medieval knights; even where a feudal system is in place, it is not the medieval system. The terms ‘knight’ and ‘chivalry’ are used with care and should not be mistaken in implying they are the same as their medieval equivalents. Terrestrial heavily armored elite noble cavalry date back to the Scythians, the Massagetae, the Choresmia, the Saka, the Dahae, and the Achaemenid Persian Empire. The later Persian Empires, throughout history, also utilized heavy cavalry recruited from the nobility, and they can be categorized however imprecisely as knights, and had their own versions of chivalry (although very much later, The Knight in the Panther’s Skin is perhaps the most accessible source). In terrestrial history, the cataphract appeared in the Iron Age (though they were often armored in bronze). If you want the West to be more like medieval Europe then you can do so; the simplest method is insert medieval terminology: the Knights will have Squires and Pages, the Rokari and New Hrestoli philosophies can be Churches, each with a Pope, Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops, Priests and monks. Gothic heavy plate armor might be common. For alternative views of the West, Jamie Revell’s The Book of Glorious Joy and Kingdom of the Flamesword, and Nick Brooke’s forthcoming Malkioni Bible are recommended. Your Glorantha Will Vary. RuneQuest is a Trademark of Moon Design Publications and is used with their permission via the OBS Community Content program. For more information please visit Chaosium’s website: www.chaosium.com

The Chaosium and RuneQuest Logos are used under license. The reproduction of material from within this book for the purposes of personal or corporate profit, by photographic, optical, electronic, or other media or methods of storage and retrieval, is prohibited. V2.08 Some material provided by Moon Design is copyright © 2020 Moon Design and is used under license. Copyright © 2020 by Martin Helsdon

RALIOS pushed deeper into Ralios, drawn by the lure of the fertile lowlands and by the desire to expunge a number of heretical Malkioni sects which had found safety in Ralios376. Soon after, more Orlanthi colonists from Dragon Pass settled the East Wilds. Settlers came over Kartolin Pass into lands that were mostly uninhabited, and began farming in the river valleys. They were frequently raided by the natives, whether Enerali or Hsunchen, and the armies of Kartolin were finally sent to defend them, including dragonewts from the Dragon’s Eye in Dragon Pass. The dragonewts established a nest in the northeast of Ralios in 210 ST which kept close ties to Dragon Pass until its rulers and its magical roads were destroyed by Alakoring Dragonbreaker in the late Second Age. In response to the increasing use of heavy cavalry by the Seshnegi, the Horse People also adapted to fighting from horseback to defend themselves. Their chariot archers became horse archers instead; where a chariot required a driver and warrior, when each were mounted, the number of fighters was effectively doubled. Instead of being secured to the side of a chariot, their cylindrical quivers were slung from the saddle behind the right leg to be convenient for the right hand, meaning that the archer could loose arrows in quick succession. When not in use, a horseman would carry his strung self-bow around his neck or shoulder377 to free both hands to hold the reins. Whilst they could not match the armored Seshnegi in hand-tohand combat (the Westerners at this time were not yet armed and

armored as full cataphracti), they could harass the Hrestoli horse riders to exhaustion, riding in to shoot and then riding away faster than the Men-of-All could pursue. Although there were relatively few gaps in their armor, out of the sheer number of arrows, some would eventually hit home to kill or wound either the rider or their mount. The Seshnelan cavalry countered this by wearing increasingly heavy armor, wearing bronze facemasks and adding eye-protectors to their mount’s chamfrons, but the extra weight further only served to reduce their mobility. The Enerali also had the advantage of their special rapport with their horses through their veneration of the Sun Horse. Several Seshnelan War Societies now used bows, afoot or mounted, and others adopted crossbows in an effort to hold off the Ralian horse archers. Despite the ongoing series of wars with the Seshnegi, Dangan mercenaries sought service with the Second Council. Many of the Enerali led their horses over the pass into Dorastor, and then fought for the Council in many engagements, culminating in the Battle of Argentium Thri’ile in 230 ST where they fought alongside

376

Between 200 ST and 326 ST, several small sects declared heretical by the rulers of Seshnela founded émigré communities in Ralios. Ralios swiftly gained a repute as a place of safety for unorthodox Malkioni, a reputation it retains into the Third Age. The Seekers of Wisdom were perhaps the best known, travelling from market to market under the protection of the Dangan and later the Dari kings, debating with everyone (including each other) and seeking the Ultimate Truth; the Orgethites were also present, though their Air magics were less popular with the Solar tribes of the Enerali. 377 Unlike the Pentans, the Enerali did not use a combined bow and arrow case gorytos, or the compound bow.

121

MEN OF THE WEST

“There was a world . . . or was it all a dream?” Homer, The Iliad I believe in the One God, Invisible, Creator of the Universe. He separated Matter from Energy and Nature from Divinity. He made the Kingdom for the Chosen People and lived among them called Malkion. Malkion suffered, failed, was murdered by Zzabur, rotted. Through separation He opened Solace and released the resurrection of the world. Malkion protected the Secret Keepers to the Witnesses of the Abiding Book. He revealed the Tests of Faith, the Mastery of Will, Solace through Obedience and the Paternal Keepers. He promises that through my repentance and His Grace I shall rise above this mortal world to perfect life in the paradise of the Invisible God. Amen.

The Credo of the Abiding Book

Cursed be any who defame, Tamper or duplicate this text, To never achieve Solace nor Joy, But to be the mindless minions, Until their final utter dissolution, Of the flawed Runic Emanations.

0 4

INTRODUCTION

Introduction contradictory. Archaeological evidence supplements our knowledge. Unearthed burials, weapons, armor, fortifications, decorated pottery and other pictorial evidence contributes greatly to our understanding. Numerous artifacts are on display in museums. However, the available sources are never definitive, and must be augmented with speculation and conjecture. The present tense is used to immerse the reader in the era.

A Time of Legends This book is a companion to The Armies and Enemies of Dragon Pass, covering the western lands of Fronela, Ralios, Seshnela and Western Slontos. Much of the material on arms, armor and the battlefield contained in that volume is relevant to Western warfare, but is mostly not repeated here. Mercenaries and adventurers from the West are drawn to fight in the conflicts in Dragon Pass, but the western lands are not immune to the Hero Wars. In the south, the king of Seshnela seeks to unify all the lands of the West under his rule and his religion. In the north, the utopian kingdom of Loskalm, ruled by a philosopher-king and his council of philosopher-sorcerers, is confronted by the atrocities and horrors of the Kingdom of War. In land-locked Ralios, fractious kingdoms and citystates will contest among themselves, and must seek to unite against the imperial expansion of Seshnela, even as a new and terrifying threat emerges over Kartolin Pass. Armies march and fight, cities are besieged, and Heroes contest for victory, but the weapons are not fashioned just from mere metal, wood, and leather, but also potent sorcerous energies. Events in Glorantha are now moving towards a conjunction driven by conflicting cultures, religions and ambitions. Aided in secret by dwarven allies with their own enigmatic agenda, Seshnela strives to impose the royal ambition of One God, One King, One Empire. The Kingdom of War breeds bloodthirsty armies raging across the land seeking conquest, plunder, and death. It is but a harbinger of the wars to come. The Waertagi of Sog City eagerly await the fleets of dragonships foretold to be returning from the Underworld. The return of the hero Arkat is foretold. The Elder Races are plotting. The gods are stirring. New stars are rising. This book examines the armies of the early Hero Wars.

Coinage The Seshnelan Silver Imperial weighs approximately ⅛ ounce (4 grams, 0.13 troy oz.). It is the most widely used coinage in the West. Seshnela is extremely wealthy through its control of the iron trade of the Iron Mountains, supplying perhaps half of all of the iron of Glorantha, and for its command of the river trade with Ralios. This results in huge quantities of silver in coin and trade metal flowing into the Seshnelan economy, paying for the luxuries craved by the nobility, the rare materials required by the wizards, and the mercenaries employed by the king. I

A Note on Terminology

Terrestrial historical terminology is used throughout for convenience. Anachronistic terms are used for simplicity. Terrestrial weights and measures are employed for convenience. The few terrestrial asides are presented thus, as white text on black.

Sources At this remote remove from the period, surviving texts from the Hero Wars and afterwards are often fragmentary, and at times

5

MEN OF THE WEST

Lands of the West The West of Genertela consists of the lands of Fronela, Ralios, Seshnela, and the remnants of wrecked Slontos1. These lands broadly hug the western and southern coasts of the continent of Genertela, ranging from the freezing northern shores of Fronela, to the warm subtropical coasts of Seshnela in the south, and the temperate inland regions of Ralios. Great mountain ranges, reared before Time, divide these lands, with very few passes crossing their imposing heights, except for a broad gap in the south west of Ralios. Two extensive river systems flow through these lands; the Janube flows the length of Fronela; the Tanier and its tributaries rise in the foothills of the mountains of Ralios, feeding the great lakes and marshes, before seeking the sea, with its delta in Seshnela. There are other, lesser, rivers. The terrain includes frozen taiga, cold forests, deciduous forests, marshes, dry grasslands, fertile plains, and rugged hills. This is the home of the diverse followers of Malkion, the Founder and Lawgiver, commonly called the Malkioni, monotheists who believe in one supreme god, and whose mages use the powers of sorcery, each derived from the atheist teachings of ancient Brithos. The religion of the Malkioni is infused with philosophy and rhetoric, in all its various strands, offering very different (and differing) answers to the questions of life and death to those of the worshippers of lesser gods. Its basis in sacred texts makes it more reliant upon ritual devotions than a personal relationship with the divine; it is prone to organization and structure, but also schisms and heresies. Enclaves of the Malkioni are found elsewhere, but here their cultures predominate. There are numerous sects of Malkionism, often disagreeing with each other in fundamental ways. Other peoples and other religions are also here, and there are many places where their cultures and gods have mixed with that of the monotheists often in strange and bizarre ways. If the central lands of Genertela are taken as representing the Soul of Glorantha, with its emphasis on gods and goddesses2, and the East is the Spirit, with its emphasis on mysticism, then the West is the realm of the Mind, rational, cerebral, materialist. This is reflected in the magic and cultures of the West, with sorcery requiring the application of intellect and logic, and ordered, hierarchical societies. The roots of the West lie with the perfect but long vanished realm of the Land of Logic, and the now

sundered isle of Brithos, apparently removed from the mortal world by Zzabur the First Wizard. The era of perfection is lost, separated from the modern world by periods of devolution as flaws in the cosmos were manifested culminating in the death and destruction as the world became dark and cold, mighty entities fought, there were terrible floods, and the glaciers spread, grinding down everything in their path in the Ice Age. After Zzabur shattered the great ice and brought back the Sun, the lands it now illuminated were changed. Much was ruined and ravaged, and those despairing mortals who had endured now inhabited a very different world. The Malkioni who survived in the wrecked colonial cities on the mainland at the Dawn found themselves unable to rely upon their old certainties, and surrounded by other hostile survivors. In the era of Time the Malkioni were forced to change and adapt to these new circumstances, for those who did not, died. New Prophets and Teachers offered new paths to salvation and new ways to live. In the north and south, their cities clung to the coast, only gradually expanding into the hinterlands, and adjusting their old, barely remembered ways. Sixteen centuries later, their descendants live in a variety of societies, retaining to a greater or lesser degree the ancient caste system of Brithos, in which the inhabitants were divided into Nobles, Wizards, Soldiers and Workers. The Heavy Cavalry of the West, the cataphracti, cavalry where the rider and mount are heavily armored, have been the defining arm of the Western military for the last thousand years. These are the elite Western warriors most likely to be encountered abroad, for many have sought service in the armies of the Hero Wars in Dragon Pass. The Swords of the West are long and straight. The Magic of the West is sorcery, the manipulation of the Runes which are the basic building blocks of the cosmos to manifest changes in reality. For the West, divine and spirit magics are strange and foreign, though their use is not unknown. Sorcery is a analytical science, exact, complex, repeatable, based in learning and ritual, capable of performing mighty works. The Peoples of the West are of diverse origins: the Westerners from Brithos, the Animal People who lived in the forests and plains, the Storm People who mostly migrated from central Genertela. Seshnela lies in the south-west of Genertela,

1

For a detailed gazetteer of the West, see The Guide to Glorantha; for detailed maps, see the Argan Argar Atlas.

2

The Western name for these lands is Srvuela, named for the Srvuali, the lesser gods of the Elements, teeming with krjalki, inhuman monsters.

6

LANDS OF THE WEST divided into the wrecked and splintered lands of Old Seshnela and a new vigorous kingdom that aspires to be the heir of the mighty Middle Sea Empire that ruled much of the world in the Second Age. The Lower Tanier river flows through the kingdom, bringing fertile mud every year when it floods, and provides a conduit for trade and war into the interior. The land is subtropical or temperate, the soil rich and fertile. It is a land of arrogant, ambitious and fractious martial nobles, and the wizard-priests of the fundamentalist Rokari school of Malkionism, where each caste has its own distinctive vocabulary. Elves and strange Beast Men live in the ruined lands. Fronela in the north lies between the gleaming glacier and the mighty mountain range to the south, dominated by the wide Janube river, flowing from the interior of the continent. The currents of the Neliomi Sea derive from the Hudaro Ocean and are very cold. Many forms of Malkionism are found here, as well as hunter-gatherers in the great forests, and tribes and kingdoms of Storm Worshippers. The most powerful state is Loskalm, where the idealist utopian Malkionism of New Hrestolism rejects the rigid caste system that defines most Malkioni societies. The land is divided into six distinct geographic regions, the western coastal plains of the Kingdom of Loskalm, the river valley of the Janube, the southern rugged hills of Syanor, the northern forests and taiga beneath the wall of the glacier, and two distinct elf forests. The mountains dividing Fronela and Ralios are occupied by a vast underground dwarven complex. Ralios is a huge landlocked bowl, surrounded by the semicircle of the Mislari Mountains, the Western Rockwoods, and the Nidan Mountains, with large lakes, one virtually an inland sea, and fertile plains in the lowlands, and great forests and rugged hill lands. The wealthy cities crowding around the lakes follow a bewildering array of religions, often combining varieties of Malkionism and the pantheon of the Storm People, resting on a foundation of older ways. Ralios has long been the refuge of obscure and heretical forms of Malkionism. These trends have created a potent mixture that has created popular and widespread cults, and a multitude of enigmatic secret societies. Tribes of Animal People still live in the forests and uplands. The hills are dominated by Storm tribes, some organized into powerful kingdoms and confederations. There are elves in two of the forests, and troll enclaves in the west and east. Western Slontos was ravaged by

the catastrophes of the Second Age, with lands sunk beneath the sea or turned into extensive marsh and fenlands, leaving regions of forest and isolated hilly farmland. There are mines of the crystallized blood of gods killed or wounded in the Gods War. The inhabitants shun the sea. Their fears will be realized… Even after a thousand years, the histories of all the lands of the West are marked by the exploits of the hero Arkat, who led a decades long campaign against a false God of Light. In the West he is remembered as the Traitor or the Liberator, who surrendered his soul to accomplish his Crusade against Chaos, wantonly laying waste to half a continent, ultimately becoming the Dark Emperor, a tragic hero who fell from virtue, or a villain whose vanity wrecked the world. A thousand tales and poems claim to record his deeds, real or imagined, to tell of his blasphemies, his trials, his failures, his sorrows, and his triumphs. Many of the troubles of the modern world are blamed on his long-lasting legacies. For most orthodox Malkioni, Arkat serves to show what is not acceptable: he broke his caste laws, he abandoned his faith for pagan ways, he turned to Darkness and gave up even his humanity. Only in Ralios is his legacy more nuanced, and he is recalled in different cults, ranging from those who view him as a hero, peacemaker, savior, demi-god, destroyer, demon, or deceiver. Even in Ralios there are conflicting beliefs regarding Arkat’s true nature. Arkat, his works, and his influence, is found almost everywhere in the West. His story wends through the histories given here, during and after his lifetime for his impact on warfare and religion was profound. And, it is prophesized, Arkat shall return. I

7

MEN OF THE WEST

The Heavy Cavalry of the West History Cataphracti, heavily armed and armored heavy cavalry, have been the defining elite fighters of the West almost since the middle to late First Age when the initially wretched Western colonies were increasing in wealth and power. They reached their perfected form in the armies of the Middle Sea Empire in the Second Age when their arms and armor were fully developed to a form perhaps far superior to that of the Third Age. In the Third Age, they are represented by the Brithini talari of Arolanit, the talar knights and the heavy cavalry of the War Societies of Seshnela, the elite horsemen of Ralios and Carmania, and the Men-of-All of the different sects of Hrestolism of whom those of Loskalm are the most well-known. The well armored rider now typically uses a durable two-handed kontos3 or a one-handed lance4. The kontos may have first been used by the proto-cataphracti of the Silver Empire in the First Age. The mount may be partially or completely armored in barding, chamfron, criniere and peytral, made of leather, felt, fabric, or metal.

In Battle Cataphracti require considerable training, as the kontos requires the use of both hands so the rider must be proficient in guiding their mount with their knees. The talari knights of Seshnela tend to use the lance as this requires much less discipline when charging in formation, and frees one hand to grasp the reins and hold a shield. The cataphracti provide a heavy assault force, delivering the major shock of an offensive maneuver against an enemy formation. Whether using a kontos or lance, they attack in a solid mass, usually a serried triangular wedge, to exploit the effects of their impact, minimizing the limited maneuverability of an individual. A knightly wedge is likely to become uneven as nobles strive to be the first to reach the foe. Sometimes the mere threat of facing such a charge is enough to cause an enemy line to break, but if they hold, the officer at the head of the wedge may have to call for a halt before impact 3

A long cavalry spear about 3.6 to 4.2 meters long with a sword-like blade and a butt spike which can also be used as a weapon if the main blade snaps off. The kontos is heavier than a lance, with a thicker shaft, and less likely to break. 4 A type of long spear with a blade, 1.8 to 3.6 meters in length, unsuitable for throwing and tapered to give a balance point one-third of the way down the shaft. This provides the wielder with a greater striking distance.

8

THE HEAVY CAVALRY OF THE WEST

Evolution of the Western Cataphract From top to bottom, left to right

Man-of-All circa 80 ST: early Seshnegi

cavalryman riding a Galana pony. He has minimal body armor Man-of-All circa 280 ST: Seshnela - after a century of breeding, the size of the Galana has increased, permitting the horse to carry a more heavily armored rider, who wears plate torso and arm armor, and a scale skirt. His helmet includes a full face-mask, adopted as protection from Enerali horse archers. The horse is now partially armored with a scale chamfron and a leather and felt peytral. Man-of-All circa 220 ST: Fronela - the horse is a massive shaggy Daron, not yet bred to become the superior warhorse of later times. It is slow but easily able to bear the weight of its rider and his armor. Man-of-All circa 400 ST: Seshnela - the rider is now fully protected by plate and scale armor. His horse wears a lamellar chamfron and criniere of bronze, and a thick felt and leather peytral. Cataphract circa 800 ST: Middle Sea Empire - man and horse are now fully armored; the rider in scale body armor and articulated plates on his arms and legs, the horse with lamellar armor on its head, neck and body, and even estivals on its lower legs. With eye-guards protecting its eyes, the horse is almost invulnerable, save on its belly and muzzle. The horse is a Daron, of the Fronan Charger sub-breed, smaller but much faster than its lumbering ancestor. This marks the apex of the Western cataphract; the panoply of man and mount was extremely expensive, in both materiel and magic. Seshnelan ‘knight’ circa 1600 ST: a noble equipped for lion hunting. The rider wears a bronze cuirass with a lamellar neck protector, bronze helmet and scale skirt, and lamellar limb armor plus thigh-guards depending from his belt. The horse has a lamellar bronze chamfron with eye-guards and criniere, and barding covered in lacquered cuir boilli scales. The horse is a Daron-Galana crossbreed. Loskalmi Man-of-All: he is armored in bronze scale torso, shoulder and neck pieces, lamellar limb armor on a leather backing, a bronze full helmet, and thick leather pteruges; his Daron mount is armored with a scale peytral which curves back to also protect the rider’s lower legs, and includes an extension to protect the horse’s upper chest. In battle, the horse would wear more armor. Ralian Mercenary Cataphract: the rider is armored in scale and lamellar manica. The horse has a crested frontlet and scale peytral; in battle, it would also wear a scale criniere, and sidepieces. Note the golden Solar decoration mounted on the chamfron.

9

MEN OF THE WEST (and talari knights might recklessly disregard such an order). Horses will not willingly charge a solid formation with spears or pikes projecting from it, though if highly trained, or with their vision partially obscured by eye-guards this will not apply. An individual cataphract is vulnerable to being surrounded by more mobile opponents, with man and mount taken down. When making an attack they strive to maintain their momentum to punch all the way through the enemy line. Whilst their heavy armor makes them almost invulnerable to arrows and javelins, save at close quarters, footmen can get under their mounts and stab them in the belly. The weight of their armor reduces their mobility and their ability to fight for a sustained time; both rider and mount tire, and in summer dehydration and heat stroke is a danger. Cataphracti are also vulnerable when stationary or ascending or descending a slope (with their powerful hindquarters, horses find it easier to go uphill than downhill), and far less effective in wooded and uneven terrain. Like an infantry phalanx, the flanks of a cataphracti formation are often protected by light infantry and cavalry. This limited range means that even if their charge disorders the enemy, they are not suited to a long pursuit. Supporting lighter cavalry are usually used in this role.

Horses The classic heavy cavalry horse of the West is the large muscular big-headed Daron breed, perfected as a destrier in the Second Age. It was spread far and wide by the Middle Sea Empire. Where these horses are rare, sorcerers may expend their magic in enhancing the strength and constitution of the smaller Galana pony, enhancing its bones and muscles. Galana breeds come in a variety of builds and sizes; the largest are preferred as warhorses. The Galana, despite its smaller size, has an advantage over the Daron in the south. A heavy horse is more likely to suffer heat stress, sweating, losing body fluids, and is less able to regulate its body temperature. Wearing armor compounds these problems. A horse suffering overheating rapidly becomes ineffective in combat and in danger of imminent collapse. In Fronela’s colder climate this is much less of an issue, as excess body heat will dissipate rapidly save in the hottest summers. The Westerners have developed deliberate breeding techniques over the centuries, allowing them to manipulate their horses into new breeds suited to different uses. Each cataphracti requires at least two mounts suitable to be ridden in combat, another to ride when not in action, mounts for a servant and groom, and a pack-animal to carry the fighter’s armor and at least one more pack-animal to carry the mount’s armor. As

Seshnelan horali of a Bull Regiment: the rider is

armored in scale body armor and plate vambraces, greaves and helmet, and is armed with a crossbow and long sword. His neck, shoulders and upper arms are protected by thick but flexible leather armor. The horse has a scale bronze chamfron, criniere, and peytral, all on a leather or fabric base. Jonatelan noble warrior: he wears a thick fur cloak, bronze banded corselet, lamellar skirt, helmet and vambraces, with leather wrappings protecting his lower legs. His Daron horse is protected by a robust woven covering over the heavy leather barding protecting its forequarters. The cover is decorated with a scene from the Jonat Saga in which the king fought the ice demons, the Hollari. Safelstran ‘knight’: horse and rider are protected by lammelar armor. The noble also wears neck- and wristprotectors. The horse’s caparison, criniere, and chamfron consist of alternating bands of lamellae lacquered to have different colors.

10

THE HEAVY CAVALRY OF THE WEST Bridle: fittings may be decorative and defensive, with

nobles, their retinue and baggage train is often much larger.

cheek-pieces and pendants to protect the head. Caparison: also called a trapper; a covering of cloth, felt or leather laid over the torso of the animal for protection and decoration. Some have extended flaps to meet at the front of the chest. A half-trapper covers only the chest and shoulders. A fabric trapper is sometimes overlaid with a scale and plate trapper to protect the mount of a cataphract. The full panoply is expensive. Chamfron: designed to protect the animal’s head. May be made of boiled leather, felt or metal. Sometimes it includes eye protectors, and may be decorated with plumes, feathers or horns. Criniere: a set of segmented hardened leather or metal plates or scales to protect the neck. Estivals: equine greaves which protect the weightbearing cannon bones of the lower leg. Only the upper fore legs might also be protected in this way, as it is impossible to attach them to the upper hind legs because of their shape. Eye guards: metal protectors attached to the bridle with straps or integral to the chamfron. Flanchard: attached to the saddle on both sides, passing around the front or rear of the mount. Frontlet: a smaller chamfron to protect the top of the head, usually made of leather. Peytral: a band of metal, hardened leather or thick felt to protect the chest. Poll pad: a leather or bead cushion to protect the very vulnerable top of a horse’s head. Sidepieces: usually attached to a peytral and used to protect the shoulders and flanks. These can be made to also act as thigh protectors for the rider.

Armor The armor worn by the rider is usually a form of scale or lamellar armor sufficiently flexible to give the rider and mount a good degree of motion in using a lance or kontos, but strong enough to survive the shock of a charge into an enemy formation. Plate armor may be employed where flexibility is less important, such as the head, upper torso, forearms and lower legs. The heavy armor offers considerable protection from injury, but the wearer may be hampered by its weight, and taken prisoner. In Seshnela there is a widespread custom of capturing enemy nobles and holding them for ransom. Often, all that can be seen of the horse is its eyes (unless hidden by metal eye-guards), nostrils, and lower legs; the underside is rarely covered but is concealed by the barding hanging from the flanks. At the very least the head and chest of the mount will be protected by a chamfron and peytral, and the neck by a criniere, a set of segmented hardened leather or metal plates or scales. A full set of barding is not unusual. The heaviest armor may rarely include estivals strapped to the legs. The panoply of these super-heavy cavalry for man and mount is very expensive. Due to the cost of their equipment, weapons and horses, this heavy cavalry is often recruited from, or paid for by prosperous nobles. Among tribal heavy cavalry only the wealthiest can afford it, and many wear what armor they can whilst still using the kontos. In central Genertela, the few true cataphracti are either Carmanian, or mercenaries from the West. Even in a mercenary or War Society regiment, the armor worn by rider and mount is rarely uniform, save among the retainers of high nobles. The horse furniture also includes the head-pieces, bridle, straps and saddle, with the harness decorated and protected by metalwork. The saddle is secured with a girth, and has a padded seat and horns to hold the rider securely. A single stirrup or toe-loop is used in assisting mounting the taller Daron horses, but at this time the stirrups used by the Pentans are unknown in the West. The armor of a cataphracti is such that they require assistance in donning and removing it. Placing barding and other armor on their horse requires at least two grooms.

Secondary Weapons Daggers, swords, axes or maces are typically carried as secondary weapons in the event that the long spear shatters, is lost, or the rider is engaged in close-quarter combat. Unusually, some cataphracti of the Seshnelan War Societies and Ralian mercenaries carry crossbows of moderate power, small enough to be spanned and reloaded whilst in the saddle. A quiver of bolts is usually carried on the right hip. The Seshnelan cavalry crossbows are often of dwarven manufacture. The use of the kontos precludes the use of any shield larger than a buckler strapped to the left forearm. Most cataphracti using this two-handed spear do not use any variety of shield. Many Seshnelan nobles use the mace-scepter as their weapon of caste, but others carry a long sword; few employ axes as these are viewed as a worker’s tool. Maces are particularly effective when employed against a heavily armored opponent, especially another cataphract. Even if their blows do not penetrate armor, persistent blows to the head will leave the target disorientated or stunned, who can then be killed by being stabbed through gaps in their armor or taken prisoner for their ransom. I

Horse Armor

Barding: a general term for armor; armor for the mount’s body. Often in the form of cloth, metal or cuir bouilli scale, or hard leather armor. Some sets only cover the front portion of the animal because fully cladding the animal increases the risk of overheating due to poor ventilation and the weight of the armor.

11

MEN OF THE WEST

Swords of the West The Death Rune, often called the First Sword, has the form of a stylized sword, and so actual swords have an affinity with Death. Unlike other hand weapons, which can be used as tools or in hunting, a sword is used only in combat. Sorcerers find it easier to augment the death-dealing nature of a sword more than any other weapon. Swords are also the tool of caste of the horali Soldier caste. Western swords are typically long and straight, flat or a flattened diamond-shaped in cross section, and sharpened on both edges. The point is long and pointed enough to be deadly in thrusting, while the curved potion of the tip is ideal for slashing. Other styles are known in the West: the leaf-shaped blades of the Orlanthi, and to a lesser degree the Pelorian curved kopis favored in Jonatela. Although known as the Western sword, their use is not restricted to the descendants of the Old West; some Orlanthi have adopted these swords over their own leaf-shaped blades; in some places such as Ralios, their non-Orlanthi ancestors encountered these metal swords long before the arrival of Theyalan missionaries, mercenaries and invaders even if they could not make them. Swords may be decorated with Runes and other designs, either molded for a bronze sword, or engraved and then inlaid with wire on an iron sword. Whatever metal it is made of, swords may be shaped and strengthened with sorcery. Very few ancient Brithini horali red swords of bronze or aluminum still exist.

stout helmet as the skull is flimsier on the sides, back, and top, or their neck unless they are wearing a gorget or other form of neck protector. Cuts to the limbs might sever tendons or arteries, break bones, or if sufficiently powerful partially or completely sever the limb. Cuts to the torso have to avoid the limbs and ribcage. A downward cutting motion is natural from horseback, enhanced by the mount’s momentum. The slice is the least effective against a foe wearing thick clothes or in armor, unless combined with stabbing in the same motion or used against an opponent’s neck or wrist (one reason why gorgets, neck, and wrist protectors are not uncommon). To employ this attack requires the sword to be sharp along much of its length. Pommel strikes are not unlike attacking with a mace if used against the head; the opponent can be stunned or even killed if they lack a helmet. Swords are generally used only as a secondary weapon by a cavalryman, if their lance or kontos snaps or is lost, and in melee. A longer blade makes it easier to strike infantry, attacking and defending to the right, avoiding the rider leaning out of the saddle; attacking and defending to the left or rear is more difficult. The longest swords can even be used as if they were very short lances, extending forward. If defending against an enemy’s lance or kontos the flat of the sword can be used in an attempt to deflect it and then strike at the attacker’s head. Deflecting a kontos is more difficult because it is held more firmly with both hands. Shorter swords are carried by infantry, used to thrust and cut in the press of a shield-wall. A longer sword needs more space to deliver cuts.

Combat

Bronze Swords

In combat, swords are used in four ways: to cut, to thrust, to slice, and to strike with the pommel, and in a combination of these. Western swords can be used in all these ways, though longer, heavier swords have their balance point further away from the hilt, providing more penetrative power, whilst wider and heavier blades are better at slashing. A powerful thrust is most deadly, especially stabbing into the torso, and most likely to pierce clothing and skin, and to penetrate armor. Only the point and tip need be very sharp to perform this sort of attack. The cut is most effective against a foe’s head, unless they are wearing a

Whilst Western armies are often richer in iron than any others on the continent of Genertela, the manufacture of iron swords is fundamentally the same as elsewhere. The same is not true for the still commonly used bronze swords. Most Western bronze swords are laminated, made of bronze with a high tin content for the edges and bronze with lower tin content for the spine to give a sharper more flexible and resilient sword. They are made by using two molds - first a smaller one for the spine, and then when cool the core is placed in a larger mold with room for the edges, supported by wax sprues, and the higher tin content bronze is poured in. As the molten bronze cools it fuses (sometimes enhanced by alchemy) with the preliminary spine of the sword. When removed from the second mold the blade is trimmed to remove the flashing. These swords

12

SWORDS OF THE WEST are rarely annealed to the same extent as central Genertelan swords, though the upper end is still hammered out into a tang. A coating of a special form of copper may be applied to prevent corrosion, especially important in semitropical Seshnela. The edges rich in tin have a yellow and white tinge while the area with a low proportion of tin is a dark red, lending these the nickname of twin-colored swords. The sword is then carefully ground and polished using disk or rod-shaped grinding stones, using charcoal dust and clay paste. Whilst the sword can be decorated using punches to accentuate the lines of the blade and to chisel in decoration, Western smiths also employ other methods, using surface tin enrichment to decorate and protect a bronze sword. Patterns can be fashioned on the blade by applying a tin alloy powder rich in tin which permeates the body of the sword through heating, causing the powder-covered area to become white while the rest of the sword remains copper-yellow or red. Diamond and Law Rune shapes are popular forms. Other embossed patterns may be created during the casting process using a delicate pottery matrix with the shapes inscribed instead of a plain mold. Western broadswords and shorter swords of bronze or iron are double-edged and straight, Seshnelan swords have a sharp tapering point whilst Fronelan have a more rounded end, though still sharp. A bronze sword requires maintenance, with the edges honed with a whetstone cylinder. Fighters spend a little time each evening retouching their sword blades.

It is then either cold worked (hammered over several cycles of gradual heating and cooling) to make an edge, or heated to a high temperature and then quenched in a liquid, hardening it to hold an edge (though this requires considerable skill to ensure the blade does not warp) and then tempered (heated uniformly along its length and thickness to a temperature below that used to hardened it) to overcome the brittleness, and permitted to cool slowly. The smith evaluates the sword as they work, checking the flex of the blade and the balance, tapering and thinning the blade as necessary. Manufacturer’s marks and simple designs such as Runes are made using stamps when the blade is hot. More complex designs may be engraved, which may be inlaid with other metals, though this can increase corrosion if the blade is not regularly and thoroughly cleaned or protected by sorcery. The sword is ground with abrasives to achieve the desired finish, and then sharpened. In all methods, the tang is not habitually hardened; the softer metal serves to absorb some of the shock of a thrust or blow. The final step is to attach the hilt to the tang. The tang of an iron sword is usually a narrow flattened rod that fits into the hollowed out center of the grip. The grip and pommel are attached to the tang. Iron swords being of great worth, their hilts and pommels are often highly decorated, with fine gold wire, jewels, or cloisonné work. Iron swords are carefully polished, which accentuates the patterns of laminated and patternwelded swords. The blade edges are finished using a fine quartz whetstone. An iron sword, however it is manufactured, requires constant maintenance, regularly oiled to reduce corrosion when the blade becomes pitted. Inevitably, unless a sword is of the very finest quality, usually of dwarven manufacture, a sword gradually becomes pitted with black spots of corrosion with the surface becoming grey as the rust spreads. Sweat and blood cause rust faster than water because of their salt content. Over time, dents and chips caused by combat are inevitable along the blade edge, and have to be removed with a whetstone, and this progressively narrows the width of the blade and reduces its strength.

Iron Swords There are several methods of forging iron swords5. In the West, the most common is to make a laminated iron sword, made of multiple bars of alternating soft and harder layers of the metal heatwelded together using a hammer using a flat pounding surface. In the cheapest examples, harder edges may simply be welded to a softer core, replicating to a degree the manufacture of Western bronze swords. Fullering can be used to create one or more corrugations along the length of the blade to lend it greater structural strength and to reduce its weight. This also serves to press the metal sideways to stretch it. The fullering ends some way short of the tip, ensuring that the end of the blade is as strong as possible. The blade may be annealed to relieve stresses introduced by forging and then evenly heated to different temperatures. Unlike bronze, iron requires gradual cooling after heating. 5

All are detailed in The Armies and Enemies of Dragon Pass.

13

MEN OF THE WEST surrounded by paired laths of wood, often willow, and then layers of leather which may be tooled or painted, or painted linen. Seshelan horali scabbards are almost always dyed or painted red unless covered in the hide of their Martial Beast. The display of Runes on the scabbard is common, with the Death Rune most likely. Metal fixtures may decorate this, whilst the scabbards of Seshnelan knights may be decked with gems, the most expensive faceted and backed with gold or silver leaf to intensify their color and brilliance. A metal or bone chape sits at the bottom of the scabbard, with a metal top mount, to ensure that when the sword is in the scabbard, it is protected from moisture. A decorated stamped or engraved locket often sits at the top of the scabbard; a common decoration is the Law Rune; scabbards of the Seshnelan War Societies may display the figure or head of their Martial Beast, those of Safelstran mercenaries may display the symbol of their regiment. The better the fit of sword to scabbard is, the more secure it is, and less likely to be accidentally lost when riding or running, though it takes a little more time to draw. A good quality scabbard can be as expensive to purchase as the sword it carries, especially if it is decorated with precious metals, ornate designs, and gems. Scabbards may be carried on a cross-shoulder baldric or be secured to a belt around the waist using suspension rings, straps or lengths of chain. In certain ceremonies and sorcerous rituals the scabbard may be carried in the hand.

Pommels The size of the pommel denotes how the sword is used. A large and heavier pommel as preferred in Loskalm moves the weight of the sword towards the hand, making the sword easier to maneuver, with the balance improved for both cut and thrust. However, having the balance point further away from the hilt provides more penetrative power, so a lighter pommel is commonly used by cavalry, increasing the force of blows against a foe on foot6. A pommel may be made of a hard heavy wood, bronze, or even iron. It serves as a counterweight, though its size is such that it does not restrict the movement of the wrist and arm of the wielder. A variety of pommel shapes are employed, spherical, half-conical, cone-shaped or a stylized animal head. A small ring may be attached to the pommel for a wrist strap. At need, the pommel can also be used to pummel an enemy.

Parts of a Sword Blade: the cutting length of a sword. Cross guard: bar between the grip and the blade. Forte: a straight section of a blade, which increases its length and is useful for deflecting attacks. Fuller: a broad groove or pair of narrow grooves running along a blade to lighten and strengthen it. Grip: the hand grip, often corrugated or indented to enhance the wielder’s hold of the sword. It may be simply carven wood, bone or horn, and can be wrapped with wire, untanned leather or sharkskin. Hilt: the combined stop, grip and pommel attached to the sword’s tang. Kopis swords may have a chain or leather strap connecting the pommel and stop to minimize the chance of the sword slipping out of the hand. Point: the part of the blade narrowing to the tip. Pommel: fitted at the top of the hilt to prevent the hand sliding back off the sword, sometimes also acting as a counterbalance. Rib: raised ridge running along a blade to strengthen it. Sometimes called a midrib. Stop: the base of the hilt which prevents the hand from sliding onto the blade. Some have projecting lugs. A wider transverse stop is sometimes called a cross-guard. Sword-knot: a lanyard of leather or fabric attached to the hilt to secure the sword to the wrist. Tang: a tongue of metal extending from the blade to which the hilt is attached. Tip: the end of the blade.

Parts of a Scabbard

Baldric: strap suspending a scabbard from one shoulder.

Chape: a fitting which protects the bottom tip of the scabbard from wear. Core: the main sheath of the scabbard. Finial: an enlarged button on the bottom of a chape. Frog: button used to attach a scabbard to a belt. Guttering: metal strips binding the edges of a scabbard. Lining: a layer of fur, fleece or fabric attached to the core. Locket: metal plate on the front and top of the scabbard. Mouth: where the sword slides into the scabbard. Mouth plate: top of the scabbard. Throat: the top portion of the scabbard. Top-mount: the top of the scabbard, mating with the sword hilt when sheathed to prevent dirt and moisture tainting the blade.

Scabbards

I

Western scabbards have an inner layer of raw sheepskin7 in the north, or linen in the south, 6

The Jonatelans favour a two-handed grip when using a Pelorian-style kopis sword on foot, using them one-handed when mounted.

7

The natural lanolin protects an iron sword from corrosion.

14

MAGIC OF THE WEST

Magic of the West In most Malkioni sects the intellectual8 manipulation of the Runes using complex logical formulae is the reserve of a small group of specialists. For the Brithini and Rokari these are the wizards; for Hrestoli sects the Men-of-All; for other sects in Ralios, Maniria, and elsewhere these are the sorcerers9. The practitioner of this form of magic must engage in long years of study before they can become proficient in its application. The Malkioni do not interact with magic and mythology in the same way that other Gloranthans do. They instead strive to understand how things fit together to the deepest possible level of detail, and then work to exploit this perception to their benefit. The materialist and humanist philosophies of the Malkioni religions are centered upon the veneration10 of the Invisible God, the one true God, the One Mind, the Ultimate Being, the primordial pure immaterial energy. The Runes and Laws, they believe, were created by its thoughts and subsequently devolved, merged, and multiplied, forming the natural world of matter and energy. This abstract Invisible God gives no actual magic to its worshippers. It does give the wizards access to the formulae and philosophies that allow them to define and manipulate the world, utilizing it as raw materials and energies which are exploited through the employment of Knowledge and Power. This form of magic is impersonal, often working with abstract patterns and even theories, whereas the practitioners of priestly theism11 and shamanistic animism12 have personal relationships with their gods and spirits. For the orthodox wizard, these are merely natural entities to utilize, of greater or lesser potential; their imagined personalities are irrelevant and often considered as derived from the beliefs of their deluded worshippers. The teachings of the First Wizard, Zzabur, are the source or basis of Western magic; he is the archetypal sorcerer, aloof, amoral, dangerous, who systemized the Laws of Sorcery and developed the methodology to

employ those Laws to manipulate and manage magical energy. In Seshnela the other castes now participate in some of these intellectual endeavors by aiding the specialists in their rituals when performing the great spells13 (while not usually gaining any direct magic themselves). Each caste is taught their ‘script’ of words and actions by Rokari Readers from abridged portions of the Sharp Abiding Book, aiding in spells to Bless the king, protect the armies, Curse the trolls, and bind the Eranaschula14 into service. With the use of the Combinatoric Formulae, these wizards can cast spells of frightful power, assuming the lower castes are taught correctly how to aid them and perform their roles as required in the Chain of Veneration. Lesser magics may be performed by individual Knowers and Watchers. The horali soldiers and dronari workers have their own skills, and lesser magics. Elsewhere, a sorcerer may employ their apprentice, assistants, servants and willing or unwilling participants in their rituals. Historically, the most powerful Malkioni wizards are those who renounce the distractions of the other castes and devote themselves utterly to their intellectual explorations15. The Divine Thought or the Great Intellect are also celebrated by the lyrical songs and chants that praise the many names of Malkion and verses from the versions of the Abiding Books widely performed throughout Seshnela and beyond. Some versions include costumes, musical instruments, incense, and dance and can take many hours to perform. At least one omits the singing completely and consists purely of complex musical arrangements. Others recite the caste-appropriate readings in lyrical poetry. These performances are inherently magical, even if the performers have no intrinsic ability in sorcery. More vibrant are the Pomona Whirlers of Fronela who seek Joy of the Heart through music and repetitive dance. The dronari farmers in Seshnela and the Castle Coast have their own colorful celebrations, such as the

8

Some non-Malkioni would add egotistical.

9

In this book, the terms sorcerer and wizard are otherwise used interchangeably.

10

The Brithini are an exception, offering no worship to what they know to be an impersonal force. Many Malkioni would deny that the Invisible God is a being in any sense of the word much like the dwarves deny that Mostal is a being but is the Cosmic Machine. For the Loskalmi the Invisible God is known as the Prime Mover. The dwarves perform their own version of sorcery to manipulate a specific material associated with a dwarven subtype. 11 Worshippers of great and powerful entities known as gods and goddesses. 12

Worshippers of the spirits who are embodied in animals, plants, and places, and of disembodied spirits.

13

In English, the different meanings of ‘spell’ are homographs, derived from different origins. In the West, however, the word meaning to ‘cast magic’ and ‘to read slowly (letter by letter)’ has a single origin and meaning in the ancient Brithini written language. 14 According to the Malkioni, the True Beings created by Malkion, including Zzabur. Others were corrupted or became deities. In the Third Age, the Rokari and New Hrestoli reject the worship of these mere Rune holders, though they still venerate city guardians, and other minor entities in exchange for magic. The God Learners admired Zzabur and practically worshipped him as the originator and lord of sorcery; he still worked to destroy them. 15 Even the original schools of the God Learner movements began this way, though they were later corrupted by temporal and spiritual power.

15

MEN OF THE WEST wild celebration of the Destruction of the Ice in the God Time. These all offer energy to be exploited. Even from before Time, sorcerers have always struggled in conflicts against shamans. The wars of the Malkioni against the Hykimi16 often relied more upon the capabilities of professional horali soldiers and champions (often heavily augmented by sorcery beforehand) against Hsunchen warriors rather than direct contests between shamans and sorcerers. The former had relatively immediate access to powerful spells and spirits when the latter needed time to prepare. Only truly ancient sorcerers with more than a century of learning were able to defeat a shaman in a thaumaturgic duel, and in the period of the Storm Age through into the early centuries of Time on the mainland, relatively few sorcerers lived to such an advanced age. Even the few surviving Brithini zzaburi at the court of Frowal eventually aged and died, succumbed to wounds or disease, or perhaps returned to Brithos. Compared with other systems of magic, sorcery is also relatively inflexible. In practice, a powerful wizard will know many spells, having prepared for numerous contingencies, and be extremely learned about the secrets of the world. The most powerful human sorcerers in the Third Age are older than most mortals; the Rokari Watcher Theoblanc is over 150 years old and the greatest sorcerer-warriors of Loskalm completed their studies during the Ban (when everything functioned perfectly). Their powers are extensive but much less than those of the immortal Brithini zzaburi, who may measure their lives and learning in Ages or millennia. The powers of First Sorcerer Zzabur can scarcely be

conceived of by mortals.

Manipulation of the Runes Malkioni sorcery at its most fundamental level imposes the caster’s will upon the material world, manipulating the Runes using the principles and techniques collectively known as Summon and Dismiss, Command, Combine, and Separate. Command forces a specific emanation of a Rune to act in a specific manner in accordance with its nature. This requires the correct identification of the nature of things; the more specific the identification, the more powerful the effect. One favored technique is genealogical17 - the determination of what a thing is by identifying its Runic precedents. Combine forces a specific emanation of one Rune to combine with that of another. Elemental, Form and Power Runes can all be combined. Separate forces a specific emanation of a Rune to remove itself from another. Summon allows the sorcerer to call forth specific emanations of the Rune to the material world, the most common being the Elementals of Darkness, Earth, Water, Fire, and Air, whilst Dismiss allows them to release these specific emanations of the Rune from the material world. Other entities, often called

A Medallion of the Sigil of Zzabur18

This symbol and its variants are one of the most common found in Glorantha, spread by the Middle Sea Empire in the Second Age. It is said that Zzabur initially used this sign as his personal insignia, but later released it to be used first by the zzaburi and later the other castes. The number five is important in Malkioni numerology, and the sigil is a five-pointed star or pentacle inside a circle. Each point of the star is associated with one of the Elements, and the center is often occupied by the Law or Man Rune. The number five also signifies the Man Rune, and various systems connect this Rune with the five senses, the four limbs and head, stages of consciousness, modes of experience, and Elemental origins. The circle signifies the number zero, also important in Malkioni numerology, and the Cosmic Egg which contained all potential within itself. Lines connecting the points of the star trace the cosmological progression of the Elements: Darkness, Water, Earth, Fire, and Air, whilst their progression around the circle trace their Elemental superiority. Many people carry small medallions depicting the Sigil, often with their own name or symbol inscribed in the center, though copies bearing the Man Rune are popular. In Seshnela these will be made of the metal now associated with their caste, so horali will bear pendants made of molded bronze.

16

The Animal People whom the Westerners believe are descended from Hykim and Mikyh. The term is often used to solely refer to their shamans.

17

Many of these genealogies may be metaphorical, not literal, but still provide insights into their innate nature.

18

This example was excavated at the site of Segurane III.

16

MAGIC OF THE WEST demons, can also be called up and discharged. The principle of Tap19 is widely forbidden by many schools as it transforms a manifestation of a Rune into raw energy and dust20, or else there are strict rules governing its use. The Third Law of Malkion 21 is widely interpreted as a proscription against Tapping. The Runes themselves are the permanent and indestructible laws of the universe, and their study and manipulation requires a logical, rational, and ritualistic approach to impose the caster’s will upon them. Learning how to do this requires considerable study and effort. Not everyone can master these techniques. The Elemental Progression, derived from the pentagram Sigil of Zzabur is a Malkioni philosophical construct, fundamental to their understanding of the Elements22; this describes the relationship between the Elemental Runes, and which ones have an inherent dominance over another. Alchemy23 is a means of using sorcery to manipulate the Runes of a substance to transform it into elixirs, acids, poisons, and medicinal potions. Spells to perform the most puissant transformations, such as the creation of elixirs of immortality or a philosopher’s stone require exceedingly rare and expensive substances, often not easily found in the mortal world. Sorcery is impersonal and rational, and whilst an affinity with the Law Rune is important, some would say essential, it is knowledge of the Runes, not an affinity with them that permits their use and exploitation. The Rokari look for children who are strong in the Law Rune and take them as novices but this is not a universal practice. Sorcery divides the Runes into Elemental Runes, Power Runes, and Form Runes. The Middle Sea Empire exported and propagated the Western interpretation across much of the mortal world in the Second Age. The God Learners were far more skilled at the manipulation of the Runes than most modern sorcerers; they used heroquests and the actual worship of pagan gods in ways that few Malkioni now save the henotheists24 would be willing to do. Heroquesting is a foreign practice and reviled by many sorcery schools,

due to its misuse by the God Learners and its associations with the Great Heretic Arkat. In the West, many heroquesting paths have been fractured: in Seshnela by the ruin of Old Seshnela; in Fronela by the Syndics Ban; in Ralios by the wrecking of the paths known by the Arkati by the destruction of the place of Arkat’s apotheosis.

The Runes of Sorcery The Kachasti Rune system is perhaps the oldest in Glorantha but in the Second Age the God Learners, in collecting and analyzing myths from around the world, created their own set of approximately thirty Core Runes. Initially they had their own Runic system, but after considerable study they recognized certain patterns and consistencies between many different cultures, and organized a basic set of Runes that are still recognized in the Third Age as the Thirty Core Runes. Gloranthans have always used symbols to express the great forces that underlie existence, often keeping their inner meanings secret, though the forms, used as religious symbols, tattoos, shield designs, decoration on pottery and many other applications were visible, and known even by their enemies. Over time people began to recognize each other’s signs and to correctly identify many of their traits and powers. In that

19

Tapping is the sorcerous conversion of a local manifestation of a Rune (such as a stone as an expression of Stasis, or a living thing as an expression of Life) into raw magical energy - reducing it or rendering it to dust - which then can be used by the sorcerer to power other spells. Most Malkioni sects (though not the Brithini) condemn Tapping as immoral and Chaotic. However, the principle is inherent in the Malkioni philosophy and is easily derived from the logical techniques the zzaburi use to Summon, Command, or Combine Runes. Some say the spell was developed by the Silver Dwarves. 20 In the Storm Age it is written that the Brithini and Vadeli Tapped the Neliomi Sea almost into a stagnant puddle. 21

Do not ruin that which you love.

22

Some versions even leave out Darkness, whilst in Ralios there is an ancient tradition of dividing Sky into Fire and Light. There are several different versions of the Sigil, each showing different relationships between the Elements. The Malkioni do not recognize Moon as an Element, although some wizards, particularly in Loskalm, study the Moon and have developed techniques to master its powers. 23 There are many different approaches to alchemy. The sages of Lhankor Mhy claim all originally come from the dwarves, but the practice is known in the West, the Lunar Empire, Kralorela, and Fonrit. Dwarven alchemy is instead about understanding the True Form of a substance and restoring it to its original True Form. God Learner alchemy was initially based on permutations of the Core Runes, although after 800 ST they were heavily influenced by the Kralori alchemical systems which was more advanced than that of their Western counterparts. 24 The combination of Malkionism with the worship of lesser gods. The importance of the Invisible God varies greatly from sect to sect.

17

MEN OF THE WEST way people used each other’s Runes for similar powers, but subject to their own impressions and prejudices. The God Learners were the first to collect and codify these symbols, and they learned how to obtain the essence of the foreign signs and sigils they gathered, recognizing that many were in fact combinations of other, simpler, symbols. Scholars competed with each other to find more and more of them. Truth Contests, often magically violent, were performed to discredit opposing theories. The Core Runes are now almost universally recognized, though there are hundreds of other Runes still in use, many restricted to a particular region or cult and otherwise obscure. Sorcery also utilizes its own specific Runes, many symbolizing particular techniques of manipulating the Runes, others signifying precise concepts and entities. The most common indicate Summon, Dismiss, Command, Combine, Separate and Tap. Some sorcery Runes contain others; Command is related to the Mastery Rune; Combine includes the Fertility Rune, Separate Rune includes the Death Rune in the context of severing or separating one Rune from another; Summon includes a variant of the Spirit Rune; some claim to see the Chaos Rune in Tap. The antecedent of Dispel is obscure, perhaps the Power Rune? The Command Rune or a close variant is used to generally denote sorcery and its grimoires.

particular Runes; the scene of a murder, a place of execution, or a battlefield, for example, will have an affinity with the Death Rune25, roads and major rivers with Movement, a field ready to be harvested or an egg, fruit or seed with Fertility, a great boulder or outcrop of granite or other hard stone with Stasis, a dark cave, an underground chamber or nighttime with Darkness, a pool, well, river, lake, or sea with Water, a field or clod of earth with Earth, a volcano, great conflagration, or bright daylight with Fire, a tall tower, a windswept hillside or mountaintop with Air. Places of great mythological importance for a Rune will aid the casting of magics manipulating that Rune 26. Particular components aid the casting of magic. Those related to Elemental magic are easiest to obtain, as Darkness, Water, Earth, Fire and Air are almost universally available. Those related to Form Runes require something associated with Beast, Man, Plant, Dragonewt, Spirit, and Chaos, and some of these are inherently dangerous. Only heretical schools utilize Chaos as it invariably taints those who use it, however good their initial intentions. Another form is Demonology, fraught with risk, is the Summoning of a major foreign spirit, demon or god and forcing it to obey the will of the caster, including the teaching of its magic. If the summoner succeeds there is always the danger that they will be unable to Command and Dismiss that which they have Summoned up.

Methodology of Sorcery

Schools

General sorcery is learned by studying in a school, which can be as informal as a wizard with a single apprentice to noviates attending a formal college with its own rules and traditions; all combine the teaching of wizardry with philosophy and religious instruction with a master, using one or more grimoires. Ceremonies are routinely used to enhance the casting of spells. The magician reproduces a magical act by use of sympathetic magic and other skills. It allows the casting or augmenting of powerful spells, but takes many hours or even days or longer to prepare and cast. Many participants may be required fulfilling designated roles, to augment or complete the spell. Sympathetic magic relies upon utilizing time, place and things. Certain magics are easier to cast on related days, weeks and seasons as each has a Runic association. Certain places have associations with

Wizards begin their careers as Apprentices to a Mage or as Noviates in a school, a term referring to both a philosophy and often an organized institution of learning. There are a great number of different schools, varying considerably in size and importance. They can be divided into:  Zzaburism was once the dominant school of sorcery, but is now almost entirely restricted to Arolanit, Brithos (if it still exists, somewhere) and a few scattered immortal sorcerers.  Abiding Book Malkionism, of which the largest extant group are the Rokari of Seshnela though other sects also attempt to reconstruct or refine the Abiding Book. These include the Galvosti in Safelster, the scattered groups of the followers of Halwal who believe he was one of the Secret Keepers of the Abiding Book and will return with the True Abiding Book at the end of the Third Age, and the

25

A common cliché in the stories Orlanthi tell of sorcerers is the sorcerer or their minions committing murder to enhance their Death magic.

26

In order to do this, a sorcerer often requires an understanding and knowledge of pagan mythology. The God Learners eagerly sought out barbarian myths and systemized them into the monomyth to aid their magics. In the Third Age many peoples are now wary of strangers asking questions of the myths and legends of their deities, and of their sacred places. Some sorcerers claim those places are instead linked to specific Runic powers, and have just been appropriated by a spirit or god. In some places such magical spots have been occupied by different powers at different times; a shrine to a fire or sun deity might have become associated with Gerlant Flamesword, and later by a God Learner scholarum as a portal to a fiery node of sorcerous power, and later the ruin might be found by a sorcerer, or become a theistic shrine again.

18

MAGIC OF THE WEST Navigationalists of the now conquered Quinpolic League who believe that prophecies incorporated in the Abiding Book were fulfilled by Dormal the Sailor. The Hrestoli of the Castle Coast can be included in this group.  Irensavalism, of which the idealists of Loskalmi New Hrestolism are the largest and most influential. Numerous other smaller schools are scattered across Fronela, including the ascetic White Robes, and the curious sect of Baralor in Jonatela who venerate their king as the living incarnation of the Creator. The Zendamalthan School proved extremely influential in the Second and Third Ages by providing the intellectual underpinnings for Irensavalism. The ancestors of the Carmanians were followers of Irensaval.  Henotheism encompasses a bewildering array of different sects. Once dominant in Arkat’s Autarchy in Ralios, there are now numerous competing sects. The practice of henotheism was labeled as Stygian 27, a derogatory term applied by their enemies, who believed it to be a heresy spread by Arkat, though elements of henotheism long predated him. Henotheists mostly believe that the other gods are manifestations of the Invisible God, deserving of worship for their aid and protection. Questions regarding the nature of the Invisible God, what gods are worthy of worship, and how they are to be worshipped are debated by the various henotheist schools and sects. Some henotheist sects combine sacrifice to the local Orlanthi pantheon with philosophical henotheism; others venerate the gods as intelligible manifestations of the powers and forms created by the Invisible God. The largest henotheist school is the new Chariot of Lightning sect based in Otkorian and is now associated with perhaps one of the oldest, the Orgethite School28. Some henotheist sects in Ralios hold Arkat to be a god and offer him divine sacrifices; others venerate him as a Teacher; others contemplate him and seek release from the sufferings of the world; and still others propitiate him as a Devil. Other forms of henotheism are Syanoranism in Jonatela, and Asharanism in Maniria. There are many others.  There are other independent or unclassifiable

schools such as the Borists, centered at Borin in Safelster, the Sedalpists in Umathela on the southern continent, and the Valkarists in the East Isles. There are numerous others. In many Malkioni lands, schools are forbidden from contradicting the philosophical tenants of the ruling denomination. The Rokari and the New Hrestol idealists are especially strict in this regard, and formal schools are carefully supervised by the local Watcher. Nevertheless, hidden heretical schools can exist and may be ruthlessly hunted and exterminated. All manner of sorcerous philosophies are found and thrive beyond the dominance of these powerful sects, either as movements and schools, or as individual sorcerers engaged in pursuing their own aims. Those of Safelster in Ralios, and the cities of Fonrit in the southern continent are particularly idiosyncratic, following unusual doctrines. The Rokari of Seshnela, after eradicating or reeducating their rival schools two centuries ago to their True Way, and more recently the Navigationalists in what was the Quinpolic League, now look with increasing repugnance at the rampant variety of heretical schools in Ralios. The Rokari openly support schools of impersonal thought, and frown on organizations centered on an Ascended Master’s29 personality and acts instead of his or her

27

At least one Arkati henotheist sect deserves the name Stygian, because as a philosophy it teaches that Darkness is the source of all and that everything shall eventually return to the Primal Dark. 28 Founded in Seshnela but suppressed as heretical by the True Hrestoli Movement circa 200 ST the school relocated to the Dangan Confederacy in the First Age, and then fled the God Learners deeper into Ralios, and has occupied the Orange Palace of Valantia since the Second Age. 29 The Ascended Masters, also known as the Sacred Ones, are individuals who have ascended through henosis to full reunification with the Invisible God. An Ascended Master is a holy person who is recognized as an exemplary model of Malkioni virtue. The Ascended Masters provide no magic to their followers but by studying the deeds or sayings of a Master their devotees can learn to understand how the Cosmos functions and thereby do magic. Most Masters are associated with particular schools of Malkionism, those that study the healing arts typically venerate Xemela as their Teacher. Various New Hrestoli sects revere Ascended Masters including Xemela, Hrestol, Tomaris, Gerlant, Arkat, Talor, Halwal, Tryensaval, Snodal, and Siglat, but they gain no magic thereby. The Rokari reject the belief in Ascended Masters, though they revere but do not worship Rokar and Pascandal. The latter was a poor Knower who boldly preached the truth of the God Learner perversions in the late Second Age. He declared that only by eschewing

19

MEN OF THE WEST teaching and knowledge, or on pagan gods. The fractious Arkati schools and sects are even more repugnant to the fundamentalist Rokari. Like students of any institution of higher learning, Apprentices and Noviates spend most of their time attending lectures, taking notes, and poring through texts. This learning must be mastered very precisely in order to hope to manipulate one or more Runes. There are several schools that have existed for centuries. These institutions all have their own philosophies and emphasis. Some are small, some large, some operate openly and others, often based in heresies, are secretive. When and if they graduate30, the new wizard is commonly called an Adept. They are expected to make new scholarly discoveries on the behalf of their school, sharing them with the faculty. When other members of the School are attacked or challenged, they must take up their grimoires to defend them. Adepts have other more mundane duties to their School. Schools expect certain standards of behavior, as social requirements, and any Adept who disobeys them is likely to be punished or expelled, and a recalcitrant Adept may be deemed a threat and treated as an outlaw. A sufficiently skilled and learnéd Adept is known as a Mage. They have greater duties to their School, with administrative and teaching duties, serving as a role model to Noviates and Adepts. In turn, they gain considerable prestige within the school. An independent Mage can, with permission, or if they travel beyond the reach of their school, create their own faculty, accepting and teaching Apprentices.

written scripts, identical in meaning but distinct in form, termed Western, though their spoken languages now differ substantially31 but are all descended from one very ancient language. Literate Westerners from any land can always communicate with other Malkioni by writing, but when reading aloud most save some sorcerers translate and pronounce the text according to their local language and dialect32. Sorcery is taught in written Brithini33; sorcerers must be fluent in this language and its script, even though the wider population speak languages derived at least in part from it. Even so, many sorcerers cannot easily converse in the ancient language despite their familiarity with the written and liturgical forms. Brithini is an immutable yet living language, its logical, inflexible grammatical structure and syntax a necessary requisite for Western sorcery. At one level the configuration of the language is believed to represent the structure of reality, and by utilizing the language correctly reality itself can be manipulated. The Brithini claim that their spoken tongue is derived from the oldest form of the written language and this was the writing system employed by Zzabur, in the language of the Land of Logic, a precise and perfect archetypal language of Thought and Reason, Form and Reproduction, capable of expressing the holistic totality of experience34. The Brithini and most Malkioni believe that the Western Script is derived from the actual language of creation or is the language of creation35. Thus, phrases written in this script are believed to have power, even if not components of a spell. Even the atomic elements, the letters of the alphabet, have their own meanings. Western writing is divided into a later less precise version of the ancient Real Script derived from the old Core Runes by Tadenit36 and Zzabur’s scholars long before Time which is now called the Western Script,

Writing and Words of Power Literacy is essential for performing sorcery. The modern Malkioni all share the same two closely related

Hrestolism and returning to the old laws of Malkion could disaster be averted. Although Pascandal was murdered by the Duke of Tanisor, he was proven right. He is revered by the Rokari sect of Malkionism, who embraced his teachings and claim to have returned the Malkioni to the old Laws. In addition to being venerated by some Malkioni sects, certain Ascended Masters are also the subject of aristocratic ancestor cults. 30 Not all Apprentices and Noviates fulfill their initial promise, and ever become Adepts, instead becoming mere assistants. Among the Rokari, they may instead enter the priesthood, with some joining lower ranks of the hierarchy as Readers. 31 For the Brithini this is indicative of the intellectual and mental decay of the peoples of the colonies, whose languages have not only degenerated but also adopted loan words from the barbarous tongues of the Hsunchen, Theyalans, and even the Elder Races. 32 The Western Script apparently lacks vowels, so pronunciation can vary significantly between regions. 33

Often inaccurately called Old Seshnelan in Seshnela. This language has not changed at least as far back as the beginning of the Ice Age if not before.

34

The Brithini language is claimed to include words for many emotions, objects, creatures, and even concepts that no longer exist.

35

Umburudu the Whisperer, an influential God Learner of the Ninth Century and founder of the Sight of the Great Mind movement wrote: “Since the Invisible God created the world by combining written Runes it must follow that these Runes were not representations of pre-existing things, but the very things by which the elements of the universe are molded.” The God Learners believed that their Abiding Book, miraculously written in the Western Script demonstrated this. The original Abiding Book used both the God Learner Runes and the earlier Kachasti runes in its text, often mixed (as was the custom in those early Second Age cultures). Thus, sometimes a normal script would be used, but the sacred Rune system was also used to substitute for certain words or ideas. 36 Tadenit invented writing by making marks in the earth. His family devised special writing tools and several pictorial scripts. He created the First Book, which contained all their knowledge and gave it to Zzabur, who had it copied and then sent it to the Great City. The scholars there assessed it and made a few experimental changes, and then wrote the Book of the Real Script and gave it to Zzabur, who then showed it to the Tadeniti. They were astonished because he had revealed to them a pure distillation of their own magic. Afterwards, the perfect Real Script was the written form for all the documents and books of Danmalastan, and is a direct ancestor of the Western Script used today.

20

MAGIC OF THE WEST and the related cursive New Script which is easier to write and more stylized. Whichever script is used, it is very easy to view any Western writing as a sorcerous spell and for it to have one or more mystical interpretations. When a Rune is written or inscribed, the real power of the magical image is present within it. Repetition of a Rune does not weaken it, but strengthens its presence and firm reality in creation. Both scripts share an identical alphabet, with each letter assigned a phonetic sound and numeric value. Each word written in the script can be converted into a number by calculating the digits represented in its letters, and relationships can be found between words of different meaning but identical summation. Spells are literally algorithmic formulae, expressed in what can be used as mathematical symbols. Even literate Westerners who are not sorcerers may have a fascination with numerology, seeking the metaphysical wisdom hidden in a text.

of fragments of ancient grimoires can carry major ramifications and risks. Grimoires are texts that explain, describe or otherwise analyze Gloranthan metaphysics. Most grimoires focus on a single Rune (and usually narrowed to have some defined subset of the Rune) and contain formulae detailing permutations and combinations of that Rune with other Runes. One of the most famous (and powerful) grimoires was the Abiding Book, a supernatural work, created by the Will of the Invisible God in Jrustela in 646 ST41. Tied to a variation of the Law Rune42, its chapters covered subjects such as rituals, cosmic realities, and the moral laws of Malkion the Founder. The original is now lost, but numerous copies, of varying completeness and content survived the sinking of the island-continent. It may be in plain sight, it may require a metaphorical understanding, or it may be in a complex code, but most Malkioni believe that within the Abiding Book are the keys to understanding the Laws of Creation. The spells of the Abiding Book reside within the text itself. By studying the relationship each character of the Abiding Book has with every other character, a wizard can understand how the Runes relate to each other and their permissible combinations. Thus, studying the Abiding Book is key to understanding and interpreting the Runes themselves. In contrast, the Book of Iron Blood is tied to the Death Rune and describes spells to aid members of the horali caste in battle. This ancient school, now located in the city of Segurane, associated with the Rokari sect of Malkionism and overseen by a Rokari Watcher, derives its wizardry from even older fragments of Zzabur’s Blue

Grimoires Grimoires are central to Western magic. The written word is fundamental to its methodology. Sorcery is a book-based37 system of rules and rituals. There are many grimoires, some major, some minor, written by sages and philosophers offering their own intellectual understandings, some repositories of great learning and wisdom, others hazardous to the mind and soul38. Reading a grimoire usually requires a deep understanding of its language and symbology39, for its text is dense in meaning and utilizes an extensive and esoteric vocabulary. Even for someone literate in the everyday language, the terminology will be obscure and confusing; at most they are liable to suffer a severe headache; for someone having a partial education in the concepts of sorcery, reading a grimoire beyond their current comprehension is innately dangerous, liable to cause nosebleeds or even permanently damage their mind40. The greatest grimoiries are often bound by wards and guardians to prevent their misuse, and access to them is rigidly controlled. The discovery 37

The ‘book’ can be a codex, a scroll, inscriptions on a gem or statue, paintings on a wall, or any other means of recording written words and symbols. The Middle Sea Empire copies of the Abiding Book had beautifully hand illustrated pages filled with elegant New Script calligraphy and were wondrously bound, often in the skins of marvelous and rare creatures, decorated with precious gems and metals. 38 The grimoire of a troll sorcerer is likely to deal with the secrets of the Darkness and the Underworld, and other things that would be considered blasphemous by most Malkioni. Such a grimoire might be inscribed into the walls of a cave or carven or chewed upon a monolith. Some trolls were taught sorcery by Arkat, an act for which he is condemned by many Malkioni wizards for teaching ‘our magic to them’. 39 In addition to being written in the True or Western Script, most grimoiries use symbols as a shorthand designating entities, things, and actions. 40

The Lhankor Mhy cult strives to mitigate the harmful effects of foreign grimoires through the use of the Alien Combination Machine, but its methods of deciphering a text often loses much in translation. They believe that Zzabur’s books are stolen portions of their god’s lost Eternal Book. 41 Some Malkioni, considered heretics by the Rokari, claim it was the work of the evil demiurge or even the Devil, though the Rokari concede it was later corrupted by changes made to the text by the God Learners. At the frontispiece of every copy of the Abiding Book was the story of its appearance: On Kaltan's Day, 646, a hand materialized from nowhere, holding a quill. A call came, and the command was 'Write!' And the Pen, in obedience of That which is Most High, obeyed without stint. It wrote upon indestructible paper which appeared when needed, and bound itself to a book with covers of leather from no known animal. These revelations provided the basis of the unification of the people of Jrustela; their society was reformed, and the Jrusteli Confederation founded. 42 The Rune of the Abiding Book is the same as that of Malkion the Sacrifice, a Law Rune with a smaller Law Rune within it.

21

MEN OF THE WEST Book43. The Iron Blood grimoire describes how Zzabur used his sorcery to compel Humct44 to overcome a foe in combat. Some of its spells directly target a foe; others enable the wizard to aid fighters, specifically members of the horali caste. Both the wizard and the fighter must comply with ancient Brithini strictures for the spell to work: the wizard must remain pure of all blood, especially the blood of foes because of the lethal taint of impurity; the fighter must belong to the hereditary warrior caste, appropriately armed and armored, and not be a noble, wizard, or worker. Numerous ancient spells require compliance with ancient costumes, weapons and other things, so many sorcerers regardless of climate must adopt the zzaburi attire of the Ice Age45 even though this may be very uncomfortable and impractical in warmer climates. Many ancient spells assume caste restrictions, including those cast upon a tool (such as a sword, plow, or shield) used by someone other than the caster, often of a specific caste. If the caster were to attempt to use the tool themselves, the spell simply would not work. The Hrestoli had to start from the elementary fundamentals, relearning the basic principles of wizardry. God Learner scholars in the Second Age succeeded in reconfiguring many of the Brithini zzaburi spells to remove the restrictions; the revelation of the divinely written Abiding Book made things much easier since much of its magic did not necessarily imply caste. This knowledge was almost entirely lost in the fall of the Middle Sea Empire, drowned, burned, or buried by the cataclysm, and when the surviving libraries and seminaries were torched by the terrified and traumatized survivors. Elsewhere, sects of Hrestolism and others preserved their secrets, but in many places sorcerers were forced to adopt the forms of dress and conduct required by the schools derived from Zzaburism. The sorcery of New Hrestolism in Loskalm is derived in part from preserved secrets and by experimental heroquesting, perilously close to the practices and methodologies of the God Learners,

constrained for now by the implicit morality of Siglat’s teachings.

Sorcery and War Combat sorcerers accompany most regiments and are found in the retinue of nobles wealthy enough to support them. Many also employ sorcerers skilled in healing magic46 as well. Basic sorcery is used in war in several distinct ways. The most practical is in the altering of the physical properties of a thing or entity, the modification of mental properties. The former includes strengthening spells to make a thing or being stronger, such as the toughness of materials, making weapons, armor, the walls and gates of fortifications more resilient, able to sustain more damage, or enhancing the strength and constitution of a living creature such as permitting a Galana horse to carry a heavier load and for longer, or to make a soldier stronger and able to take more injuries before succumbing to their wounds; these spells are woven around warriors to enhance their abilities. The latter includes altering the state of mind of the target, reducing or enhancing their morale, creating fear or confidence, rage or calm. The Summoning of Elementals can be useful in battles and sieges (and the Dismissing of Elementals employed by the foe). Blessings may be employed to augment the blessed. Another method, less useful in war, is in Cursing a specified enemy, and given time, and the efforts of multiple sorcerers and their supporting retinue, curses can be unleashed upon an entire group. The drawback is the time and effort required to cause any significant effect. A curse also has to accurately focus on the target, defined by their attributes, which can include their lineage, religion, customs, location, physical description or other possible classifications. The less the curse identifies its subject, the lower its effectiveness, and determining these criteria is difficult. The more expansive the curse, the greater time and magical energy it requires. Curses against an enemy or their army is rarely as successful as tales suggest.

43

Written by Zzabur himself in the True Script (a later variant of the Real Script), this book is a first-hand record of Creation, inscribed upon the flayed, yet still-living skins of his ancient foes, the Blue Vadeli. The Blue Book requires great labor and study even to read; the intellect must be attuned through rigorous logical self-discipline and other strictures so that it is not annihilated by the knowledge contained within the book. This book is the core source text for all zzaburi wizardry. No complete copy exists in the world today. Zzabur also wrote the Brown and Red Books, each named for their color, as each used parchment made from the living skins of other Vadeli castes. What each book contained is now a source of debate and dispute between the various sects of Malkionism. The Jrusteli discovered a fragment of the Red Book and it became the foundation to the experimental schools of the God Learners, ultimately permitting their massive and dangerous manipulations of nature. The Orange Book is a collection of God Learner texts allegedly based on the Blue and Brown Books. It details the origins of the cosmos and the Runes, includes a series of genealogies of the different gods, arranged by Elemental Rune, and describes major events of the Gods War. The book contains a number of sorcery spells. 44 Some Malkioni say that Humct, whom the Orlanthi call Humakt, was a Western sorcerer who attempted to master the ways of Death. 45

For similar reasons, the sages of the barbarian Lhankor Mhy cult apparently must wear beards, including the female sages, who adopt a false beard, something many Malkioni sorcerers find amusing if not ridiculous. 46 Unless they are of a school of the magic of the Ascended Mistress Xemela which has particular traditions of selfless behavior, wizards who have studied the sorcery of healing are not necessarily going to act at all like Chalana Arroy or White Lady healers. They may treat the patient as an experiment, whose injuries offer an opportunity to increase their knowledge of anatomy and the healing arts. What matters is whether the wizard possesses the intellectual ability to comprehend and perform sorcery and has studied a grimoire with healing spells.

22

MAGIC OF THE WEST Spells may be inscribed into the fabric of the material, carved into stone, etched into metal, tattooed into skin. Even when not an obvious spell, passages from the Abiding Book and other sorcerous grimoires can enhance the fundamental essence of a thing. These practical magics can be of a minor or major scale, affecting a single soldier or an army, reinforcing a single gateway or bolstering the entire defenses of a city. They may last a matter of hours, or months or years; creating powerful magics of a long duration takes enormous effort, and more often, existing spells are periodically renewed and reinforced. Other spells include those to cause magics and missiles to be attracted to or repelled from the target, to create hallucinations and illusions, to Summon walls of fire to hinder the passage of troops, to permit troops to move over water as though it were land, to create protective circles, and to provide communication on the battlefield. The Rokari Iron Blood School, for example, teaches many combat spells including Strike Enemy Combatant Dead, Enervate Sword with Death, Ward Against Inferior Weapon47, Ward Against the Sword, Strike Armed Enemy with Terror, Ward Horali Against Fear, Make Horali Stand and Fight, Tap Life, and Remove Wound Caused by an Enemy’s Sword. On a larger scale, similar magics might be bestowed upon an entire company, regiment or army; the Mobility of cataphracti might be enhanced, permitting them a greater effective distance before the mounts tire, and giving them more momentum on impact with an enemy formation; heavy infantry might be affected by Stasis to give them a greater ability to stand and hold their ground, including in the face of a charge by cataphracti. It is more difficult to expand the spells to affect an enemy, so it is impractical to strike an entire enemy company dead or fill them with terror, but with time and preparation is sometimes feasible. Elementals might be employed: Darkness Elementals to hide the movement of troops at night; Water Elementals to propel warships; Earth Elementals to build or destroy earthworks and fortifications; Fire Elementals to burn enemy fortifications and troops; Air Elementals to carry observers aloft to spy on the battle line of enemy troops, to scatter arrows and other missiles, to throw up dust to reduce visibility. Numerous other applications on the battlefield can be envisaged. Vastly more powerful and destructive magics can be unleashed through the manipulation of the Runes on a larger scale. Surviving histories record the massive war spells utilized by the Middle Sea Empire,

such as the Summoning of burning water48 in the form of the firebergs of Tanian to drive the Waertagi from the seas. What is less commonly recalled is that those firebergs could not be Dismissed and threatened the imperial fleet and coastlines until they were naturally dispersed by the ocean currents. More common are less potent magics, though still very significant, such as the spell cast and maintained by Mardron that supported King Bailifes the Hammer to defeat the rebellious nobles of Tanisor in 1416 ST. This spell seems to have increased the cohesion and morale of the king’s army whilst making it more difficult for his enemies to coordinate their resistance against him. Another is the spell of Holy War, which only works if very particular criteria are met. Combat between two mighty Mages can unleash immense and terrifying destruction as they contest to defeat each other. The arcane struggle between Yomili and Halwal outside the city of Basmol devastated the armies of Seshnela and Ralios, destroyed Basmol, killing thousands of its innocent inhabitants, and obliterated the two Mages. Such magical duels are fortuitously rare; the majority of Mages are a precious resource for their schools and societies, and often maintain a separation from mundane struggles. Some literally retire to tall towers to avoid the distractions and dangers of the world whilst they work to both increase their knowledge and to maintain the complex spells their community relies upon. Those ‘combat mages’ who accompany Seshnelan talari and horali, Safelstran mercenaries, or jFronelan Guardians to war are far less powerful, and are unlikely to individually have powers as great as a Rune Lord or formidable shaman, but have the benefit of teaching one another, having the opportunity to train, have resources allocated to them, and to work together to work magics of greater power and duration than one could do on their own. The mightiest spells need to draw upon a community of participants, and such spells, cast at a distance, sometimes over many hours, days or even weeks or months, can have an impact on warfare, though rarely of an immediate and dramatic nature. I

47

With its association with Death, the sword is the preeminent weapon, with spears and axes considered inferior. To reinforce their innate nature, swords are often decorated with the Death Rune. 48 They Summoned specific named Water Elementals and used them to Summon a Sea God, as though it were just another Elemental, and then made it call its father, and then Commanded the father to Summon a different child, the god of Sky Water, Tanian. They unleashed the Forbidden God, Tanian, upon the unsuspecting Waertagi who had thought the very concept of Burning Water was impossible.

23

MEN OF THE WEST

Peoples of the West nearly uninhabitable, but ended to leave the Hills of Dora facing a great plain in the west. As Brithela52, it was first inhabited by the Vadeli, and then conquered by the Enrolvalini, the people now known as the Brithini. In the Wars of the Gods the southern portions were drowned leaving only the desolate Vadeli Isles, and the peninsula was divided from Genertela. Among the ancient Brithini, who lived according to the statutes of Malkion the Lawgiver, caste was assigned by birth order53. The first child was a Dronari, the second a Horali, third a Talari, and the fourth a Zzaburi with a fifth restarting the cycle54. The cornerstone of the Brithini Way, this was one of the first ancient Laws that failed for most Malkioni settlements on the mainland in the Great Darkness55.

The Brithini Although there are few remaining enclaves of pure Brithini49 left in the world, the ancient Brithini culture still provides the foundation of the modern Western Malkioni cultures. The Brithini claimed to be the oldest and purest human culture50. The origins of Malkionism lies with the Brithini their exacting adherence to the Law51, which also strictly restricted the spiritual understanding of the world to the zzaburi caste (who neither worked, fought, nor ruled). Those who failed to strictly obey the Law of their caste correctly and obediently would age and die. The immortal and amoral atheist Brithini are named for the grey and now lost land of Brithos. It was, according to one legend, initially a peninsula of Genertela in the God Time which extended north between the cold Neleomi’s Sea and the limitless Western Ocean for more than a thousand kilometers, and then an island off the west coast of Genertela. Another legend says that it was a relic of the destroyed land of Zerendel, sundered in the Lesser Darkness. Two mountain ranges were within the land, the northern being the Hills of Kala, and the southern the Hills of Dora. Dontri’s Forest extended over most of the northern part of the peninsula, while Ontal’s Forest covered much of the eastern coastline. Hadorf's Forest made the ancient junction between Seshnela and Brithela 49

The Orlanthi refer to the Brithini as the soulless Undying and say that if these immortals are slain they become wandering hungry ghosts.

50

Their strict adherence to their Laws makes them seem inhuman to other humans.

51

Fundamental to their world view is that the cosmos is caught in a state of devolution and only the old Laws of Malkion save it from dissolution.

52

The Land of Britha, one of the Land Goddesses. The suffix -ela denotes ‘land of’; the suffix -os denotes a land bordering a body of water, including an island. 53 An arcane method was used to calculate birth order using both the mother's and father's number of previous children. 54

There are indications that permission for a fifth child was exceedingly rare, and this system ignores gender. Females may not have been counted.

55

The Great Darkness was a time of horror when the last vestiges of the world as it had been disappeared. It was as if the Underworld had risen to the Surface World so that the realms of life and death could not be told apart; even as the living strove to stay alive the dead were also struggling to stay dead. Few survived this period; at the Dawn there were only scattered bands of desperate and deeply traumatized survivors. Even the First Sunrise was terrifying to them, especially the First Sunset at the end of the first day, plunging the world back into a Darkness even worse than the Grey Age.

24

PEOPLES OF THE WEST The Western social order was delineated by Malkion the Founder who divided his sons and his people into these four classes. The largest caste was the Workers, with the second largest the Soldiers, led by Horal, then the Wizards and the Rulers56. The Talari were the noble caste, the “yellow caste”, the Men of Gold, the crown wearers and wielders of the Scepters of Command. The Zzaburi were the wizards, the “blue caste”, the Men of Law, the staff carriers. The Horali were the soldier caste, the “red caste”, the Men of War, the sword bearers. The Dronari57 were the workers, the “brown caste”, the Men of Toil, the users of tools. Each caste had its own distinctive appearance. Initially this was by skin color58 (ancient dronari had light brown or possibly green skin and brown hair, horali red skin and hair59, talari light yellow or golden skin and curling blond hair, zzaburi light blue skin and blue-black hair). Each caste had a particular body shape associated with them: the talari looked like modern humans; the zzaburi had an affinity for slimness and great height; horali had a reputation for strength and speed with broad powerful muscular shoulders, wide at the shoulders and hips, with wide hands, a broad face and large feet; and the dronari were stocky and sturdy. The menena caste were distinguished by being female. Rites of adulthood grant the individual the rights of his social class as a full working member of society. Marriage was a temporary state with little magical significance, signifying merely an ongoing attempt to reproduce, and could be dissolved easily. Children

remained with their mothers after the separation or were placed in a crèche. With the destruction of the Perfect City and the coming of the Endless Glacier, the caste skin colorations gradually disappeared among most of the ancient Brithini dwelling in the outposts founded upon the coast of Genertela: Arolanit (honored by the Brithini after the Dawn as the Loyal Colony), Frowal, Akem, and many other colonies that did not survive. They continued to display caste through costumes incorporating the symbols and colors of caste, and that were appropriate for the sub-arctic and arctic conditions of the Great Darkness. When surviving communities numbered a few hundred inhabitants or less, it was impossible to adhere to the strict caste laws, and some even married barbarians60. Westerner skin tones now range from dark, muddy brown to light, pale green, red, or blue61. Brown hues are the most common. Hair color is typically bluish-black, yellow, red, or greenish in hue. Facial hair is regulated by caste; wizards must grow long beards, whereas nobles and soldiers must mostly shave their chins. The majority of the Brithini settlers in Genertela could not follow the Law and survive the Darkness, and so they broke the Laws of Malkion. For them, Malkion the Lawgiver became Malkion the Prophet because the ancient Laws no longer ensured their survival in a changed and darkening world. They also offered tribute to wayward Eranaschula (particularly Worlath62, Ehilm63, Magasta, Ladaral64, and Neliom65), the Land Goddesses (Seshna and Frona), and used inferior magic to the powerful Brithini sorcery 66 (which

56

It is hard, if not impossible, to correlate the caste population sizes with designation by birth order. Sadly, there are now no Brithini to ask.

57

Dromari is a variant form.

58

All beings made from the Man Rune , are composed of multiple Elements, once denoted by skin color. The Brithini, Vadeli and other ancient races exhibited this to a greater degree than most modern humans. The Brithini castes were divided by the balance of their Elements. Using the Brithini Elemental classifications, the talari were rich in Fire in its Solar aspect which is associated with yellow el-metal, gold; the zzaburi were rich in Fire in its higher purer aspect which is associated with silver-blue ze-metal, tin; the horali were rich in the lower Fire and lo-metal, or possibly Air and the red hu-metal, bronze, the dronari were rich in Earth which is associated with orange-brown or green ga-metal, copper. 59 The Brithini recorded the Heretic Arkat as red-skinned and red-haired; Orlanthi legends say the Hero’s skin was black, perhaps from when he turned to Darkness and became Arkat Kingtroll. 60 An act almost equated with bestiality in the eyes of the pure Brithini, as most of the natives of the mainland were deemed Animal People. 61

Several groups with other coloration exist, including the orange-skinned people called the Thalivians, after the town and area they lived in, named after a small river, a tributary of the Tanier, with its origin in the Tarinwood. They originated during the early Second Age due to an effort at genocide launched against the descendants of the Pendali who remained in the region as dronari to the conquerors long after their leonine aristocracy had fled. There was a certain wizard who bore a grudge against them who devised a spell or curse that was directed towards them. To escape this the victims, who numbered far more than the Thalivians, sought escape through various means. It was Arestuvus, one of their number, who determined that the spell struck people of their physical description, rather than of their lineage, religion, customs, location or other possible classifications. Thus, skilled in sorcery, he sought to alter their appearance, which he did by turning their skin orange. Enraged, the wizard nonetheless seized their lands and forced the people to flee, whereupon they became dwellers in the many cities, hiding among the poor and unfortunate, where their descendants still dwell. 62 Orlanth. Some Westerners claim Worlath was a mortal sorcerer who imprisoned himself in a storm to escape the Truth of Malkion, who has been cursed to remain within his tempest, angry and frustrated by his exile. In early Seshnela, Orlanth may have been known as Aerlit. 63 The Sun God, named Yelm by the Dara Happans. Some Westerners say he was a mortal sorcerer who used his magic to acquire Solar powers who refused to share his secrets and was condemned to existence without any hope of achieving Solace. 64 Lodril the Volcano or Fire God. 65 The Sea God of the Neliomi Sea, one of Hudaro’s progeny, known to Westerners as ‘Our Sea’. 66

Sorcery consists of ritual and ceremony, taking a long time to enact, but is capable of performing extraordinary magics.

25

MEN OF THE WEST they had lost when they were no longer able to follow the ancient Laws of Zzabur). This was a tragic era of loss and despair. Those few Brithini who kept to the Laws, retained their immortality, and survived, now viewed other humans as rapidly aging, erratic failures, with generations of fleeting duration. The ruling Talar of Arolanit is some 3,000 years old. He witnessed the Dawn, the Sunstop, and the Closing. In turn, the other Malkioni see the Brithini as ageless, emotionless, and engaged in endless incomprehensible and pointless rituals that bear no relationship to the world and its needs.

Before Time, the talari carried no weapons, though they wore armor. The scepter they carried as a symbol of their supreme rank and authority to speak and act as a leader, arbiter and intercessor between the castes had not yet evolved into a mace. The modern nobles who are warriors fight mounted, with horse and rider fully armored in bronze or later, after the metal was created by the Mostali, iron, if they could afford it.

The Zzaburi Zzabur the First Sorcerer68, the Philosopher Sorcerer, the Sorcerer Supreme, the Logician, was the favorite son of Malkion the Father69, who was asked by his father to select those to be of this caste. To him was given the powers of sorcery. He used his sorcery to exploit nature. In the Great Darkness he made windmills to utilize the strength of the raging Storm Gods to help heat his cities. He did this by proving to his people that Malkion had created the world for them to exploit. The zzaburi are the wizards, the “blue caste”, subservient to the talari but vastly more sacred. They use sorcery upon the non-physical world to make changes in the physical world. The costumes of modern mortal zzaburi now exaggerate the height of the wearer with tall hats (and sometimes elevated shoes) and long-sleeved robes. Their chins are described as ‘unshaved’. The zzaburi are known for being ascetic and celibate. Many before Time were described as tall and thin. Zzaburi costume has changed little since Time began because if a grimoire70 describes

The Castes For the Brithini, adherence to the Laws of Caste were the only way to maintain their immortal lives. Even their language has remained unchanged throughout the ages before and after the Dawn67. The original Brithini castes each had skin colors associated with that caste. Only their enemies the Vadeli were able to preserve this pronounced color differentiation through the Great Darkness - even the Brithini are now said to rely more on clothing to mark the castes than skin color.

The Talari Talar is said to have been the first appointed to this caste. To him was given the Crown of Rulership and the right to command his brothers. Talari costumes always had a yellow crown, jewelry, and accoutrements of authority. Their hair is described as ‘long’ and ‘well-combed’. They are described as ‘sweet-smelling’ and their skin ‘without blemish’. The original talari had pale colored yellow skin, as they never performed menial labor in the Sun’s light. At least one spell refers to the ‘wives and lovers of the Talar’. The talari adjudicated disputes between the other castes and dealt with outsiders. They were leaders, many with the ability to force obedience upon members of other castes. Most followed the occupations of court noble, landholder, judge, merchant, and military commander. The latter were the strategists and senior tacticians, leading no less than a hundred horali which include five horali lieutenants and five sergeants. Their ranks are recorded as General, Major, and Minor. 67

The language spoken by Zzabur was a precise archetypal language of Form and Reproduction which would sound mechanical and strident to human ears, an example being the sibilant fricative consonant rendered as ‘zz’. Kachast made the first Western language from which all subsequent Malkioni languages developed. By the time of the Early Fourth Action separate languages had apparently already developed in Danmalastan. 68 Zzabur was born an immortal Eranaschula, one of the original Runic emanations. He may be a personification of the Magic Rune; Westerners claim that the Rune depicts the casting of magical energy from Zzabur’s Staff of Power. To the theists of central Genertela he is known as Azabur. 69 The Brithini know that Malkion is now a fallen Eranaschula. They claim that if he had not led so many people into error then the True People would not have been so weakened that the fallen Rune beings nearly took over the world during the period of the Great Ice. 70 Grimoires are texts that explain, describe or otherwise analyze metaphysics. Most grimoires focus on a single Rune (usually narrowed to have some

26

PEOPLES OF THE WEST the caster or recipient as possessing the items of caste, these accoutrements must be present for the spell to work correctly. Other key components of Brithini costume have survived wherever spells derived from Brithini grimoires are still used. Many modern zzaburi wear square breastplates inscribed with Runes 71. In war, they obey the talari and use their magics to strengthen and support the horali, aiding them to resist and overcome foes.

learn the ‘Standing Orders’ and the ‘One Hundred Routines and the Thirty-Five Weapons’ until they knew them instinctively. The soldier caste was traditionally illiterate, with knowledge and skills learned through example, training, and constant practice. Upon achieving manhood, at the age of approximately thirty-five, as Time is now measured, they were initiated into the ranks and their cells assigned to companies of fifty or a hundred cadets though still considered as mere children compared with the gwymir. Each cadet was assigned a dronari valet to clean and mend their armor, though these rarely accompanied them upon campaign. The lives of all horali were an ordered regime of routine and drill, followed by an assembly parade, to be assessed by their talari officers. Prior to the Dawn these periods were delineated by devices designed by the zzaburi and made by the dronari; after the Dawn this was repeated each morning and afternoon, with an inspection at noon and twilight, followed by lectures, reciting the ‘Regulations of Correct Action in Battle’ and performing the Courage Drills, then sleep, broken by sentry duty. Even a cadet could go without sleep for several days, with a gwymir able to resist sleep for as long as they wanted. Similarly, a gwymir could go without eating for weeks before being weakened by hunger. Discipline was strict, with cadets lashed for infringements of the regulations, with transgressions of caste law such as social judgements punished severely. Their costumes were militaristic, always armed with a weapon, and owning at least a ‘corselet, greaves, shield, and a helmet’. At least one spell describes them as with ‘shaved chin but not shaved lip.’ Their red skin was often described as ruddy given their greater exposure to the rays of the Sun. Horal defined the five Weapon Tests: of club and sling; whip and bolas; axe and shield; spear and bow; sword and javelin. Their weapons were fashioned of ensorcelled bronze or possibly aluminum73. Some sources suggest that these Weapon Tests were once the basis of a rigid distinction of troop types in the ancient horali armies. None of the horali fought as cavalry; sources suggest there were no animals on Brithos suitable for riding. A horali with a century or two of experience achieved the rank of gwymir. These warriors are near demigods of combat, trained and drilled and having centuries if not millennia of training and battle experience. It is said that prior to the Dawn the army of

The Horali Horal is said to have been the first appointed to this caste, or the son of Malkion who established this caste. To him were given weapons and mastery over Death, yet according to one legend even Horal the First Soldier aged and died after breaking his caste laws by unauthorized breeding; another legend says he was slain by the mother of the Vadeli. The Brithini were terrified of the True and Forever Death, expecting no afterlife72, but the terrible separation and severing of the body and the spirit, with the spirit being merely energy with no identity which dissipates in time. Great efforts were always made to recover and resurrect fallen soldiers before their spirits dissolved into nothing. Even the lowliest of the dronari Workers expected their sorcerers to try it each time one of them died. In war, when casualties might exceed the availability of resurrection spells, the use of the spell would be prioritized, with talari given priority, followed by horali gwymir, and cadets. Within each group, the dead would be raised according to rank and status. Brithini death rites are fearful and mournful ceremonies, usually a week long for everyone who knew the deceased. All gather within their wizards’ protection, dress in black rags, rub ashes on their faces, and chant certain prayers reserved for this occasion. Horali are the ‘red caste’, the professional soldiers of Western societies. Trained from childhood to be agile and strong, and taught the use of weapons from the age of five when they left the breeding nursery, joined a training cell, and thereafter engaged in mock battles and tournaments, sometimes to the death, but with resurrection assured. At the age of fifteen their training became increasingly strenuous to enhance their strength and constitution, making them hard and untiring, and each day running through a maze and obstacles to develop their dexterity. They drilled rigorously, in different formations, to

defined subset of the Rune) and contain formulae detailing permutations and combinations of that Rune with other Runes. 71 The God Learner Rune system is now widely used. It was constructed after they had established considerable world-wide contacts. The Malkioni had their own system based on the Dawn Age remnants of the Kachasti Runes before that. 72 The Revelations of Now given to the Brithini by Malkion the Founder in the Fourth Action Era proved that all individual and personal existence ends upon the death of an individual, and that life has no meaning except to survive in the prescribed Malkioni ways. 73 Red lo-metal was a much-coveted metal for weapons, being light but sturdy, later second only in desirability to steel.

27

MEN OF THE WEST Brithos numbered only the Sacred Four Hundred gwymir; no more were necessary to fight in the terrible wars before Time. An accomplished cadet or gwymir benefitted from sessions when the spells of the zzaburi enhanced their bodies and minds for combat, to armor their skin, strength and vitality. Cadets were ranked by the levels and stages of their ensorcellment. Ultimately, a gwymir could survive an arrow through the eye socket, plucking it out, or a spear or lance through the body, without being incapacitated. The ancient horali were well armored, with helmets, gorgets, shoulder plates, greaves and cuirasses consisting of two plates covering the breast and back fastened at the sides and shoulders, all made of aluminum, all gaining from zzaburi sorcery. Armor would be ensorcelled to make it even tougher, and beneath the thick clear lacquer fine lines of Western script and magical symbols were faintly incised, maintaining the potent magics of protection. The soldiers performed no magic themselves, being reliant upon the spells and devices created by the zzaburi. A soldier could be court martialed for engaging in sorcerous matters, or any other form of magic. Each carried healing potions, known to the soldiers as ‘small dose brown’ for minor injuries and ‘large dose brown’ for major wounds, manufactured by menena healers or zzaburi sorcerers. Each horali was equipped with magical crystal or glass visors, permitting them to switch between mundane and magical sight, the sorb74, and able after the fall of the Sun in the Gods War to also see in the darkness of the endless night. Fanatical, and backed up by superior magic and equipment the gwymir formed a military elite, unequalled by any save perhaps the Iron Dwarves. However, they never rode horses, which were later reserved for their talari officers. In battle, the gwymir would be in the front ranks, with the cadets lined behind them. The regulations would dictate the formation to be implemented, with line, circle and square the most common. When forming the latter two, sorcerers, healers, workers and wagons would shelter in the center. Changes in formation and orders to move were conveyed by trumpet calls. Naturally, these soldiers could march in a square or circle without losing cohesion. The ancient horali displayed an articulation unequalled by any other humans, able to adopt a battle order without hesitation, before or during Time. Prior to contact, the horali would loose arrows or

crossbow bolts in almost mechanical volleys under the direction of their talari officers. Frequently two crossbows were carried, and prepared when in combat so that the horali could discharge two volleys in quick succession, often supplemented by magical missiles. Thereafter, their drill permitted a volley every five second to prime, load and loose, a rate few enemies could equal. Only wet weather could reduce or prevent this sustained crossbow assault, with bolt after bolt discharged until the horali ran out of ammunition. Enemy missiles would bounce off their armor and even sometimes their skin. In hand-to-hand combat the horali drills and martial arts rendered fighting into the deadly Dance of Seven Deaths; even many cadets utilized a weapon in each hand, eschewing the use of shields, their long training making them ambidextrous. Gwymir might favor the use of shields under some conditions. Advances would be made without war cries, lines formed up and marching or running in unison. After combat and returning to camp, the wounded would be sent to an infirmary staffed by grey-robed menena healers, and the recovered dead to the Vitary to be resurrected by the zzaburi. The recovery of heads was essential for a successful resurrection; whilst some other body parts could be used, the revival of the dead

74

In the Western perspective on the nature of the world, the sorb is said to be a magic working organ, commonly believed to be located in the forehead. Its position coincides with the third eye frequently portrayed as the mark of Illuminated individuals in Central Genertelan art. Sorb vision provides Brithini horali the ability to perceive manifesting spirits and the casting and targets of magical spells. The God Learners would achieve now lost techniques to augment the sorb using devices such as artificial eyes, made of a variety of materials including magical crystals or ensorcelled iron as the basis of their Runequest Sight to see into the Other World and view the world as a series of patterns, relationships, and repetitive reflections which could be organized according to the Runes. This empowered their abilities to manipulate and modify the underlying realities of the world.

28

PEOPLES OF THE WEST was far less likely, and when successful, more painful and traumatic. If the sorcerers were overworked by the number of dead, they would prioritize their efforts upon the highest ranking soldiers, meaning that the lowest graded would be condemned to the True Death. With each resurrection, a soldier would lose muscle and knowledge depending upon how long they spent in the ‘cold place’, meaning that it was essential to restore the gwymir as swiftly as possible before their capabilities deteriorated. Only with intense training and exercise could the resurrected regain their earlier strength and skills. Yet with all their experience and ensorcelled bodies, arms and armor, the horali are the least longlived of the Brithini.

which can only be cast when commanded by the talari. This, called the Spell Forbidden by Urostio, turns a band of placid farmers into a ravaging horde of motivated killers. Unfortunately, all participants in this spell - the talar who commanded its use, the wizards who cast it, and the farmers who were affected by it - are condemned to slow death by old age. By fighting, the dronari have broken their caste laws; by demanding they fight the talar has flouted the constraints of his caste in the orders he should issue; the zzaburi has intentionally caused the transgression of the caste Laws of Malkion. All are ultimately doomed, to age and die, even if they survive combat. Dronari serving the horali on campaign would benefit from spells cast upon them by the zzaburi to strength their skin; to wear physical armor more than the leather of laborers would contravene their caste laws. Their strength and constitution would also be enhanced to permit them to carry greater loads and to swiftly build the marching camps.

The Brithini Crossbow The Brithini crossbow carried by the horali is the product of dronari craft and zzaburi sorcery. Unlike the crossbows of later times, the lath was made of different metals set in layers, taking advantage of their different qualities of tension and compression. These layers are Combined using sorcery and alchemy. The lath is thicker and heavier than a wooden one, with a higher draw-weight, attached securely to the wooden stock. The crossbow is spanned using a bending lever, which permits the bow to be prepared swiftly, to maintain the deadly rate of fire the horali were famed and feared for. The release mechanism lock consists of a rolling-nut with a z-shaped trigger. This crossbow incorporated mechanisms far more advanced than those available to their mainland descendants, almost equal to those made by the dwarves75.

The Menena This caste was distinguished by being female, and were declared to be sacred by Malkion. Some say that Menena was the daughter of Malkion, charged with learning the skills of hearth and healing, and the arts of music, sculpture, painting and poetry77. No one now knows the menena skin coloration (Zzabur did not consider it important enough to record in his Book). Their costumes are not described, although references to female primary and secondary sexual characteristics appear in many grimoires. Later texts suggest that the Menena may have worn shades of green, with healers wearing white or grey. A possibly apocryphal source hints that some women originally had pale green- or brown-tinted skin. The status and role of the menena caste is a source of debate amongst modern Malkioni sects. Women almost never became lords, wizards, or warriors 78; in ancient Brithos sons were initially assigned a caste by birth order, though later perhaps belonged to the caste of their father; daughters to the caste of their mother. Very rarely the caste of a daughter is instead determined by the order of her birth. For the Brithini, a child sired or born to a foreigner cannot belong to any caste.

The Dronari Dronar is said to have been the first appointed to this caste and given the task of providing for his siblings. The commoners, the farmers, artisans and manual laborers; their costumes were simple and basic, requiring only a loincloth and work tools, although presumably they wore more in the Ice Ages76 when the great glaciers of the north invaded the world. In ancient times, when armed with the basic weapons of agricultural tools, they could be called upon to fight as a militia. The sorcerers know a special spell 75

The dwarves claim that they fashioned the first crossbows, and the design was stolen from them. They also view the Brithini and their castes as inferior copies of their own ordered society. 76 The oceans froze, the weather turned to winter, and the vast sheet of ice began its inexorable progress south, crushing all in its path. 77

One text claims Menena also became the priestess of Britha, though this seems unlikely. The handmaidens of Britha were Untha and Intha.

78

The company of chaste Brithini menena warrior maidens named the Silver Shields may be a later Seshnegi invention. Orlanthi legends say that Arkat’s mother Anila was one of their number, captured and seduced by a rough barbarian warlord who attacked Brithos, and for the shame of this, he and his mother lived in seclusion in the forests sheltered by the Aldryami until he came of age. This appears to be an invention of the Orlanthi, after the Hero adopted the savage faith of their Death God. However, there is reason to believe that Arkat's origin, in coming out of the forests, was well known to his contemporaries.

29

MEN OF THE WEST compelled by their sorcerer-priests. The larger the ship, the more that are used, up to several dozen for the largest dragonships; the majority are used for propulsion (including holding a ship stationary against a current), some for steering, and some for cleaning the deck. These elementals are tireless, forming a large wave at the stern of the vessel. The Waertagi know the ocean's currents as no other race in Glorantha, and for long voyages use them to move their ships. They can even tack against a current, using techniques unknown to humans, to sail against the current. The currents normally move their ships fairly slowly, roughly comparable to an ordinary sailing ship. Their fastships use either Water Elementals or sea creatures for propulsion. Usually carried aboard a dragonship, these galleys are lowered by cranes, and in a rough sea, can be pulled back aboard the dragonship. Many smaller craft are carried, hunting canoes carrying several rowers, their strokes coordinated by a drum, with a harpoon-thrower in the bow, down to single person canoes propelled using a longbladed paddle. The Waertagi permitted other races to develop coastal shipping, but fiercely defended their monopoly of seagoing trade and travel. After their defeat by the God Learners, most of the surviving Waertagi dragonships sailed down Magasta’s Pool to the Black Sea of the Underworld before or during the Closing, which

The Waertagi The amphibious Waertagi almost form a sixth caste of the Brithini being one of the six Original Peoples of the Malkioni. The green- or blue-skinned79 Waertagi are sea-going kinfolk to the Malkioni of Brithos80, with long webbed fingers and toes. Their ancestor Waertag was born in the God Time, they claim, as a result of a union between Malkion the Seer and a Triolini mermaid. The blood of the mer-people runs thick in their veins, and they lived upon the seas, able to slake their thirst with sea water. The Waertagi tried never to set foot on land or at least for as short a time as possible81; at most the land was the source of exotic foodstuffs, and the location of the immense drydocks where their dragonships were periodically maintained. Their society lacked castes. The Waertagi know spells to attract a sea dragon82 and Summon and kill it83, binding its spirit into its skin84. They hollow out the torso using the bones and ribs to make the structure for the ship, with the spine forming the keel, with the dragon’s head at the bow. Some heads retain special powers, such as being able to spit torrents of water or flame or bolts of lightning. The scaled skin forms the hull. Materials from other sea dragons would be used in the construction: hide as planking, and bones for outer boards and beams (and tools, armor, and weapons, such as the shafts of spears and harpoons). The Waertagi would trade for timber also used in building a dragonship and lesser vessels, and for other purposes. These vessels, the kaium, are enormous floating cities, said to be anything up to three kilometers in length and one kilometer wide, though most are around a kilometer long. Each giant floating city is commanded by a sivas, a shiplord, later a lord of several dragonships was titled a narezem, a prince-admiral. At the Dawn85 the Waertagi dragonships dominated the mortal seas and oceans, armed not only with their massive city-ships, but also fleets of fastships supported by giant crabs and other monsters, Elemental whirlpools and waterspouts, and schools of whales, sharks, and sometimes gargantuan kraken. Often their vessels were supported by companies of the seven races of mer-people. Their vessels are propelled by a variety of methods. Water Elementals are preferred, guided and 79

Their skin color depended upon the measure of the Earth and Water in their bodies. Most are a mixture, not distinctly either color.

80

It is unclear if the Waertagi share the caste immortality of their Brithini cousins. Some sources suggest that as their divine lineage became diluted over time, they became increasingly mortal; their nobles sought to hinder this by cousin marrying cousin. One story, probably apocryphal, says that Waertag himself was slain by the Jrusteli in the Battle of Tanian’s Victory in 718 ST. 81 There was a belief that if they stayed ashore for too long, they themselves would be considered an exotic food by the denizens of the deeps. 82

Sea Dragons are not at large as True Dragons, being a lesser species, often identified as one of the species of Great Dragons.

83

Some texts suggest the Sea Dragons were still alive in some way and worked voluntarily with the Waertagi.

84

The God Learners attempted to replicate this feat but their Summons were never answered, probably because they lacked the necessary kinship with marine gods and sea creatures. 85 At the Dawn the surviving Waertagi were organized into five extended families of about 360 to 640 people, each residing on a dragonship.

30

PEOPLES OF THE WEST reached this monstrous whirlpool around 950 ST. Others were pushed to shore and wrecked in the Closing. In the Hero Wars those that descended into Hell will ride the waters cycling up at the edge of the Cosmos to return to the oceans of the mortal world 86. They then seek and somehow find the remnants of the island of Brithos and ferry a Brithini army to Arolanit.

talar and only a handful of zzaburi in a settlement. Most of the Malkioni colonies in the west were otherwise virtually casteless at the Dawn by Brithini standards. Later grandiose histories speak of the colonies as grand walled cities with mighty armies of anachronistic mounted knights clad in shining bronze. In truth, whilst in some places the ancient walls still stood more-or-less undamaged from the strife of the Gods War, the survivors within their circumference lived harsh lives in the ruined husks of their cities, eking out a miserable existence through a combination of obedience to the half-remembered Laws of Zzabur, tribute to the Eranaschula, ancestor worship89, limited aid from the Aldryami in the forests, and sheer determination. Before the Dawn they even needed Queen Xemela’s system of logical categorization to determine who was dead and who was still living 90. The mighty armies were often little more than poorly equipped desperate ragged warbands. Some might carry valuable aluminum swords, their blades chipped and scarred, but many resorted to weapons of bronze or even flaked stone or spears with firehardened tips. Nothing better was available to them. Most of the herds of horses of the talari had been eaten by the starving populace. At the Dawn, several varieties of Malkionism now existed among the scattered colonies on the mainland, most were henotheists, making sacrifices and tribute to minor and greater gods (particularly the Eranaschula) which aided them in surviving the Great Darkness whilst worshipping Malkion as the Higher Source. During the Ice Age, people, including the Malkioni of Neleoswal and Frowal, treated with any beneficent magical entity they could in order to survive. Most of the colonies had lost access to all the powers and spells of zzaburi sorcery, with only those of Arolanit and Sog City managing to retain near full access to the ancient grimoires. Zzabur had rejected Malkion when he descended from the Tower of Reason into the material world 91

The Colonies Life in Brithos required strict adherence to the Laws of Malkion. Those who were imperfect, tainted with change, or dissidents, were long exiled to the city-state outposts dotted about on the coasts of Genertela because they were a danger of polluting the entire community. Others were founded by refugees from the lands sunk by Zzabur’s Blast, the magical cataclysm that destroyed the Vadeli Empire. Before the Great Darkness, the settlers continued their trade with Brithos, with the sea-going Waertagi acting as intermediaries. The Westerners of the mainland did not take part in the I Fought We Won legend of the Orlanthi of central Genertela, but have their own myths of overcoming the destruction of the cosmos: the self-sacrifice of Queen Xemela is part of the Seshnegi87 survival story; joining together with the Great Living Rune Zzabur to smash the great glacier of the Ice Age is another. With the degeneration of the cosmos into disorder and war, most of the colonists could not survive by strict obedience of the Laws. For them, Malkion the Lawgiver became Malkion the Prophet, a concept alien to the atheist88 Brithini, for the teachings of the prophet offered them the faith of the Invisible God who ensured their hope for an afterlife. Many who strove to maintain the strict caste laws became extinct, unable to adjust to the trials and horrors of the age. By the Dawn, most of the surviving colony-cities had a population of little more than fifteen hundred; most were much smaller. At most there might be a single 86

This is prophesied by the return of the Boat Planet which rose in 1625 ST after vanishing late in the Second Age; in the West this planet is named for Waertag. 87 The etymology of the term ‘Seshnegi’ is in part obviously derived from the name of the Land Goddess Seshna. The origin of the suffix ‘-egi’ is less certain, but may mean ‘people of’’. Seshnela means ‘Land of Seshna’ in the ancient tongue. 88 The Brithini have never encountered any evidence of anything that cannot be proven to be an emanation of a natural Law. This knowledge was established by the superior beings of a previous era. They do not have a god, but an impersonal force, which they do not worship. They consider the Malkioni who do to be deluded in personifying this creative energy. 89 At its widest extent, this may include not only mortal ancestors, but divine ones as well. This can be important in Western sorcery, where having a direct ancestral connection to a deity makes it easier for a sorcerer to manipulate the powers of a god of the same lineage. Waertagi myth says the Malkioni were descended from a union between Aerlit Kolate and Warera Triolin, and so of the mixed lineages of Air and Water. The Waertagi say they themselves were descended from a Brithini sorcerer, sometimes claimed to be Malkion the Seer himself, and a Triolini, and so related to Triolina, Framanthe, Manthi, Natea, and Magasta, all gods of the Waertagi. Mortals of such a lineage are classed as Ifaldor, but most humans including the majority of Westerners in the Third Age, save for the Brithini of Arolanit and the remaining Hsunchen, are now of such mixed lineages it is almost impossible to name any single god as their direct progenitor. 90 Xemela's guidance and protection, of using logic to identify the many causes of death and their cures (including the Commanding of or working with various demons) reinforced a conflict between the inflexible Way of Zzabur and the adaptable Malkioni Way. 91 A basic tenet of Brithini philosophy and magic is that the cosmos is divided into matter and energy. By descending from the Tower, representing

31

MEN OF THE WEST and bound himself within its limitations. In the Middle Storm Age the Prophet went among the people selecting those who were closest to him. Zzabur rejected Malkion’s new rules, and drove him and his followers from the lands. Malkion and his followers walked eastwards across the Neliomi Sea from Zerendel, as the sea parted and the land rose to bear them forward to New Malkonwal92. Later, during the Lesser Darkness, the Prophet was murdered and ascended from the world into a state his new teachings named Solace93. His city was destroyed or abandoned, but remains a potent symbol in the minds of his faithful. This dichotomy between Laws and Teachings, Logic and Sacrifice, the world before and after the start of Time, resulted in two distinct forms of Malkionism: that of the immortal Brithini, and the increasingly mortal colonists. The division would drive the formation of numerous new Malkioni sects in the future. The caste system remained the foundation of Malkioni society, but its forms and nature would change. This would have significant ramifications for the nature of war and the warriors of the West. These early Malkioni were now intrinsically incapable of being pure Brithini, yet the small surviving pure Brithini enclaves on the continent needed to find a way of living beside them. At the same time, some of the barbarian natives were slowly adopting agriculture, building settlements and fortifications, and some of the trappings of Brithini civilization - but also could not be

Brithini (and most importantly, could not enter the zzaburi caste with its powerful magic). Modern Westerners, due to the mingling of the castes (and mixing with the original inhabitants of the mainland, whether Hsunchen94 or Theyalan95) now tend towards light skin (ranging from pale to olive), with blueish-black, brown, yellow, or red hair; darker skin is prevalent in the southeastern provinces of Seshnela, due in part to the admixture of the Pithdarani96 from Pamaltela. Most are smaller and slighter in build and stature than Orlanthi or Hsunchen. It is said that in some places such as Seshnela, caste skin tones may be recreated and reinforced by certain magics and rituals.

Arolanit The city-states of the small coastal land of Arolanit97 apparently maintained an unbroken loyalty to Brithos and somehow preserved their conservative Brithini culture, avoiding all external interference lest their immortality be threatened, through the Darkness to the Dawn. The exact age of the cities cannot be easily assessed, or why the inhabitants were on the mainland. Unlike the other colonies, which had a population of exiles expelled from Brithos for a variety of reasons, the inhabitants of Arolanit seem to have been Brithini purists98. The inhabitants remain xenophobic to an extreme, with strangers reported to the talari so that a noble (with a small army) can be sent to bring the visitor to a

the pure intellect, Malkion had entered the world of impure matter. 92 Malkion and his followers founded New Malkonwal, the City of Malkion, said to be situated somewhere in or near Kethaela. The Esvularings, a relict population of Malkioni, claim they were forgotten when New Malkonwal was either abandoned or ascended to another plane. Some scholars assert that the God-King Belintar was an exiled wizard from New Malkonwal and that his marvelous City of Wonders was inspired by or was a recreation of the glories of Malkion’s lost city. 93 Solace dates back to the Malkionism of the Ice Age, the Great Darkness. The nature of Solace is subject to a wide variety of interpretations in different Malkioni sects. Malkion the Sacrifice did not go through the Underworld or encounter the Court of Silence. He vanished and never returned. Many non-Malkioni accuse the Malkioni of worshipping a Dead God. Some practitioners of Solace believe that there is a Judge and some also believe it is the Prophet Malkion, the Embodied Truth, who weighs the souls of the dead to assess their purity. In Safelster there is at least one school that carefully studies the path through the Underworld to ensure the soul is guided to the right place with a book of the rites and rituals to be performed by the deceased on their journey to the afterlife. The Brithini at most believe it to be the experience of reuniting an emanation of the Invisible God through Living the Law; the pre-Hrestoli believed it could be achieved by repeating the sacrifice of Malkion the Founder; prior to the Third Age the Abiding Book Hrestoli of Jrustela believed in cycles of rebirth and sorrow until liberated through Joy (henosis with the Invisible God), and the New Hrestoli of Loskalm subscribe to this basic tenet as well (although with more emphasis on the utter misery and decay of material existence); the Rokari (who are strongly influenced by Brithini materialism) believe that discussion of rebirth is meaningless as the only chance at having an afterlife is by strict adherence to caste duties and restrictions; the extremist Sharp Edge Rokari philosophers hold that individual souls are not eternal and dissipate upon death, re-joining the magical energies to be manipulated by the wizards or, worse, to be the mindless slaves of Eranaschula, but admit that it is possible for an exceptional soul to survive and make its way through the Underworld and force some sort of rebirth. These beliefs all have ramifications for the morale of their believers in battle. 94 Some legends claim that the Hsunchen Beast People are the eldest race of men despite the claims of the Brithini. Hsunchen is a Kralori term meaning ‘Children-of-Animals’ that was spread by the God Learners in the Imperial Age. Earlier, the Westerners called them Hykimi. 95 Named for their goddess of the dawn, Theya. They usually call themselves Orlanthi after their chief god. 96

In 719 ST, a fleet carried large numbers of people from Pamaltela, come, they claimed, to fight Gbaji, the Bad God. The Pithdarani accepted the religion of Malkion as a condition of living peacefully in the land. Most have embraced Rokarism. In their own tongue their name is said to mean ‘Army of Justice.’ 97 Named for the lesser Land Goddess Arolana, a daughter of Gata and Genert, whom the wizards have Tapped remorselessly. 98

It may be significant that Brithos acted in their defense when they were threatened by the Nieby cult, but the situation in the other equally endangered colonies was ignored.

32

PEOPLES OF THE WEST stronghold for questioning. Many of its inhabitants were born in Brithos before the Dawn. The grey impoverished land, Tapped by its sorcerers for centuries to power their spells of protection, is now covered with traps, warning systems, and other defenses. The inhabitants avoid military action if possible, but their heavily armed and armored horali are amongst the most skilled, best equipped, and highly disciplined soldiers in modern Genertela. Mysteriously, their noble and military castes vanished when the Middle Sea Empire conquered the land, reappearing again after its fall. The talari are the officers of the horali, and over the last ten centuries, their marks of office, the crown and scepter have become throwing disks and maces. Some refuse to use these weapons, considering them contrary to the Law and that their users will eventually age and die. Given their low to non-existent birthrate, the number of horali soldiers is very low. Their neighbors are always alarmed to hear the news that the inhabitants of Arolanit are breeding, for it portends dire events.

ultimately through the worship and sacrifice to various local Pendali gods, including Seshna, Worlath102, Ehilm, and others. His wizards (some of whom were still Brithini zzaburi) correctly predicted the Icebreak103 and later, the Dawning. Froalar courted the Land Goddess Seshna104, and succeeded. Their child was Ylream, who would become the sacred heir of the king. A year after the first Dawn, Hrestol, the son of Froalar, received a vision from Malkion the Founder and established a new method of prayer for anyone to reach the Invisible God. He removed himself from the line of succession. As the First Knight105 he also established the original knighthood, and expanded his father’s lands through military prowess. Once the capital of Old Seshnela, the city of Frowal and its famed triple walls now lie in ruins. Its fabled golden gates were lost long ago. Neleoswal was founded by the Brithini city of Neleos before the Great Darkness. It was the second city of Old Seshnela, but also now lies in ruins.

Seshneg The city colonies of Frowal and Neleoswal endured the Grey Age99, surrounded by the hostile Pendali100, fierce tribes or ruling clans of the Lion People who dominated the southwestern reaches of the Greatwood. The Pendali led the fight against the intruding Malkioni colonies in the south. To forestall civil war between himself and his brother, Talar Froalar had sailed across the Neliomi Sea with a band of settlers to found the colony of Frowal before Time. Surrounded by the aggressive lionworshipping Pendali, the settlement barely survived thanks to the self-sacrifice of Queen Xemela101 and 99

The period after the Great Darkness of the Fifth Action. The sky and air were grey and foggy, the passage of no heavenly body or seasonal change marked any semblance of its duration. Weather changed, people, animals, and plants were born and died of apparent age, but no day or night occurred. 100 Pendal is the son of Basmol the Lion God and Seshna or perhaps Aeelra, a daughter of Tilnta, and with his wife Ifttala sired all the royal houses of the Pendali: the Joriril, Kaanil, Avalal, Rolfas, Orphals, and the many others. Echoes of their names are still found in Old Seshnelan place names. Being descended from the Earth Goddess Ifttala, the people of the Sons of Pendal enjoyed the aid and support of the Earth in their wars with the Seshnegi. 101 Xemela, the Black Lady, Mother of Hrestol, Mother of Hrestol, wife of King Froalar, was widely worshipped as an Ascended Master throughout Seshnela and Akem during the Dawn Age. She gave her life during the Darkness to save her husband Froalar and her son Hrestol when terrible plagues afflicted the people. She found their source at the Well of Vapors, and took all its poison into herself, leaving none to infect others. Her epithet may refer to the effects of the poisons on her body, which left her skin bloated and blackened. She called the seventeen deaths, and they each had seventeen children called the diseases, but they were all the grandchildren of Death. 102 Worlath was perhaps the Pendali and Brithini name for a Storm God, later identified as Orlanth. 103

Zzabur directed his sorcerers to create and execute a long and complicated ritual aided by other sorcerers and the collateral prayers of peoples scattered around the Neliomi Sea to shatter Valind’s Glacier, and to release the Sun to end the Ice Age. 104 Some versions of the story say he married her High Priestess. However, the Book of Kings describes one audience with the Earth Queen: ‘A colossus seemed to slowly move through the wall, stretching the stone as it came forward. First, twenty feet above, the heads of the East and West Serpents, each the size of a horse, with jade pupils in their obsidian eyes, glancing all about over the heads of her courtiers. Then her knees, with Beezil perched on one, each touching, as were her ankles; with a dress draped over all but her toes. Her hand, beringed, and arms, then breasts, face, and her magnificent head, adorned with the Huraka crown. ‘How long it was I could not tell. It seemed endless and over quickly, but upon exiting the cave, I found much time had passed. ‘When she was entirely free, a huge being of natural living rock, she would slowly turn her head over us all, raise a hand in benediction, and then ask the Lord of Tongues to speak.’ 105 This title is anachronistic, and probably added by a later copyist of the histories.

33

MEN OF THE WEST The Pendali outnumbered the colonists, who were preserved only by the secure walls of their cities. Whilst retaining a semblance of the Brithini caste system, the horali of the colonists were already inferior to those of the Brithini, in both equipment and ability. A few generations after the Dawn their warbands did not even reflect all Five Weapon Tests, being divided only into swordsmen, pikemen, and light infantry. Few of the heavy infantry still owned ensorcelled plate and scale, and instead relied upon cuir boilli sewn with bronze disks, simple round shields and conical bronze helmets; the light infantry wore no armor and had only leather bucklers and helmets for protection. Though at least one tribe used horse-drawn chariots, most of the Lion Men had no other use for horses106, save as prey, but the mounted talari of that period carried no weapons as their caste laws forbade them to fight. When the Sun rose with the first Dawn, the remaining cities were still surrounded by ferocious Lion Men, who still hated them.

then the capital of Frontem, until the rule of the Middle Sea Empire in the Second Age. Aid from the Silver Empire of Seshnela by sea saved Isefwal from likely defeat at the hands of the Enjoreli bull-riders in 220 ST.

Akem

A small city settled by Malkioni refugees before the Dawn.

Nenanduft Now called Norans, this region of Fronela was settled by Malkioni refugees from Brithos long before the Dawn107.

Panosket Now known as Southpoint, at the Dawn, this Malkioni settlement was threatened by the savage barbarians of the interior and later allied with the Silver Empire of Seshnela.

Sish A small coastal settlement in what is now Jorri.

Wizpotket

The northern colonies were also threatened by hostile Beast People. Many of these settlements died out. The Akem colony was settled on the coast of Fronela by the marshy delta at the mouth of the Janube by the ancient Enrovalani, one of the Original Peoples of Malkion, who also settled on Brithos. It survived the Darkness and after the Dawn expanded into the hinterland and drove away the native savages, until they encountered the fierce and sustained resistance of the bull-riding Tawari and the Eleven Beasts Alliance. Akem may have survived the Darkness with a dozen or so zzaburi and sufficient members of each caste to maintain the ancient ways, for a time. Western culture ultimately spread from this stronghold to dominate much of western Fronela. The few remaining Brithini zzaburi now reside in the City of Brass, the innermost part of Sogolotha Mambrola, an ancient Waertagi port city. The city has no horali, ancient or modern, and is reliant upon hired mercenaries for its defense. Two Brithini dronari crafters still survive at the city of Zys, engaged in the tasks they were set by a long dead or departed talar.

The Aboriginal Peoples In both the north and south, the Brithini colonies clung to the coastline, between the sea and the forbidding forests of the interior. Early Seshnegi chronicles refer to the Hsunchen surrounding their isolated cities and outposts as belonging to a sprawling Basmoli Empire, dominating the southwestern reaches of the Greatwood at the Dawn. The land was relatively thinly populated by bands of lion-worshippers and other Hsunchen, who were led by chiefs the Westerners called kings, who were aided by powerful shamans called variously the Snake Masters, Cowled Vipers, High Ones, Great Lords, and Holy Ones but known to the Seshnegi as the Hykimi. The Beast People refused to plow the soil or bind animals as slaves (though the Enerali rode horses and chariots, the Enjoreli rode bulls, and Pendali nobles rode in horse drawn chariots). They considered civilization to be an abomination upon the earth, and its people to be miserable weaklings. Their hatred for the Westerners was innate and intense. In the north, the coastal colonies were similarly confronted by the Enjoreli tribes who were led by the Tawari bull-riders and the Hykimi shamans.

Isefwal The oldest Malkioni settlement in Fronela, the capital of the kingdom of the same name in the First Age, and 106

According to the Orlanthi, the Lion Men lost the ability to ride when the Trickster stole their saddles during the God Time. Another story, possibly Pendali in origin, relates that the youthful Pendal encountered a horse which kicked him sensing his hunger even though he was merely a curious cub. He cursed the beast so that afterwards none of his race could ride upon a horse. Ifttala the daughter of Seshna found him lying unconscious, healed him, and this grew into love and they were wed. 107 One fragmentary text instead claims the city was founded by Nenande, a son of Enjorel, and was originally called Nenande-ufen-neite, the Trading Place of Nenande.

34

PEOPLES OF THE WEST Other Hsunchen were involved in the conflicts between the Westerners as time went on, but the primary protagonists were the Pendali and Tawari, and later the Telmori and the Pralori. Other Hsunchen tribes and clans of the interior were either allies of these, or attempted to avoid the wars. Many other Hsunchen peoples perished in the God Time; most were simply too peaceful to survive the Gods War and the horrors that followed it. Many of the survivors were later seduced away from their traditions by the more prosperous lives of their neighbors, and their descendants are now counted among the Orlanthi, Kralori, Pelorians and Westerners. Ironically, many of the so-called Hsunchen in the west of Genertela were probably descended at least in part from remnants of the ancient Kachasti, one of the six Original Peoples of Malkion who had settled or still lived in what became the western coasts of Genertela108. Legend says they were enslaved in the Gods War by the Vadeli and the dwarves, and the survivors were released from bondage by the Storm Gods109; later some in the southwest were subjugated by the Lion People who had come north. This possibly mixed ancestry may be why the Enerali110, Enjoreli, and Pendali (and perhaps the more obscure Bemuri and Redeli as well) were distinct from their pure Hsunchen kinfolk, retaining a semblance of civilization at the Dawn, and most had pantheons of diverse gods including Worlath or Erulat, who had rescued their ancestors111. The divine genealogies of the Pendali, Enerali, and Enjoreli also included the offspring of the local Land Goddesses. In nearly all Hsunchen societies associated with carnivores and omnivores, men are the Hunters, and women are the Keepers of Life, each with a role in maintaining the balance of Grandmother Earth. In those associated with herbivores, men are the Protectors. Both genders may forage as gatherers; even those linked with meat-eaters will gather fruit, berries, 108

fungi and edible roots. Men are expected to fight, as part of their gender roles, in almost all Hsunchen societies, though women are also skilled in combat. The Hsunchen of the West are classified as Wareran; pale complexions are more common in the north, and darker in the south. Some Hsunchen are particularly hirsute, especially the Bear and Mammoth Peoples, and their body shape and size often reflects that of their totem beast; the Hogari Mammoth People are particularly large, and the varieties of Bear People are physically powerful. Several other peoples were to be found in these lands. Many have been absorbed or vanished in the Ages since the Dawn. The Third Eye Blue clans of smiths are the best known.

The Bemuri It is unclear if the Cattle People of Ralios were Hsunchen though it seems unlikely; like the Enerali they may have followed their herds112 in the verdant grasslands about Lake Felster and the lower Doskior River. Each clan was led by a Herd Mother, defended by the Bull Father, until he was deposed by a stronger warrior in ritual combat. It is possible that the Bemuri were related to the Enjoreli Bull People of Fronela, perhaps isolated from them when the Nidan Mountains rose during the God Time. Others may be descended from survivors of the failed Enjoreli invasion early in the First Age. Bemur113 is believed to be a name of Urox the Storm Bull during the Green Age114, or perhaps a name of Tawar. The Bemuri are of historical importance because many rapidly became sedentary farmers, using the plow introduced by the Theyalan missionaries after the Dawn, and adopting at least the names of their cattle gods. The ox-driven plough enabled the population around Lake Felster and the river valleys to increase dramatically.

In some old texts and maps, these lands are identified as the last remnants of the ruined Land of Logic, the mythical homeland of Western culture.

109

The Kachasti were the Speaking People. According to Western legends, after their rescue, many worshipped Worlath and became the Winkoti, the Western name for the Vingkotlings. It is likely that the Kachasti survivors in the west gradually merged with the Animal People, whilst those further east may have joined the Vingkotlings. It seems possible that the Orlanthi God of Communication, Issaries, has some association with the Kachasti, much as Lhankor Mhy, the Scribe God, has some tenuous relationship with the Tadeniti, the Writing People, another of the six Original Peoples of Malkion (though Lhankor Mhy can also be linked with the Dara Happan scribe god Buserian). Both Issaries and Lhankor Mhy are foreign gods, adopted into the Lightbringers pantheon, as was Chalana Arroy. It is significant that the teachings of Lhankor Mhy include sorcery, otherwise abhorrent to the Orlanthi, and that his sages are required to have beards, much like the zzaburi. The adoption of some of the Kachasti is remembered in myth perhaps, by the adding of Issaries into Orlanth’s Ruling Ring. Similarly, the adding of Greybeard (Lhankor Mhy) to the Ring may record the inclusion of Tadeniti survivors. The legends of Vingkot say that many refugees were welcomed into the tribes; it is not clear if the Kachasti are recorded among the remnant peoples. 110 The legends of the Korioni of Vesmonstran seem to dimly recall this. 111

For the Brithini and the early Malkioni, the Pendali, Enerali, Hykimi, Tawari, and the Theyalans were all at most barbarian half-breeds.

112

There is evidence that they herded aurochs before Time, which are mythically associated with the god Urox who led the first herd down from the slopes of the Spike. 113 Obscure (and dubious) texts refer to Bemurox. 114

That period after the Creation, when the whole world was so new that it was only one great island covered by vast forests and fields. The Westerners know this era as the Second Action.

35

MEN OF THE WEST Eneral took to wife Iorla, accounted to be the daughter of Ingak Likite and Terela Tilnta119. Each tribe was named for one of his sons120. Before Time the western Enerali (the Fornaoli and Utoni) revered Galanin the Sun Stallion and favored the Sun God Ehilm121 in the feud over the Green Lady’s love, and the eastern Enerali (the Korioni and Vustri) revered Galana the Sun Mare and favored the Storm God Erulat for the Green Lady’s hand. This created a long-lasting division between the tribes, enduring into the First Age. At the Dawn,

The Caroni The Mountain Goat People are one of the larger of the minor Ralian Hsunchen tribes, now inhabiting only the mountains and foothills of the Mislari Mountains. It is said that the Caroni ride the largest of their herds. They are of historical importance only because they apparently supplied their white-haired sure-footed mounts to Arkat and later to Talor in the First Age when their armies had to ascend the steep and rugged slopes of Kartolin Pass, the only known pass in the Western Rockwood Mountains between Ralios and Dorastor115.

The Enerali The lowland plains and valleys of northeastern Seshnela and much of lowland Ralios were inhabited at the Dawn by the four horse-riding tribes of the Enerali: the Korioni (divided into western and eastern sub-tribes), the Utoni, the Fornaoli, and the Vustri. These tribes had a wide range, and shared their territories fairly peacefully with various herbivore Hsunchen bands. They were named for the Hero Eneral116 the Old, the First Man and Founder, the son of Galanin117 the Sun Horse and a daughter of the Land Goddess Ralia, Inulei, in one divine genealogy. With his father’s permission, he became the greatest of riders and founded the people who bear his name. Eneral swore an oath to defend the horses of his father, who were Galanin’s first children. The gold-haired Galanini118 who claimed to be his second children were the warrior aristocracy. 115

Other passes probably exist. The trolls of Halikiv are known to raid Aggar across the mountains. In 1621 and 1623 great swarms of trolls crossed from Halikiv to Dragon Pass. These may have used caves and tunnels under the mountains for at least some of the way. The dwarves are rumored to have also dug tunnels through the mountains. 116 The element ‘ral’ in his name denotes his lineage from the goddess Ralia. 117

There are some similarities between Galanin and Kargzant of the Pentans and Yelmalio of Saird. All are the Son of the Sun and associated with Solar horses. There are differences between their cults and cultures, but this may be due to a deity being seen through different cultural lenses. Thus, Yelmalio’s worshippers are mostly known for their strict and austere ways, whereas the worshippers of Galanin and Galana participate in the old orgiastic religious festivals still common in Safelster. The God Learners fallaciously claimed, based upon earlier Seshnegi writings, that Galanin was descended not from the Sun God but Lofak, the god of hoofed animals. 118 The term Galanini seems to have been used to refer to the blond aristocracy who traced their descent from Galanin or Galana, revered as the Sun Horse by different Enerali tribes. By the Third Age, the Galanini are several scores of aristocratic horse-riding clans ruled by hereditary female chiefs, mostly found in the ancient lands of the Vustri in the east of Safelster. 119 Ingak was a son of Ralia, and Terela was one of the Tilntae, who were nymphs of love, fertility and harmony, the wonderful growers of things. 120

There are suggestions that he may have had a daughter or that at least one of the ‘sons’ was female. The matrilineal nature of the Vustri is suggestive, but their legends say that when the Sun God and the Storm God battled and the Sons of Eneral were all slain, Queen Nusa followed her great-grandmother Galana into the wilds of the Great Forest. Afterwards, the leader of the Vustri was always a woman descended from Nusa. The Cult of Nusa is still supported by those Safelstran cities that claim Vustrian descent, and preserve her memory. The city of Nusatell claims to be the site of her funeral pyre. 121 Ehilm the son of Lodik, the pure Master of Fire. The divine genealogies of the West differ from those of Dara Happa, where Lodril is the brother of Yelm, who, instead of being unsullied, is tainted by the temptations of the Lower World and falls from the Sky to impregnate the Earth.

36

PEOPLES OF THE WEST the most powerful among them were the clans of the Sun Horse worshipping Galanini, aristocratic chariotriders, some patrilineal, some matrilineal, and ruled by hereditary male or female chiefs. They were enemies of the Lion Men and fought them frequently. The Enerali had survived the Darkness by following the Sun Horse, their noble ancestor, and his or her herds around. Whilst much reduced in numbers, their culture was more sophisticated than that of their Hsunchen neighbors, save for their Pendali enemies. The Horse People worshipped a large pantheon of gods122; each tribe gathered regularly at its primary temple site and also made regular pilgrimages to Hrelar Amali123 on the Crimson Plain every spring. The Horse Peoples124 lived in small semi-nomadic camps accompanied by their herds of stocky ponies and other animals. They had a few more permanent tribal centers, mostly in the form of villages within hill forts, with the stone-walled town of Dangkae of the Utoni becoming the largest in the First Age, benefitting perhaps from its proximity to holy Hrelar Amali. Horses were especially sacred animals to them, and they ate their meat only as part of their religious festivals. Their blond-haired chiefs, male or female, fought from chariots pulled by their sacred Galana ponies, and horses were only ridden in the holy hunts of the abundant wild equines along the shores of Lake Felster125. The chariot cars were painted yellow, as the color of the Sun. The Galanini believed they were kin to their mounts and that some of the chieftains could transform into horses. It seems likely these few chieftains were relicts of an almost extinct Hsunchen population, claiming direct descent from the Sun

Horse. The Theyalans claim that Orlanth had defeated Galanin during the God Time; after Time began, Theyalans moved into Ralios and so Galana horses are found all across most Orlanthi lands. Elmal, another Sun God, and his wife Redaylda took them into their care. After the Dawn, Dangkal126 of the Utoni founded the Dangan Confederacy, with Hrelar Amali as their religious center with an organization of priest-judges uniting many clans into the confederacy. The western Horse People allied with the Brithini of Arolanit against the Serpent Kings of Seshnela and their successors, the Silver Empire. Brithini sorcerers were occasionally found in the service of a Dangkae ruler. The Enerali were at a disadvantage until they adopted agriculture, which was introduced by the Theyalans from the east and northeast. The Horse People used stone axes and self-bows in war and their chiefs and champions, male and female, fought initially from chariots pulled by their sacred Galana ponies. The chariots were used as missile platforms, their driver accompanied by an archer or javelin thrower. They did not initially fight from horseback. Later, as the Seshnegi utilized heavier cavalry, they also increasingly adopted fighting from horseback to defend themselves. Each rider on campaign would have two or three spare horses, permitting raiding parties to cover large distances. They were feared by their enemies as mounted archers, often able to overwhelm the enemy’s morale with a rain of short arrows. At first the Horse People lacked all but the crudest metal-working (except for gold which they hammered

122

The Enerali recognized Nine Great Gods as the Rulers of the Eight Worlds and Keepers of Creation. See the Appendix The Ancient Enerali Pantheon for an overview of the complex Enerali pantheon. 123 A holy place that was not utterly ravaged in the Great Darkness, where it is claimed that Flamal, the God of Seeds, was rooted in the Green Age, until he was killed by Eurmal or by Zaval (Zorak Zoran) in the Gods War. The Enerali people built a temple to him there, before the Dawn, and added a temple to Mata, and one to Xentha, who carried off Flamal’s body, to appease the Nine Great Gods. It remained the chief sacred place of the ancestral traditions of the Ralians, even after it was levelled by the Seshnegi and again by Arkat. At this time, the Enerali did not practice agriculture using the plow, but Flamal was connected by them with their simple gathering and horticulture. They tilled the rich fertile soil around the Lakes Ehilmka and Felster using wooden digging sticks. Hrelar Amali was one of their pre-Darkness holy places that survived the Great Darkness almost intact. Its name, which is usually translated as ‘Sacred Rebirth’, may be related to that of Halamalao, the Warming Sun, the Aldryami Sun God, and the White Elves (the Halamali), the first children of Flamal. 124 The Enerali as a whole were not Hsunchen, although they appear listed as such in many Old Seshnegi accounts. Some claim that the noble Galanini were originally Hsunchen, the original inhabitants of what was later called Vustria. They were powerful in the Golden Age, but in the troubles of the Gods War it is said they gave up their heritage and became one with the Enerali peoples who lived in Ralios at the Dawn. Even so, it is claimed that in the Third Age the Galanini clan chiefs of eastern Safelster can still transform themselves into horses. 125 This very deep lake has more than a score of islands, the largest being 18 km long and 7 km wide. It was carved out of the Earth when the Storm Gods warred against the Serpent Beasts and scattered them with lightning and thunder. It is the home of green-skirted Safa, the daughter of Sramak or is the sister or daughter of Erulat. Safa is the Safelstran goddess of beauty, youth, lakes, and rain. 126 Dangkal son of Mirol, was one of the Utoni who distinguished between the dead and the living during the Great Darkness. He witnessed the Rebirth of Flamal at Hrelar Amali after the Dawn. Dangkal was told by the gods that his people must ritually repeat Eurmal’s deed as the Firebringer each year, lest the gods of fertility fail to return after winter. Dangkal told his kin amongst the Utoni and later amongst the other Enerali people, and became the first priest of Hrelar Amali. Those he taught agreed to live with each other in peace and to serve the gods, forming the basis of the religious Dangan Confederacy. Dangkal founded the city of Danket on the rich banks of Lake Ehilmka (named after the Sun God – now the Sodal Marshes) and may have also founded Dangkae, now called Dangk. Pilgrims to Hrelar Amali would wear yellow robes to denote their status, their person sacred.

37

MEN OF THE WEST into ornate jewelry127), but made their tools from stone and bone (later trading with the Seshnegi for metal goods and finally learned bronze-working from the Theyalans). They also used lassos, used to catch wild horses and cattle, and their women were said to be particularly proficient in their use. In war these were also used to pull an enemy from the back of their mount. A heavily armored Seshnegi warrior caught by a lasso tightening about their neck could be unhorsed, and the weight of their armor often prevented them from getting easily to their feet. The Seshnegi claimed that Enerali women were forbidden to marry until they had killed an enemy. The Enerali fought many wars against the encroaching Silver Empire of Seshnela and resisted joining the Theyalan Council until 180 ST. Through their history, they embraced Theyalan cults in the First Age as well as some Hrestoli philosophies, bits of Nyalorian mysticism and much more. Under Arkat and his Autarchy, they were encouraged and permitted to explore their own myths and cults. By the Third Age, in the south their descendants in Tanisor have adopted the ways and religion of the Seshnegi; those in the north and east have adopted many of the ways and gods of the Orlanthi, often called Alakorings for their great Hero in the Second Age; those in Safelster are but one strand in the rich culture there, though the old Galanini traditions are also preserved among the populations in the lands and cities of Estali, Helby, and Tiskos.

The Mraloti At the Dawn, the Mraloti were in the regions of Slontos that are now the New Fens, the Mournsea, and Ramalia. They were conquered by the Middle Sea Empire in the Second Age, and were forced into oppressive serfdom. Many Mraloti have converted to an agrarian lifestyle, keeping domesticated pigs, and have given up their Hsunchen ways but still claim a direct connection with the earth and fertility spirits. A little under two-thirds retain the ancient style of worship. In the First Age, it was not uncommon for the Mraloti to have tusks which curled from their lower jaws and up around their eyes. Such signs of kinship with their totemic beast are now rare.

The Pendali The God Learners claimed that in the God Time tribes of the Basmoli marched north from what is now Pamaltela, and in the Lesser Darkness ruled an extensive empire stretching from Seshnela to Prax130. It survived the Great Darkness to dominate the southwestern reaches of the Greatwood in the Grey Age. The Basmoli of Prax are still renowned for their strength and their ferocity in combat. One particularly fierce tribe, the Pendali, led the fight against the intruding Malkioni coastal colonies. In the Great Darkness the fiercest creatures tended to survive, and the Pendali were part of the Basmoli Empire that ruled huge swaths of territory (according to Seshnegi legend). At the Dawn they still ruled the southwestern peninsula of Genertela, their lands lying either side of Jorestl’s Forest. Western histories attribute powerful kings and great armies to the Pendali, but like the inhabitants of the Seshnegi colonies, they were also miserable survivors of the Darkness. They had their ancestors, and gods and spirits who had survived the Darkness. They lived in little semi-permanent palisaded villages, were ruled by petty kings, were hunter-gatherers, and were certainly more impressive than the scattered little bands of wandering Hsunchen hunter-gatherers who could not decide if they were animals or human. Their armies were clan and tribal warbands, sometimes fighting the colonists in loose alliances, sometimes only in defense of their hunting lands. Their war parties consisted of braves led by a war chief chosen by their followers as the bravest, boldest and

The Kivitti The peaceful large-bodied thick-skinned and hairy Elephant People128 once lived in northern Ralios in the forests flanking the mountains. Despite their bulk and strength, they were no match for the incoming Orlanthi, who subjugated them in the First Age so that they could control the pass between Dorastor and Ralios. The last few survivors may have been slain during the wars between Arkat and Nysalor. Their shaggy hides, properly treated, were prized because of their strength and durability, so that arrows and spears bounced off them. Many of the tribes of upland Ralios, whether Hsunchen or Orlanthi colonists, eagerly hunted the beasts, until they were driven to extinction. At the Battle of Night and Day in 379 ST the entire Karian contingent129 carried shields covered in mammoth hide. Their ancestors had long fought against the Kivitti Elephant People. 127

Legend says the ancient Galanini, the descendants and devout worshippers of Ehilm, used el-metal in great quantities to make effective weapons, mostly arrow- and spearheads. Strong magics are necessary for gold to be made suitable for arms or armor. 128 They were closely related to the Hogari of Fronela, perhaps another related species of mammoth, divided when the mountains rose. 129

At this time, many of those Karians were descendants of Theyalan settlers from Dorastor who had long fought against the Kivitti elephant people.

130

Remnants of Basmoli influence can be detected from Seshnela and southern Ralios, eastwards into Maniria, where the warlord of the Solanthi Confederation is known as the Lion King.

38

PEOPLES OF THE WEST smartest warrior amongst them. Lion People comprised the largest group encountered by the Seshnegi, in part because of the large numbers of roaming bachelor bands of young hunters and warriors, ejected from their home prides. The Lion People were known for their strength and their savagery, and most were the blood-brother or blood-sister of a particular lion131 which accompanied them in hunting and war. Lean and fleet of foot, they were adept at serving as scouts, trackers and light infantry, equipped with bow, spear and light shield. Most had long auburn or red hair, and were vain about their appearance, decorating their hair with brightly colored dyed ribbons and copper bells. Pendal was a son of Basmol132 the Lion God, with one divine genealogy claiming that his mother was Aeelra, one of the many daughters of Tilnta. Pendal in turn married Ifttala, a daughter of the Land Goddess Seshna. Together, they had five sons: Joril, Kaanil, Avalal, Rolfas, and Orphals. Each became the king of a tribe of the Pendali. The Pendali were lion-worshipping theists, with some strong spirit magic traditions. They worshipped a pantheon of gods not unlike that of the Enerali which included Worlath, Lodik, Nakala, Tilnta, Zrethus, and

others. The Seshnegi called Pendal the Lion God the ‘Cannibal God’ because were-lions eat humans; they also eat other natural prey such as deer and horses. Their usual tactics were raid and ambush, a constant threat to dronari farmers working the fields beyond the stout walls of the scattered cities. These hunters were already familiar with the weapons used in hunting, such as the spear and bow, and also used clubs, sometimes wooden, sometimes with a stone head, the spear, the bow, and tomahawks and knives with stone knapped heads and blades133. Unlike the eastern Basmoli of Prax, the Pendali rulers were not weakened by the death of the father of their sire after Waha killed and skinned Basmol. Defeated by the Seshnegi, they were pushed into Tanisor; and many of their descendants adopted Seshnegi culture, though even in the Third Age a lion cub is born every so often among those families descended from the Pendali. This regressive trait is most common among the lowest peasantry of the countryside of Tanisor. Worship of the Lion God is widely rumored to continue in secret in eastern Tanisor, among secret refuges in the Tarinwood. Lions are still relatively common in Tanisor and lion hunts are an important pastime of the Seshnelan nobility. The Sandrya tribe of southern Ralios worship Basmol as a god, not a spirit, and are no longer Hsunchen. The Basim tribe of Ralios are also descendants of Basmol, but have abandoned their Hsunchen heritage in favor of Orlanthi ways. Even in Seshnela, the defeated Hsunchen totem spirits were retained in the names of the horali regiments. Soldiers belong to War Societies, most of which claim descent from a Martial Beast. The best known are the Bear, Bull, Deer, Horse, Lion, Mammoth, Snake, and Wolf. The hunting of lions became an important prerogative of the Seshnegi nobility with the killing of lions being held in high esteem, and the hearts of lions devoured. In Maniria the Basmoli were defeated by the Theyalans from the east and later almost entirely eradicated by the degenerate remnant of the Middle Sea Empire in Ramalia. None of the western Basmoli ever reached the eastern Wastelands. During Arkat's struggle in Ralios, diverse forces aided him including some Hsunchen among whom were the surviving Basmoli. One by one the enemy strongholds fell until their forces were concentrated in the eastern part of Ralios, especially the City of Wolves

131

The Seshnelan lion of the forests and plains has a golden mane, though dark-maned cave lions lair in the Tarinwood. In Seshnelan iconography and much of the West, lions are now symbols of strength and courage. Two species of lions are also found in southern Ralios, those with golden manes and those with smaller black manes, which commonly have dens in caves, and hunt at night. Cave lions primarily prey upon bear cubs, elk, small horses, and deer. 132 In some old texts named as Basmalt. 133

They may have learned the crude working of copper from their ancestress Ifttala.

39

MEN OF THE WEST and the fortress of Kartolin134, ruled by the Telmori Hsunchen. Arkat stormed the City of Wolves but in 428 ST failed to take the fortress at Kartolin which commanded the pass between Ralios and Dorastor. A regiment of Lion Men was included in the army later led north by Talor the Laughing Warrior. These Lion Men included some descended from the old Hsunchen Basmoli, and some from Seshnegi lion hunters. The regiment survived in the north to be part of the army of Syranthir Forefront, who migrated into Peloria in 719 ST after being defeated by Arimadalla and his Jrusteli allies. Lions became integral to the imagery of Syranthir’s new kingdom of Carmania, with the imported lion traditions merged with the local Pelandan traditions of the Lion God Karndasal the Invincible, still the patron of the Lasadag Lions regiment. It is said that Carmanos the Prophet Summoned lions to serve him, and after the conquest the number of lions ranging across Pelanda increased. The Lion Guard of the Carmanian army served the Lion Shahs, with the first, Saman the Lion, ascending to the throne in 880 ST. They continued the tradition of hunting lions and eating their hearts to be imbued with their strength. Over time, the last decadent Lion Shahs were importing lions to an arena where the Shah would hunt them, and gradually the rites weakened until the last of the dynasty was overthrown by the first of the barbarian Bull Shahs, Shahtavar the BullChampion in 1139 ST. The usurper was killed by a lion in 1151 ST.

Hsunchen, they retain shamans who know the secrets of the Serpent Beasts. The people of eastern Slontos were liberated from Pralori oppression by the Theyalans in 115 ST, (and those of Tanisor by the Jrusteli in the early Second Age). The Pralori were first contacted the cult of Nysalor when missionaries from the north brought the gifts of their new god. Like many places in the world, Pralorela was swept by an awful plague which devastated the people. The Nysalor missionaries healed it, and they could also cure many other ills. The Pralori were quick to adopt the cult, and its subsidiary gods. The Nysalorean Pralori united under the religion, and they also chose to worship the gods who were friendly to Nysalor. Thus, the cult of Ehilm gained an ascendancy among the Pralori which it had not enjoyed before. Some allies, mostly adventurous mercenaries, were gained from northern peoples from Ralios. The Solar Pralori attacked the southern kingdoms of Slontos, and there began another long and terrible war. Pralori armies aided Tanisor when they fought against Arkat, an enemy invader from a distant land. The Pralori army, like so many others, was crushed. The Pralori were driven fully into the area now known as Pralorela at the end of the Dawn Age, but now collect tribute from caravans travelling between Ralios and Maniria. Like other Hsunchen they initially used weapons of stone and wore leather armor, but eagerly adopted bronze arms and armor taken in trade, plunder, or tribute. Their elk use their antlers to strike enemy riders or their mounts. In the Third Age, they have a fearsome reputation as powerful shamans and fierce warriors. Pralori mercenaries are often found in the retinue of the western Trader Princes and in the armies of Safelster. A haughty and proud people, they still look down on all those who lack steeds or who must ride inferior, antler-less beasts.

The Pralori At the Dawn, the lands of the warlike elk-riding Pralori lay east of the territory of the Pendali, with their greatest concentration of their nomadic population centered about the Tanier River. Other clans were spread out eastwards into Maniria and southern Ralios. They still live with their elk herds and have retained their nomadic Hsunchen lifestyle throughout Time; they do not permit any agriculture within their lands. They claim that their ancestor, Pralor, was the greatest and most cunning of all deer. With the defeat of the Pendali, they too were slowly pushed eastwards, dominating the lands around Tarinwood, including much of Slontos, aided by their Serpent Beast shamans, and north into Ralios; alone among the descendants of the ancient southwestern

The Rathori The Bear People of the Fronela forests are a numerous people, with each family living in a small lodge, amidst the great pine forests of the north, sharing their woodlands with smaller clans of other Hsunchen135, who often perform specialized magical tasks, and the elves. The Irgari Rathori are the single most populous

134

The nigh impregnable ghostly and deadly fortress of Kartolin was built apparently by the dwarves as part of Nysalor’s “Cry for Castles” to defend his Golden Empire though other sources attribute it to the First Council a century or more earlier. It may be that Nysalor’s fortification was built atop older foundations. Some claim the castle is guarded by legions of ethereal defenders whilst another source says the guardians are able to see out of slit loopholes and larger vantage openings which cannot be perceived by attackers. Other castles dating from the First Age are said to guard other lost passes across the Western Rockwood Mountains. 135 The Rathori share their forests with the Kloisari (Badger People), who sometimes hire out as mercenaries along the Janube River, but generally prefer to keep to themselves, the peaceful Zonati (Yellow Quill Porcupine People), the fearsome Sabadari (Wolverine People), the thieving Lotari (Raccoon People), the Akkari (Skunk People), the small tribe of the nocturnal Flari (Black Owl People), and the Hogari (Woolly Mammoth People) who live in the far north in the taiga bordering Valind’s Glacier.

40

PEOPLES OF THE WEST Hsunchen people on the continent, and probably across Glorantha as a whole. Their native tools were wood and stone and they traded furs for metal tools and weapons from the Third Eye Blue people. Several lodges of the same clan may group together in a small village. Outside of each lodge is a totem pole. Rathori clans keep to a traditional territory; when meeting other clans the outcome is dependent on the relationship of the clan-leaders, not custom. Denleaders are those who others will follow; dens may have different leaders for different opportunities or threats. Men and women have distinct gender roles, but everyone knows how to fight, and women may become warriors. Rathor is the Great White Bear136, and he taught the people how survive the Darkness, teaching them to dance, sing, and hunt and eventually in the coldest depths of the Great Winter, to sleep while he watched over them. When he awoke them, at the return of spring, he appointed his sons: Irgar the Grizzly, Irdagi the Black Bear, and Orenri the Blue Bear to guide the people. The White Bear People could fight in winter, unlike the others who must hibernate, and had been driven from the icy wastes of the far north by the Snow Trolls before the Dawn. Harrek the Berserker slew his god the White Bear in 1609 ST. In the First Age the Rathori were members of the Eleven Beasts Alliance and sent warriors to aid the bull-riding Tawari who led the resistance against Akem. By the Second Age some south of the Janube river had adopted Orlanthi ways. The Rathori also formed the core of the White Bear Empire in the early Third Age, until its unity was dissolved by the Syndics Ban in 1499 ST. All the

Rathori peoples were affected; most were hibernating at the time, and when they awoke, it was decades or centuries later, rather than merely the next Spring.

The Rinkoni The Bobcat People live along the southern fringes of Fronela, and are a menace to their neighbors. They travel in small warbands and exact tribute from the less defended settlements of the region.

The Tawari Bull-riding cattle-herding pastoralists, the Bull People137, dominated the coastal lands of western Fronela at the Dawn, building enclosures and crude forts of earth and wood, and later more substantial citadels at Himtals, Thantom and Jora. The Tawari and the other Enjoreli tribes of the interior were a nomadic people who moved with their herds of cattle, travelling in wicker carts pulled by oxen or riding their bulls. They ruled the other Enjoreli138 tribes, and for much of the

136

The companions of Rathor include Agikoros the Fire God, Silent Stalker the Hunter, and Enimipol the Mother of Beasts. The shamans of the Rathori know many other spirits. 137 The Tawari and the other Enjoreli were not Hsunchen, although they appear listed as such in ancient Akemite texts. 138

The Enjoreli might be identified with the On Jorri, sometime enemies, sometime allies, of the Vingotlings in the Early Storm Age (the Flood Era,

41

MEN OF THE WEST First Age fought the Brithini and Akem, and even threatened Arolanit139. In war, their carts could be drawn into a square or circle to act as makeshift fortifications, especially when threatened by Western cavalry. Their god was not merely a Bull God but a Storm God as well, possibly the father of Bisos whom the Theyalans call Urox140. The riders wore armor of thick leather and cuir boilli, with the heaviest cavalry adopting cuirasses made of horn, hoof or bone plates stitched together. They were armed with lances with stone blades and stone maces. Whilst perhaps not Hsunchen themselves, in their wars with Akem they were aided by the shamans of the Eleven Beasts Alliance, until their final defeat. After around 300 ST, Theyalan influence grew, as they settled in the upper Janube valley and the foothills of the Nidan Mountains; they revealed many additional secrets about the Tawari’s gods (such as the Bull God’s Air and Death powers). Other groups of Bull People lived further east before the Dawn. The Bisosae settled in what was later western Peloria; the Kereusi joined with the Lenshi Horse People who ruled Pelanda141. The Enjoreli were distantly related to the legendary Enelvi, who were ruled by the divine Kereusi dynasty before Time in what is now Vanstal and Charg, south of the Sweet Sea. The first generation of this dynasty was fathered upon the goddess Esus by the Bull God KefTavar. Bisos was the younger brother of Kereus, and gave his name to the Bisosae, the People of Bisos. The Horned Bisosae Kings ruled before the Dawn. The Tawari in the west were ultimately either assimilated by the Westerners and Theyalans or withdrew to the east. The Enjoreli were defeated by the Malkioni colony of Isefwal in 220 ST, and retreated back to their farms and pastures. After 375 ST, the Hykimi shamans were vanquished by the wizards of Akem in a thaumaturgical contest and the Sun stopped in the Sky. The Hsunchen warriors fled in panic. Faced with defeat and potentially subjugation, many of the Enjoreli and Hykimi eagerly embraced the Nysalorian missionaries who taught the shamans how they could draw power from the gods or use Hrestoli

magic, while still being able to remain in the Spirit World, and how to command demons from deeper in the Underworld to defeat the Malkioni. Those that later threatened Akem were defeated by Talor of Loskalm142 in 450 ST, being driven eastwards again. Many of the surviving cattle-raising pastoralists were quick to embrace the Theyalan gods. Orlanth the Bull Rider is now worshipped throughout Junora and Oranor. Bisos and Esus are the Bull God and Cow Goddess of Pelanda. The Bull God Bisos is variously identified with the violent Urox and Storm Bull by Theyalans, whilst Esus is identified with Ernalda or her daughter Uralda. In ancient times the cult of Bisos involved bull dancing. The Bull Shahs of Carmania claimed their descent from the ancient Bull Lords of Vanstal. In the ancient lands of the Enjoreli in what is now Junora and Jonatela, the Bull God is not entirely submerged by the Theyalan culture. The Oranor tribal confederation in Junora worship Orlanth as the bullriding chief of the gods. When Charg emerged from the Syndics Ban it is ruled by Bull Lords who worship Urox and other war gods of the Orlanthi pantheon. The Tawari and other Enjoreli as a people have been extinct since the end of the Second Age; many were assimilated by other tribes, though one small group may have held out in Charg until the Syndics Ban descended.

The Telmori Wolves widely have a poor reputation in part because many of the Telmori Nation in Ralios and Fronela unknowingly accepted a taint of Chaos to strengthen themselves, to become a race of werewolves. Even without this taint, the Wolf People were dangerous neighbors. Prior to this, the Telmori had dominated parts of Fronela and had migrated into northern Ralios, ruling the City of Wolves and commanding the pass between Ralios and Dorastor. Their heavily forested land of Telmoria lay north of the lands of the Dari Alliance in the First Age.

the era of the Fourth Action) of the Gods War. Jorri is now a province of the Kingdom of Loskalm famed for its breed of cattle. According to one text, their founders, the twins Enjorel and Enjorela, born before the Dawn, were the son and daughter of Tawar the Bull God, and Ialia (or Jorri), a daughter of the Land Goddess Frona. They were raised by their stepmother Tawara, and married, their children being the Enjoreli. A Rathori story says that Tawar’s mother was Pelanda, suggesting that the Bull People originally came from the east. 139 An army of Bull-riders had negotiated passage with the Aldryami of Erontree. After pillaging much of Arolanit, they went on into Ralios only to be defeated by the horse-riders of the Dari Alliance. 140 By the Orlanthi genealogy of the gods, Urox was instead the son of Umath and Mikyh, the Mother of Animals. Urox himself mated with Orunatawara to father the minotaurs. The Orlanthi of Dragon Pass claim that the Animal Companion of their hero Vingkot was a Great Bull, but Vingkot is unknown in Fronela. 141 Lenshi legends also tell of a war with bull-riders from the west who fought with swords and their beasts with their horns. Whenever they thundered down upon an army the soldiers were terrified. However, King Lenshi overcame them by digging a great trench which they did not see. The Lenshis then became herders of cattle. 142 In certain obscure texts, the etymology of the name Loskalm derives from a clan or tribe of bull-riders of the Enjoreli who called themselves the Losk-Alim. They persisted at least until Talor’s northern war against the Bright Empire. One fragmentary text suggests they fought as allies of Talor.

42

PEOPLES OF THE WEST Their clans and warbands have a pack structure. Bachelor males after being ejected from their clan pack gather into hunter and fighter packs. As fighters, the Telmori are cautious, ruthless, and cunning; they are ideal scouts and pack-fighters with each Telmori having a wolf-brother, a large dire wolf. The wolf pack follow their leader, encircling enemies and prey. The most sophisticated Telmori use stone-tipped weapons, especially javelins thrown using an atlatl, though bronze weapons are a status symbol. Their classic tactics are to throw massed javelins, transform into wolves and then engage in a frenzied savage attack beside their wolf-brothers. They rarely wear armor as it hinders their change into their wolf form. Nysalor blessed those Telmori allied with his Bright Empire143 so that their hides in wolf shape could not be cut by bronze or bone, crushed by stone or wood, or mangled by flesh or claw. The true nature of this blessing was later recognized as being Chaotic in nature; afterwards they were cursed by Talor the Laughing Warrior and these Cursed Ones have since then involuntarily slipped back and forth from their wolf shape144. They fled Fronela after the Gbaji Wars, and headed east. Some Telmori, the Pure Ones, avoided Nysalor’s dubious gift and Talor’s curse, with most now living in the wilds of Ralios. A nation of these wolf people, mostly Pure Ones, still resides in the land known as Telmoria at the northern end of Ralios; their hunting packs plague their neighbors each winter. 143

Smaller groups or outlaw bands of Telmori can be found anywhere west of the Wastelands and central Pent. After the defeat of Nysalor the survivors of the Cursed Ones fled eastwards into Peloria and Dragon Pass until their migration was blocked by the eastern Wastelands. Telmor, the Wolf God is, however, not Chaotic, and not all Telmori are tainted by Chaos. The Sartarites destroyed the Cursed Ones in their lands in 1628 ST, with the victors forming the Wolf Runners regiment, wearing wolf skins, and having the Wolf God as their regimental patron.

The Third Eye Blue The Third Eye Blue smiths employ a form of sorcery they stole from the dwarves before Time and were a source of metal weapons for the Hsunchen and other peoples in Fronela at the Dawn. This cult of wandering smiths is somehow related to or associated with the Blue People of the Sweet Sea that flooded much of Fronela before Time, though most of the Third Eye Blue people do not have bluetinted skin. They seem to have originated from the highland region of Tastolar in Fronela, and claim they had a great empire, which was destroyed by the dwarves in retaliation for the theft of their metallurgical secrets. Few, if any traces of this empire can be found, even in the mythologies of the peoples who now live nearby. These smiths have a grimoire of sorcery spells to work metal known as the Secrets of the Metal; their tattooed blue eyes145 seem keyed to this in some way.

The Beast Men The best known in the West are found in the wrecked lands of Old Seshnela, and they are ignorant of their origins, but may be the magically mutated descendants of many of the human and animal inhabitants in the Second Age. None lived there before the coming of the Luatha. The rare Sedrali Dog People of Ralios are more ancient, and are native to the northern Aldryami forests of Ralios. They display the intelligence of humans and the instincts of dogs; the males have human bodies but the heads of dogs, the females have canine bodies and human heads146. The Sedrali are distinct from the Hsunchen but are often mistaken for them. They live in packs reliant on hunting.

Also known as the Golden Empire for its wealth and magnificence. This splendor concealed its inner corruption.

144

The Curse usually manifests in childhood, though Telmori women occasionally give birth to litters of wolf cubs. Most Hsunchen cannot adopt their beast form until initiation. The former followers of Gbaji involuntarily shift into wolf-form every Wildday (which happens to be the Full Moon Day in Dragon Pass, but not in Ralios). 145 Placed directly over the sorb. 146

They may be related to the Face Guards who fought the Thunder Brothers when they recovered their herds in the Plundering of Aron during the Storm Age. The Face Guards had the bodies of domesticated animals and the heads of humans.

43

MEN OF THE WEST live on the Old Vadeli Isles and upon the New Vadeli Isles which were unknown before the Closing of the Oceans. The Red Vadeli, reduced to inhabiting poor volcanic isles, are now their marines and soldiers. These islands were unknown before the Closing and appeared after it dissipated. The Yellow Vadeli have been extinct since the Gods Time, and no Blue Vadeli148, who Tapped the world without restraint, have been seen since then, but they are prophesized to return149. It is rumored that the Brown Vadeli are working on a great ceremony to Summon the Blues back into the world. Like the Brithini horali, the Red Vadeli are immortal warriors, supremely skilled and ruthless, their caste laws require them to fight as soldiers and most have some skill as combat sorcerers; unlike the Brithini horali their behavior is needlessly brutal, cruel and murderous, all attributes required to maintain their immortality. They have bright red skin and red or black hair (though many shave their heads), and are significantly stronger than ordinary humans. Their skin is often covered in tattooed formulae of armoring and strengthening magics. It may be presumed that other than their vicious violence their lives are similar to that of the horali, albeit as a sort of evil reflection. Their lack of Yellow Vadeli officers to direct their attacks means that their actions depend more on brute combat than finessed tactics. Unlike the Brithini horali or their descendants, the Red Vadeli do not fight in a disciplined rank and file, but as individual fighters excelling in close combat, for the pleasure of witnessing the pain and torment of their foe. They will use missile weapons, often cruelly barbed, to cause their targets the greatest discomfort, and to incapacitate them, preventing their escape. This lack of ordered

The Elder Races When the Brithini founded their colonies on the coast, they encountered the Aldryami, already familiar to them because of the elves in the forests of Brithos, and the dwarves of the Iron Mountains of Seshnela. In the West, at the Dawn, the lands of the Aldryami were the most extensive. The elves lived in the two forests of Seshnela, and the great unbroken forest of the interior of the continent which stretched from the Greatwood in the south, extending north into Ralios, and around the Nidan Mountains to join with the Greenwood in the north. Numerous dispersed Hsunchen tribes lived in the forests, their way of life, hunting and gathering, mostly compatible with the culture and ecology of the elves. To the Brithini, all the other Elder Races were unfamiliar krjalki147, monsters and they did not distinguish between them and Chaos creatures. The trolls lived far away from the initial settlements of the Westerners, either in the far north of Fronela in the Queendom of Borklak at the frigid edge of Valind’s Glacier, or in Halikiv in the rugged and remote eastern corner of Ralios, and their hunting bands were rarely encountered elsewhere, so wide were their territories at that time. Dragonewts were also unknown to them, and were first encountered as ferocious mercenaries serving the Bright Empire. The merfolk had little influence on the history of the West; the walrus-folk, the Ouroi, are said to have contributed to Zzabur’s Icebreak spell. Some Ralian legends speak of wars between merfolk living in a mythical lake and the dwarves and Enerali before Time, but this is probably a distorted memory of the watery invasions of the land in the Early Storm Age. There were scattered pockets of other Elder Races scattered in the West at the Dawn, but many went extinct soon after or in later Ages.

The Vadeli The atheist Vadeli were the ancient kin and foes of the Brithini, insidious, perverse, corrupt, and cruel. Like the Brithini, their castes were distinguished by different skin colors. However, each caste is unnaturally expert at performing sorcery, and all still exhibit the caste skin colors of their ancestors. Once they lived on the peninsula or island that is now known as Brithos, and fought terrible wars before the Dawn. Many strove to ruin and end the world. The immortal Brown Vadeli are now sailors. They 147

The Western definition of krjalki not only refers to creatures of Chaos but also trolls and dragonewts. The Westerners were long familiar with elves on Brithos and later in Old Seshnela, and did not regard them as monsters. On the mainland, the elves often aided their colonies in the Darkness. 148 The Blue Vadeli of the Storm Age were incredibly powerful sorcerers who performed several terrible actions in their efforts to take over the entire world. Brithos was fortunate that the Vadeli fought each other as much as outsiders. Some essentially fused their beings with the parts of the world so that they could exploit them more easily. The blueness of these Vadeli was a cyanotic blue, like that of a bloated corpse. 149 It is rumoured that some Blue Vadeli escaped the drowning of their lost land in small boats. It is unknown if they survived to make landfall.

44

PEOPLES OF THE WEST attack, though a disadvantage on the battlefield, is ideally suited to boarding actions at sea when they swarm onto the decks of their victims. Given their activities in Pamaltela, their arms and armor are likely to be influenced by those of the northern shore of the southern continent, especially the land of Fonrit. In many ways, the Vadeli are the dark likeness of the Brithini, but for all their adherence to their Laws, the history of the Brithini is also one of conquest and destruction. The difference between the two seems to be that the Brithini act out of perceived logical necessity, and the Vadeli because they enjoy it. When a Malkioni wizard uses evil spells often they call it Vadeli magic. The Vadeli are now encountered as pirates and sailors, their guileful merchants found in almost every major port.

The Theyalans At the Dawn, the settlements of the theistic Theyalans were small and clustered around a few sites in and around Kerofinela, in the regions now called Dragon Pass, Saird, and the Holy Country, surrounded by wild lands inhabited by the Elder Races. Most of their enclaves were no larger than those of most of the surviving human populations in the West, often numbering a few hundred with the largest being about three thousand living in the midst of the cyclopean walls of ancient Nochet. Unlike the scattered and divided peoples in the West, they joined together into the Theyalan or Lightbringer Council, and with the Elder Races, the trolls, elves, dwarves, and dragonewts, into the Unity Council under the leadership of Ezkankekko. By the end of the first century, most of the human tribes numbered in the thousands. The attitudes of the early Theyalans to the Elder Races was different in those first centuries of Time, as memories of their alliance in fighting to save the world had not been tainted by the later conflicts and the competition for resources. The population at the Dawn was small, and only later was there a contest for land and resources, as humans outbred their one-time allies and fought among themselves and against their onetime friends. The trolls had far greater influence at that time, and especially in the Shadowlands of southern Dragon Pass and Kethaela, humans more readily deferred to troll leadership. After a few years, they realized that people beyond their lands had not fared so well, and organized bands of missionaries to seek them out and teach them how to live in the new world of Time. They named themselves the World Council of Friends, and for the next century they deserved that name as they sought to bring their friendship and skills to the wretched and destitute survivors in other lands. Just as the Westerners expanded from their coastal colonies, after the Dawn the vibrant culture of the Lightbringers151 was penetrating the western lands from central Genertela. Some travelled west through Slontos, others came from Dorastor crossing over the Kartolin Pass to enter Ralios from the north. Travel into far western Fronela was more difficult and the Lightbringer missionaries had a later and lesser influence there. Sometimes their meeting with the native peoples was friendly, but they also came into conflict with the Hsunchen and other peoples, especially the settlers who built steads in the rich river valleys. In many places a fusion of cultures gradually occurred.

The Luatha They are mysterious purple-skinned violet-haired demigods from Luathela, the Land of Sunset which lies beyond the western150 bounds of the Mortal World. They are said to be among the followers of Rausa, the bloody and vengeful Goddess of Dusk. She was born from the drops of luminous blood falling from the dying Sun God when he sought the gate of the furthest west on the Black Isle where the raging waters of the Celestial River cascaded down into the Underworld. The Luatha are said to radiate a bluish-purple glow when angered. One source says they were summoned by Seshna and other gods to overcome the haughty humans of the Middle Sea Empire lest they wreck the cosmos. Another text suggests that they are divided into regimented castes, and may even be distantly related to the ancient ancestors of the Brithini. One small shipload of their soldier caste was sufficient to defeat all the Seshnegi armies sent against them, and to wreck and sunder Old Seshnela at the end of the Second Age. There may have been one or more of their other castes aboard the vessel. Their swan-prowed vessel was immune to the subsequent Closing of the Oceans and still sails the waters surrounding the islands that are the remnants of shattered Old Seshnela, able to defeat any human fleet with its potent magics. It is the size of a trireme, armed with puissant magical weapons, and propelled by only three oars on each side, yet able to easily overtake any human vessel employing combined sails and oars. It has defeated and destroyed entire squadrons of ships. No one knows the location of their Castle of Purple Shadows, built somewhere in Kanthor’s Isles. 150

The far West is accounted the entrance to the Land of the Dead, the land from which there is no return.

151

The Orlanthi ways of war, and arms and armor in the Third Age are covered in detail in The Armies and Enemies of Dragon Pass. There is perhaps a greater variety in the West, where their styles and forms of weapons and armor are influenced to a greater and lesser degree by those of the Westerners. There are indications that in the First Age the use of the spear was more prevalent among them than the sword, with many references to Spear Thanes in the few surviving documents of the period.

45

MEN OF THE WEST The Theyalan152 missionaries and bands of settlers of the early First Age brought their pantheon, their myths and songs, their plow and crops, and metalworking to the native peoples of the West, sometimes warring with them, sometimes in peaceful trade. In time, many Hsunchen and others adopted their customs and lost their close association with their Beast Brothers. Many modern Orlanthi of the West might trace their blood lines back to Hsunchen ancestors. The Hsunchen the missionaries encountered worshipped their Beast Gods, spirits and ancestors, and some demonic beings who were not entirely unfriendly, but they did not have much that would help them in the way that the Lightbringer religion could. Not everyone turned to their pantheon even after the missionaries came. Many resisted this latest incursion, perhaps thinking it was just a passing thing, or that it was another form of oppression; some groups held out until Arkat returned to Ralios with Harmast, whilst others continued to cleave to their old ways. Some peoples in the West such as the Enerali, Enjoreli, Yggites and others at the Dawn already unknowingly shared some gods and myths, often incomplete, with the Theyalans, but were culturally distinct, having their own languages and customs. Many were predisposed to worship the Great Green Lady and the Storm God, but had lost them in the Great Darkness when Ernalda slumbered in the Underworld and Orlanth descended into Hell. Even if they had sacrificed to them before, doing so whilst they were in the Land of the Dead wasted scarce resources as the gods could not aid them. With such desperate circumstances as existed in the Darkness, few people could afford to retain these sacrifices as they squandered precious things for no practical benefit. Those who stubbornly sought to fulfill the sacrifices as before often died in the Darkness. Much of the legends and rites of the missing gods were forgotten even by those who did survive. Some others were Storm People isolated by the horrors of the Great Darkness; a few had worshipped gods who died and were completely lost in the Gods War (many in Fronela may have worshipped Vadrus and members of his violent tribe). Other missionaries later brought word of Nysalor and Tarumath from Dorastor, sowing the seeds of the conflict that would plunge the lands of the West into generations of war, with the continent-spanning conflict between Nysalor and Arkat. In places, the Theyalans would later intermix with the Westerners of the colonies, and both adopted cultural and religious practices from the other. The Theyalans of the Dawn Age were not identical

to their descendants in the Third Age, with differences in their languages, cultures, clothing, styles of arms and armor, and even differences in the pottery designs they made, the rugs they wove, and the houses and halls they lived in. The Runes they used to decorate their clothing, weapons and shields, and wore as tattoos were different (the influence of the God Learners in unifying the Rune system is often underestimated). Even their cults were different; for example, the Orlanth Rex subcult was unknown until the Second Age, and priests of all cults had much more influence and authority in their societies. Their social organization was broadly similar to that of the Third Age, with clans led by chiefs and tribes led by kings, but the Councils gradually coalesced into an empire with its capital in Dorastor, detested as tyrannical by its enemies, revered by its friends as a bringer of peace and prosperity. Spears were the most common weapon, with swords almost solely reserved for the devotees of the Death God with the pommels decorated with jewels and silver or gold wire. After three centuries, as the wealth of the Theyalans increased, warriors habitually wore bronze hauberks or pectorals, greaves, and vambraces, with the greatest champions boasting even finely jointed protective bronze plates on their hands and feet. The wearing of torcs153 signified that the wearer was free; nobles and priests preferred gold, the lesser nobility, silver, and the commoners, if they could afford it, bronze; slaves were branded on their limbs. Even in the First Age, before the birth of Nysalor, there were increasing differences between the missionaries from the southeast and

152

The name was bestowed upon these cultures by the God Learners in the Second Age, and is derived from Theya, the rosy hued Dawn Goddess. They mostly identify themselves as Orlanthi, after their chief god. 153 In the Third Age torcs and golden neck rings are generally worn only by champions, chieftains and kings.

46

PEOPLES OF THE WEST those who came from Dorastor. The latter had benefitted greatly from the discovery of the wreckage of a fallen God Time civilization154; even in ruin, the explorers found wonderful and mysterious magical devices. With its secrets, humans gained new insights, and many from across the world went there to study. Their discoveries accelerated the development of the Dorastan culture, leading to the building of major urban centers, amazing architecture, and ultimately and fatefully made possible the creation of a new god. It was a time of wonder, innocence, exploration, and rediscovery, until Nysalor’s Shadow was revealed, the trolls and dragonewts left the council and were cursed, and later Arkat came to destroy the source of the misguided missionaries who used the gifts and curses of Chaos155 to spread his teachings. Nysalor’s curse initiated the diminishing of the trolls; the dragonewts were coerced into serving as mercenaries in its armies. When the Bright Empire of Nysalor brought the People of the Storm and the People of the Sun of Peloria together peacefully there was a mixing of myths and cultures. Some of the results of this were later expunged by both groups, but neither culture ever truly returned to what it had been before. Although Theyalans are now often called Orlanthi and most worship Orlanth and the Lightbringer pantheon, there is now much religious diversity in the lands of the West with local pantheons including gods unknown in Kerofinela; even when the Lightbringers are worshipped they may include different subcults or the gods may be known by different names. For example, in Fronela, Orlanth is known as Worlanth or Worlath, in Ralios as Erulat, Erulanth, Orlanth, or even Viskulanth156 as the high god of Mount Visku where he is enthroned amidst the cold clouds, mists, and wild winds that blow about the glaciers and snowfields of

the lofty peak. Some Theyalans have also adopted variants of the Malkioni faiths. Like most of the other human inhabitants of western and central Genertela, the Theyalans are classified as members of the Wareran157, which describes people mostly of a fair to olive-skinned complexion158. Their hair may be straight or curly, blond, gray, red, or black, their eyes brown, gray, green, or orange, and members of most Theyalan cultures sport tattoos on their faces and bodies celebrating their gods, ancestors, clan, tribe, and sacred events. Their physical appearance denotes their varied ancestry; unlike other deities, the Storm Gods, relative late-comers in the history of the cosmos, did not claim to have created humans, though several noble lineages assert their descent from the gods. Instead, as the universe descended into war and confusion, many people sought their protection. Later, other refugees joined them, either as equals, serfs, or as slaves. As the Theyalans entered the western lands in the First Age they also mixed with the Western and Hsunchen peoples. This is most apparent in Safelster in Ralios. These diverse origins mean that the Theyalans have no distinct racial appearance, though a regional population may tend towards a degree of homogeneity; individuals may have the light hair and complexion of Solar People, some are as dark as Darkness People, some have the brown hair, eye and skin tones of Earth People, some have the bluish tint of Water People. Many display a mixture of these traits. The societies of the Theyalans in the West who are identified as Orlanthi now vary between impoverished hunter-gatherer clans in the harshest uplands, minor tribal confederations and kingdoms of herders and hunters in the hills, to rich and powerful states boasting cities and standing armies which include heavy cavalry the equal of any mustered by the Malkioni. I

154

The original inhabitants of Dorastor before Time were named the Feldichi, the Wise People. Talastari myth tells that they were the children of an ancient god, the Old Man, who lay with the Land Goddess Dorasta during the God Time. Protected by Dorasta and advised by the Old Man, the Feldichi produced a spectacular civilization but were exterminated by Chaos during the Great Darkness, and the Old Man was consumed by the Void which is why his name is lost. Other stories call the husband of Dorasta, the Betrayer or Evil One, and also Eurmal. The stories claim that the Feldichi were neither men nor gods, but treacherous beings whose gifts invariable doomed the recipient and ultimately themselves. Many refer to them as the fathers of ogres, cannibals and seducers. This Old Man is not the same entity as the first person, slain by Eurmal, who became the Judge of the Dead. 155 For the Illuminated Riddlers, Chaos was just another force they could adapt to their purposes; few were inherently Chaotic, unless they had taken a Chaos taint to strengthen themselves, but many willingly used Chaos to further their own selfish schemes. 156 The name is related to Viskuranth, the oldest name of Orlanth in Talastar in Peloria, which means Son of the Spike. According to the Talastari, Viskuranth rescued the Great Goddess Ir by killing Emperor Yelm and then received the Kingship of the Gods from the Great Goddess. He rides upon his divine mount and companion Vorios. Another name for Viskuranth is Viskuvath meaning the Breath of the Spike. 157 The term is derived from Warera Triolin, a demi-goddess of the Sea Peoples of the Neleomi who is also accounted as the mother of Malkion by the Waertagi. One obscure legend says that most modern humans are descended from the bastard children of Warera, a race born in the early Storm Age, and taught by the Old Logic People. However, Wareran is a very broad category, and probably a God Learner construct. 158 Other skin and hair colors are found among the Theyalans, though not as common, such as pale blue which can denote an ancestry from the Blue People associated with descendants of the Helerings (the others who did not join the Heortlings were destroyed in the Great Darkness), especially strong in the Water Rune, a pale green or brown, often of descent from the peoples of the Queendom of Ernaldela, north of the Cosmic Spike, strong in the Earth Rune. Similarly, those strong in the Darkness Rune may have black hair and a darker complexion; those strong in the Fire Rune may be blond with a paler complexion. Some who are especially strong in the Air Rune may even have a pale blue skin (of a different shade to the descendants of the Blue People) and orange eyes; some may even inherit the colors of the ancient Kachisti. However, the Theyalans and most other mortals are of such mixed lineages that it is relatively rare for an individual’s skin, hair and eye colors to delineate their ancestry with any accuracy.

47

MEN OF THE WEST

Seshnela Third Age Seshnela is a remnant of the Middle Sea Empire. The largest state is ruled by the values of the ultra-reactionary Watchers of the Rokari sect, who are intrinsically tied to the martial dynasty of talari from what was once the semi-barbarian outlands of Rindland and Tanisor. The society of the Kingdom of Seshnela is now rigidly hierarchical and hereditary, but the land has a long and varied history.

opulent lives of the talari caste, and provides the king with a massive war chest. The core of the modern kingdom is set about the valley of the Lower Tanier River, which drains the Ralian basin. The river floods in Sea Season with the combined meltwaters of the Nidan, West Rockwood and Mislari Mountains, rising and inundating the agricultural lands on its banks, depositing layers of fertile mud. Constant maintenance is required to raise and strengthen the banks of the river, its tributaries, and irrigation canals, particularly in the Tanier delta. The main crops are wheat and rice, some sugarcane, with orchards on the higher ground, including lemons, oranges, and olives, and extensive vineyards. Oats are the grain of Seshna, grown now mostly as fodder for horses. The region is famed for the white lotuses that grow in lesser waterways and lakes. In parts of southern Seshnela water buffalo are harnessed to plows instead of oxen.

Climate and War Seshnela lies in the southwest of Genertela, washed by currents and warm winds from the south. This provides coastal Seshnela with an almost semitropical climate, though more temperate inland. Given the heat of summer, war is usually conducted in Sea and late Earth Season and in Dark Season, though severe storms can sweep across Seshnela in winter. Fire Season is usually too hot for campaigning, unless the troops are lightly armored or sorcerers cast cooling spells to protect them from the oppressive heat and humidity. Due to the warm climate, padding of quilted cotton or linen may be worn alone or under metal armor. The high humidity of summer promotes mildew and mold, and also makes clothing of wool or leather uncomfortable and impractical, taking a toll on soldiers and their equipment. The southernmost fringe, especially surrounding the wide delta of the Tanier River may be afflicted with clouds of small biting flies and other insects in summer. Iron armor, either plate or scale is more common (though not ubiquitous) in Seshnela than anywhere else in Glorantha because of the ancient iron trade with the dwarves of the Iron Mountains in Old Seshnela. The dwarves of Belksan freely trade iron with those who have maintained the traditions established ages ago159 at the now ruined city of Laurmal. Even so, iron is still the metal of the very wealthy and of elite fighters and champions. As Seshnela is perhaps the source of half of the world’s iron, the iron trade is a major contributor of the kingdom’s wealth, taxes on shipments of iron filling the royal and noble treasuries. This affluence supports the

Terrain and Mobility Seshnela is divided into two parts: in the Third Age: the modern Kingdom of Seshnela, centered upon the lush Lower Tanier River, a region of rich and fertile plains of farmland and open grasslands; Old Seshnela to the west is now a wild and ruined land, with many expanses of Aldryami forests of oak, pine, and cedar, and shattered islands to the south inhabited by elves and strange and savage Beast Men. The geography of Old Seshnela was very different in the First and Second Ages, being a wide and rich peninsula, almost divided in two by forests, with large lakes in the center feeding rivers that flowed to the sea. This beautiful and bounteous land was shattered by the magics of the Luatha who turned the western portions of the realm into an archipelago. The plains, river valleys, and rolling hills of modern Seshnela are ideal for the maneuvering of armies, and especially masses of cavalry. Numerous castles are scattered across the land, some ancient, inhabited by proud lords and knights. The broad Tanier River is the major conduit for trade and transport. Many of the magical roads160 in the West are

159

Some texts indicate that during the reign of King Nralar, the dwarves sought to seal themselves away and end the trade. In retaliation, the Seshnegi, led by Salvid the Magus, engaged in the Tunnel Wars, entering the dwarven warrens and forcing them to maintain the commerce. The dwarven defense was weakened because of their ancient obligations required by the pact they had made before the Dawn. Later, Belksan fell to the dwarven Individualist heresy, and the Middle Sea Empire aided the dwarves of Nida in 852 ST in suppressing the heretics, strengthening the association between the Serpent Crown of Seshnela and the Nidan Decamony. 160 Magical roads criss-cross Glorantha, conduits of energy used by heroquesters, and others using magical rituals, to quickly travel to specific holy places along paths that skip in and out of the mundane plane, covering the distance in far less time than ordinary travel. Deities and spirits, or their avatars, are present, summoned by the magic of travelling on the roads; travel along these is dangerous, there can be enemies along the path.

48

SESHNELA broken, thanks to the Sundering of Seshnela. The land is named for the Land Goddess Seshna161 Likita162, now known as known as the Island Mother and Seshna of the Islands. She is the mother of the gods of the Kanthor and Jorestl forests, and the lakes and the rivers; her daughter Ifttala was the mother of the Pendali Lion People.

Arolanit, where the inhabitants apparently succeeded in keeping to their caste laws, were the horali roughly equal to those of Brithos. Instead, the forces fielded by the Seshnelan colonies consisted of horali (and often the soldiers could not trace their lineage to that caste) rarely superior to the Brithini cadets, often much inferior, officered by talari (similarly with tenuous claims to lead), also seldom with the age and experience of their Brithini counterparts. Unable to maintain their adherence to the caste laws, even the magics of the zzaburi, who had striven the most to keep to the Laws, refusing to worship pagan165 gods, were diminished, for much knowledge had been lost. The few fragmentary early records of the time, of the earliest generation after the Dawn, refer to infantry warbands divided into swordsmen, pikemen, and light infantry. They were fortunate if equipped with cuir boilli lamellar corselets, some with trefoil bronze disk pectorals or breastplates, a fringe of leather pteruges over an ornate loincloth, tall conical helmets with hinged cheek pieces; they went barefoot, and were armed with bronze swords and spears. The colonies were initially too impoverished to provide their soldiers with full bronze or iron armor. Their round shields were also covered in leather, with the lucky carrying shields with bronze bosses. The swordsmen carried a long straight sword, and the pikemen had spears at least two to three meters in length, with a simple metal head. The lighter equipped soldiers lacked any body armor, having a short thrusting sword, and a helm and light buckler for protection. The pikemen probably fought in a phalanx formation, screened by the skirmishers, with the swordsmen placed on the flanks. The few talari cavalry were already armed with a long spear used for thrusting or throwing, for given the low numbers of soldiers, the old ordinances were at

Religion In the last two centuries, Third Age Seshnela has become the center of the reactionary Rokari163 sect of Malkionism, with a few scattered adherents of the older Hrestoli traditions. The aristocracy may still practice ancestor worship, and the Soldiers venerate various Martial Beasts, worshipping what are old Hsunchen totemic gods. Among the Workers, many minor cults are tolerated164. These cults mostly provide only spirit magic to their initiates. The rural populations often hold to old pagan practices.

Calendar The Rokari calendar starts from the revelation of the Abiding Book in Jrustela in 646 ST as does that used in the Castle Coast. The Brithini calendar still used in Arolanit begins from the Second Action, which they date to 14,825 years before the Dawn.

The History of Seshnela The First Age The Armies of Seshnela at the Dawn By the Dawn the attrition of constant war with the Hsunchen of the interior and other threats meant that few if any of the heroic gwymir remained. Only in 161

Very little is now known of the ancient cult of Seshna, save that she is depicted as a large snake with a human face or as a gigantic stone woman. In the Third Age she is portrayed as a beautiful brown-skinned woman with the body of a great serpent beneath her torso, garlanded with flowers, wearing a high golden crown and carrying sheaves of oats. Her cult became rich and powerful. Many of the daughters of the kings of the Serpent Kings dynasty became her high priestesses. A Sacred Road led to her temple abode, which lay amidst the woods fringing the forest of Jorestl. The outer temple consisted of thirty-six unroofed columns surrounding the arched entrance to a complex of underground chambers and caverns. The forests of Kanthor and Jorestl are still inhabited by her creatures and spirits. The hillside was littered with scattered stones, some carved or covered with an unknown script, relics of a forgotten God Time culture, perhaps an offshoot of the Kachasti or the Pendali. One obscure text relates that the land was ruled by a semi-divine dynasty who practiced incest but it is unknown if they built the ruins. Seshna has rarely, since Froalar’s courtship, made any appearance outside her temple, being content to receive the sacrifices of her children’s people, even after they altered it into sorcerous rather than theistic worship. Her worship is not openly acceptable to the Rokari in the Third Age because it provides energy to an impure entity but continues in rural areas, especially near the borders of Old Seshnela. 162 In one of the languages of the elves, Likita means ‘Earth Power’ and the term was adopted by the Westerners to denote the embodied spirits of the Earth. It is used to refer to the Srvuali who are but the progeny and portions of a greater Elemental deity, in this case, specialized pieces of Gata, the Goddess of Earth, capable of particular independent actions. The lesser Likitae are the focus of esoteric snakewoman Earth cults, and the least are the guardians of the shrines, having a spectral or stony sinuous body and large unblinking eyes. 163 Rokari means a follower of the philosophical tradition begun by the prophet Rokar. They will not primarily identify themselves as Rokari., but more likely to describe themselves as a man or woman of Seshneg. 164 A masons guild might worship Master Stone Man, for example. Rokarism mostly ignores these minor cults so long as they do not threaten the order and stability of the caste system. 165 The Western usage referring to cultures that do not acknowledge Malkion, especially older traditions observed in the countryside.

49

MEN OF THE WEST best impractical. If this spear was broken, the horseman was forced to withdraw to retire to where their dronari servants waited with replacements. None had swords or maces that could be used effectively from horseback. Where the dronari redsmiths were able to obtain bronze, the arms and armor they made was inferior to that manufactured by their ancestors. Techniques and skills had been forgotten; when scale armor was made166, the scales were wired to their horizontal neighbors, and then sewn to a backing, meaning that a blade could slip under the scales. Only when Hrestol received his insights did the armies adapt to better fight their many enemies. If the population of Frowal numbered 1,500 people at the Dawn, then perhaps after Hrestol’s revelations there were initially no more than a dozen to a score of the

mounted Men-of-All fighting against equally small groups of Pendali. As time went on, the Seshnegi population increased far faster than that of the Pendali (which still increased faster than the other scattered Hsunchen bands) because of their agricultural skills. As the cleared fields grew outside the cities so did the population within the walls. By 25-27 ST the nature of the army changed, becoming dominated by cavalry capable of defeating the Lion Men in open battle, until these foes had been vanquished, and the reformed infantry demonstrated their worth. The oldest War Societies claim to trace their origins to this era167.

The Serpent Kings At the Dawn the Seshnegi were beset by hostile Hsunchen and rapidly deviated even more from the ancestral Brithini culture. Two things drove this change, both caused by Prince Hrestol, the son of Talar Froalar. Hrestol was born in the Darkness, and his spiritual doubts of the Laws were natural in that time of constant fear and peril, but being encapsulated by his father’s power, protected by wizards, surrounded by protective horali, he knew no other Truth. Records and chronicles speak of wars against Pendali ‘kings’ though in truth these were often the war chiefs of clans numbering only a few hundred. The colonists could not settle land far from their walled cities and outposts; the Lion Men could not breach the walls. The colonists also suffered a great sense of loss: the old certainties had gone, the world had changed, and their Prophet was dead, murdered by those who had objected to his new teachings, they could no longer adequately obey their caste laws, they aged, grew old and feeble, and they died. Whilst the Brithini had dominated and exploited the Land Goddess of Brithos, Britha, the colonists inhabited the land of Seshna Likita, the daughter of Gata and Genert, a serpent-goddess, and

166

The manufacture of bronze scale armor is relatively simple; the metal is cast in a flat mold to form a thin sheet and then hammered to a suitable thickness, when it is then cut with shears or a sharp tool to make the scales. If the scales have a central ridge this is created by hammering each individual scale against a shaped stone or hard wood former. The holes used to secure the scales are either drilled or made using a punch. The size of the scales depends upon where they are to be placed, with smaller scales covering places where flexibility is required, such as the elbows and shoulders, and larger on the chest, stomach and back. Holes are then made, and the scales can be attached to the backing. 167 It is possible that despite their claims, many were formed during the era of the Middle Sea Empire, and later created histories for themselves.

50

SESHNELA her children; her daughter Ifttala was the mother of the Pendali Lion People and so they were high in Seshna’s favor. Seshna was also the mother of Kanthor and Jorestl, the forest gods of Old Seshnela. Hrestol and his father personally knew nonhuman beings; the Aldryami were regular visitors to the fortress of Frowal, with very old cooperation between them and the nearby city-states. The elves knew of Seshna, and her earthly court, and the location of her sacred caverns. Hrestol broke the stalemate, though as a talar lord he should not fight himself; he prayed to Malkion and received the revelation that in the changed world, the rules to live by had also changed. He and his companions cast off the restraints of caste and they taught each other their secrets, disobeying the taboos of caste. Then Hrestol went into the heart of the land and crippled or killed the ophidian Earth Goddess of the Pendali in her subterranean lair. In one source this greatly offended the Land Goddess and the prince was banished to appease her wrath. Another says that Hrestol removed himself from the line of succession willingly, establishing the original knighthood168, and expanded his father’s lands through military prowess. He later traveled to the Malkioni colonies in Akem, then Brithos itself, a passenger on a Waertagi dragonship, and later back to Akem. His father, Froalar embraced these new ways and he too went upon a sacred quest, courting and marrying the goddess of the land. Froalar fathered a race of sacred kings bearing serpentine tails instead of legs known as the Serpent King Dynasty. With the aid of the goddess, the Serpent Kings defeated the Pendali, who fled eastwards into Tanisor. The worship, sometimes barbaric with blood sacrifices, of a pagan serpentine goddess and the breaking of caste boundaries were major deviations to the ways of the Brithini. For the Brithini, Froalar was the Great Heretic, who fell the furthest from the ideals of Malkion the Lawgiver, as he permitted and promoted pagan practices, just as his son Hrestol permitted a classless society and promoted the heresy 168

of Solace. So entwined in pagan Earth magic was he that Froalar turned into a great serpent instead of dying, and his dynasty were judged to be abominations by the Brithini, and by later dynasties. The Serpent Kings worshipped Seshna and her cult became rich and powerful. Meanwhile, the wizards regained contact with the zzaburi of Brithos and sought a return to the Law. The Men-of-All continued on the path of Hrestol and his teachings became increasingly popular. The first centuries in Seshnela brought forth a bizarre mixture of polytheism, henotheism, and even monotheism, all co-existing, but with increasing tensions and instability. Priestly cults revered the pagan gods, often Elemental in nature, who had aided the survival of the people in the Darkness. In Seshnela, the Serpent Kings proved a vigorous dynasty, though they had snake tails for legs, and many vanished into the earth or after death were transformed in their tombs. Seshna had promised safety and sovereignty within the boundaries of her land, and from that security the people expanded. Froalar had eaten a golden apple given to him by his divine wife, and when interred in his tomb came to life as a great serpent with the king’s head, and his tomb mound became a temple, where people could seek guidance from the wise old king. Legend says he waited in the ruins of his temple-tomb, now deep under the earth in the bosom of his goddess-wife, until slain an Age later by Herjan the Raider169, sometime after the Closing. It is said that as the protector of the land, his demise enabled the demigod Luatha to devastate Old Seshnela in 1049 ST. Many of his line of kings are said to still wait in their buried mausoleums, providing oracles to those who leave them offerings. In parallel with the worship of the Land Goddess, Hrestol’s New Malkionism170 spread throughout Seshnela. For some of the followers of Hrestol, the adoration of snake goddesses and sacred serpentine kings was anathema, when they believed that Man should be the measure of all things, not a chthonic

An anachronistic term at this time.

169

Later known as Herjan the Cursed Knight. According to one text, Herjan was of the lower talari nobility, described as a ‘knight’, who desired the recovery of Seshnela’s greatness, and wanted to make a name for himself by slaying the ‘dragon’ who lived in the center of the land, to whom the rural pagans offered an annual sacrifice. One account says he slew the monster when it was ravaging the land, another that he entered the temple-tomb, finding the offerings there, including a chained maiden he freed, and he then slew the ‘dragon’. Entering the chamber where its hoard of annual tribute was stored, he encountered Seshna, who cursed him. Herjan fled the tomb, joining the army of the king, fighting against the Luatha when they came ashore, hoping to atone for his deed by dying in battle, but survived, even as many of his comrades were transformed before his eyes into beasts. He survived the ruin of Old Seshnela and now wanders the world pleading for peace and redemption. Other tales suggest that the Serpent King was resurrected again by his divine wife, and still serves as an oracle, waiting patiently deep underground for petitioners who no longer come. 170 The subsequent history of Malkionism weaves between the two pillars of Zzaburism and Hrestolism. Zzaburism hold that logic (and strict adherence to divine Law) allows the perception of the Intellect that created the world and perceiving that divine Intellect is Solace sufficient for existence. Hrestolism holds that with enough effort it is possible to go further and reunite with the One (which precedes Intellect and Law). Sometimes Zzaburism is dominant (such as among the Rokari), sometimes Hrestolism (such as amongst the Idealists of Loskalm). The Abiding Book might bridge that divide, but the True Abiding Book is lost, and now Jrustela lies under the sea, sunk by the hubris of the God Learners. A third pillar is henotheism in which the worship of Malkion is merged with the veneration of pagan gods.

51

MEN OF THE WEST ophidian goddess and her scaled descendants. In Frowal, for now, the Hrestoli171 sect co-existed with divine sacrifice to Seshna and Worlath; in nearby Vensket, the Hrestoli cult eschewed such worship. In the reign of King Thamor, Damol172, the wild demigod son of the Storm God Aerlit173 was tamed. He conquered one of the Pendali kingdoms in 36 ST for the king, being named as Lord of the West and was awarded their lands as his fief. The tensions remained between the Serpent Kings, the Hrestoli, and the other Malkioni. Sacred Lord Bertalor oversaw the First Ecclesiastical Council of Malkionism held in Frowal in the year 88 ST to assert the preeminence of the worship of Malkion. Damol and his sons, staunch pagan conservatives, and other nobles, rebelled and the kingdom was plunged into civil war. All of these developments had consequences for the military strength of the nascent kingdom. Whilst the castes were retained, they remained hereditary, but now talari were no longer restricted to ruling but could also aspire to be horsemen and fight from horseback. Just as the Lion Men had been weakened by the wounding of their goddess, the Pendali had no means to counter massed armored cavalry. The Serpent Kings built roads and temples throughout Old Seshnela. Ultimately, the Menof-All and the Malkioni wizards put an end to the religious instability with the foundation of the True Hrestoli Way and the abrupt disappearance of

the Serpent Kings dynasty and the waning of the cult of Seshna.

Hrestolism In the year 2 ST Prince Hrestol, son of Froalar, revealed the New Malkioni religion in which it was possible to have spiritual unity with the Invisible God and work, fight, and rule. This new Malkionism had all the attributes of a religion as distinguished from the Brithini Way, with the transcendent experience of the ecstatic Joy of union with the One through henosis174. This Joy permitted the prince to reject the limitations of caste demanded by Zzabur. Hrestol had received a vision from Malkion the Founder and established a new method of prayer for anyone to reach the Invisible God175. In his lifetime, he traversed the four castes, taking up the Four Tools176 in turn, becoming the One Man,

171

The term Hrestolism describes a type of worship. The understanding and practices of Hrestol’s teachings have changed over time, and there are now several varieties of the religion. 172 Damol was the son of Aerlit and a mortal maiden, a daughter of the lord of Neleoswal, according to one story. He inherited his mother’s mortality and was raised by the Aldryami of Kanthor’s forest before being revealed and finding his place among the Seshnegi. This is curiously similar to the later account of Arkat’s upbringing in the Aldryami forest of Brithos. Damol became known as Great Damol, and he sired a vigorous dynasty. 173 Some sources name Aerlit as a follower of Vadrus; it seems likely that Seshnegi Aerlit is the same god as the Ralian Erulat, who may be identified as Orlanth. Phonetically, Aerlit, Erulat, and Orlanth display an obvious similarity. Another Old Seshnegi name for Orlanth was apparently Coalot, though this is more likely to be Kolat, the eldest son of Umath who commands the kolati, the wind spirits, and who serves Orlanth. 174 Union and unity with the Invisible God through self-mastery. Several techniques of henosis are practiced by different Malkioni sects. For the Hrestoli the paths involve clearing the Mind, overcoming the Self, and ascending to achieve Unity with the One who existed before Being. This ascension is opposed by many - Erasanchula, zzaburi wizards, and other forces, but once it is achieved, the state of Joy has been reached. 175 His insight can be reduced to God is a Personal God. 176

The Scepter of the Ruler, the Staff of the Wizard, the Sword of the Warrior, and finally the Spade of the Worker (a symbolic tool as the Workers fulfil a variety of tasks, each with their own specialist tools).

52

SESHNELA integrating the formerly conflicting ways of life. He began as a talar, fought the Pendali as though of the horali caste, and after his banishment followed the Renunciate’s Way when he was a hermit in Akem, and survived a visit to Brithos where his Renunciation was sufficient for a time until he was recognized and had to flee177. Driven astray by storms he found safety on the Vadeli Isles. There he was accepted by the Vadeli as a great arbitrator and judge and lived in their temple as though a zzaburi lawspeaker178. Then he sailed to Akem and lived among the commoners of Fronela179. Out of duty to the commoners and his own virtues, Hrestol picked up the last of the Four Tools, as though of the dronari, and became the One Man, integrating the formerly conflicting ways of life. He made it possible to generate new zzaburi from people who according to the Brithini were impure, and made it possible for the settlements to grow and expand, particularly cities like Nenanduft, Isefwal, and Sish in the north. This in turn influenced some of the native Enjoreli, some of whom adopted the trappings of Hrestolism while still worshipping the Bull God and their traditional spirits, when many others relied on powerful shamans who called upon dangerous and often foreign spirits to fight the ever-expanding Malkioni. Hrestol united the many Fronelan colonies under Akem and led them to victory and security. But despite the responsibilities he owed his wife, family, following and kingdom, he gave them all up and again became a Renunciate. One day, meditating alone in a field, he was captured (without resistance) by Brithini horali, tried and condemned by the zzaburi, and murdered after torture, crucified upon a sorcerous Death Rune t180. Upon the death of his body, Hrestol’s essence reunited with the One and transcended the world. His followers now venerate him as an Ascended Soul. Following the death of Hrestol in 33 ST, his companions, followers, and witnesses all wrote accounts of his life, deeds, sayings and death. The various Hrestoli communities each had their own collection of documents, including letters, memoirs, mystical writings181, and collections of teachings. These assorted collections were all commonly called The Book

of Hrestol. Each of the collections included a group of texts called The Teachings which contain lessons from Hrestol, consisting of individual passages, dialogues, and stories intermixed with secret rites, incantations, and esoteric knowledge. Ritual, cosmic realities and the human person are all focuses of enquiry. The variations in these texts would later result in a splintering of Hrestolism into a variety of philosophies, beliefs and sects. In Seshnela, many Hrestoli communities still combined veneration of the Invisible God with sacrifices to the Pendali gods. The resonance of God as Man created a new approach to sorcery, or applied magic, from this time. Hrestol’s revelations enabled the Malkioni colonies of Genertela who had fallen from the Brithini Way of Law to abandon the restrictive Brithini caste system utterly and still perform sorcery even if they were not members of the zzaburi caste (they were not the fourth male born to parents who followed the Law) which gave them an advantage over their less sophisticated neighboring peoples though their spells, developed from the fundamentals of sorcery were less potent. Hrestol’s approach to magic was not intrinsically incompatible with worship of the lesser gods (Worlath, Seshna, the Martial Beasts, and others), although participating in certain cult rituals interfered with achieving Joy. Early Hrestolism was very diverse and between the First Ecclesiastical Council in 88 ST and the Second Ecclesiastical Council of 228 ST, numerous different strains of Hrestolism flourished. By 200 ST many of these were deemed heresies. The Orgethites (who specialized in Elemental Air magic), for example, were suppressed in Seshnela as heretical, and fled to the safety offered by the Dangan Confederacy in Ralios. His mother, Queen Xemela, was also worshipped as an Ascended Soul throughout Seshnela and Akem, as she had given her life in the Great Darkness to save her people. Her followers were schooled the arts of healing, swearing to never hurt another being through action or inaction, and to heal whatever the personal cost. Her Grey Sister healers accompanied the Seshnegi armies, fulfilling the roles performed by the menena healers who still accompanied the armies of the Brithini horali. Numerous other Schools182 with various aims and

177

According to the texts, Hrestol performed a miracle in a contest with the zzaburi, and thereby obtained the New Crew, Brithini converts whose efforts to follow Hrestol's path resulted in many ‘don't do’ stories, usually humorous at the expense of the New Crew who, nonetheless, kept on trying. 178 Hrestol’s second miracle was for the Vadeli when his Vadeli sponsor, his ‘good uncle’, tried to kill Hrestol and his party for a ceremony and cannibalistic feast, but the miraculous appearance of the Seven Steps to Freedom armed Hrestol and the others, and after a slaughter, he, his original party, and the Boatmen converted their little island into a ship and sailed away. The ‘boat’ became the small peninsula in Fronela called Newboat. 179 The Boatmen and New Crew arrived in Loskalm with Hrestol, and were joined by a third group, called the Awaiters, who knew of him already and had prepared for his arrival. These three groups provide the methods of worship: the first Witnesses of the New Crew and Boatmen, who are actively working on themselves as Vessels of Joy; the Awaiters, who are devoted entirely to Hrestol's Path; the Men-of-All, who are such Vessels. 180 The Hrestoli claim that he ascended bodily into the Solace of Glory, meaning that he left no material relics. 181

The various Hrestoli sects have their own mystical literature including descriptions of the journey to the Garden of Revelation or the ascent of the Mountain of Pure Light. 182 A Malkioni school relates to a philosophy, but not always a formal institution unless established into a formal sect hierarchy such as the Rokari of

53

MEN OF THE WEST teachings were founded. The religions of the God Learners, the Castle Coast, and Loskalm are all classified as Hrestoli even though they disagree on almost everything except that Hrestol's Revelations were important and good. In the Third Age, Hrestol is usually depicted as a blond man, his hands clasped together. His arms consisted of a shield divided into quarters which were alternately white and blue183, with four gold crowns (one within each quarter).

depicted as mounted fighters. Most people subscribing to Hrestol’s teachings belonged to the outer ring of less committed or less self-sacrificing faithful. They were not restricted to solely practice Hrestolism. Those who had achieved the level of Man-of-All by experiencing Joy were addressed by other Hrestoli Malkioni as Teacher or Master; the title eventually became formalized as Sir. To signify their status, at this time, they wore their facial hair in a distinctive style, having beards but with their top lip shaved185. In the early First Age, the Men-of-All were the allaround leaders, using their best skills to use in whatever role was required; they did not hold permanent positions but moved frequently around Seshnela; they did not discriminate between those descended from the exiles of Brithos and other peoples. They fought, taught, and brought a new culture, wrought for the good of all186.

The Early Hrestoli Orders Early Hrestoli Communities of Hrestol’s followers were drawn from people of all castes who studied and practiced Hrestol’s revelations which gave them access to invigorating spiritual paths184 that opened up new possibilities for those capable of following it. Most were students, but those who had achieved Joy could dedicate themselves to demonstrating the way of Hrestol, by teaching and by their deeds. These adepts or Men-of-All were not ascetic recluses – they farmed, wed, fought, blessed, cursed, and served as Judges. These communities were organized as though military brotherhoods or Orders. Each Hrestoli Order had a priestly leader called a Watcher who served as their spiritual and administrative leader, and to whom the Men-of-All owed obedience. The Men-of-All were the elite inner core of the Hrestoli movement, the warrior-priestjudge-rulers who came in Hrestol’s wake; they were not initially primarily warriors, though popularly

Seshnelan Armies of the First Two Centuries The increasing wealth of the kingdom made bronze 187 and even iron188 available for arms and armor. Gradually, many ancient skills were recovered or reinvented. Scale armor was improved, with the scales wired in rows but also to the one above and below, making it far less likely that a spearhead or sword could penetrate. From a relatively early date, after the surviving stock of horses had grown, or been supplemented by local wild dariti horses, the horsemen of Seshnela, whether talari or Men-of-All, fought as cavalry. They were not yet cataphracti; the rider was armored, with helmet and cuirass, and vambraces and greaves if they were lucky, and horse armor, if any, was usually made of leather, with the head, neck and chest protected, if at all. By the reign of the Sacred Lord Mimtak (134-142 ST) the Seshnegi drove out the last of the Pendali kings. The dynasty ended in 142 ST as he was the last

Seshnela, the New Hrestoli of Loskalm, or the Ekozite school of Sog City that dates back from before the Dawn. The only people who belong to a school are the wizards who provide guidance in how to live to their Apprentices or Noviates, Adepts, Assistants, supporters and retainers. 183 Blue is of course the color of the zzaburi caste; it is unknown if Hrestol ever bore this device. The crowns denote his Mastery of each caste. 184

The variant paths to Joy all follow the same general path of Preparation, Revelation, Return, Teaching, and ultimately, Dissolution.

185

This begs the question of how female Men-of-All, if they existed at this time, were distinguished.

186

A prayer of the Hrestoli: Exult, high and low, Mean and rich, In Joy we are One, We are the Same, We are the Same. Some commenters have noted that is similar to the Third Age Lunar dogma We are all Us. 187 Bronze is a ubiquitous metal in Dragon Pass, Kethaela, southern Peloria, Ralios, Fronela, and Maniria, a legacy of the wars of the Storm Gods against their foes and against each other. Elsewhere it is not as common. 188 The iron trade with the dwarves became a major source of revenue as the Seshnegi became the middlemen, selling on iron and iron items to the rest of the world. Gloranthan iron weighs much the same as bronze and so arms and armor made of either metal is equally practical to use.

54

SESHNELA born with serpent legs. Peace reigned in Seshnela, and the Aldrya Tree189 in the Jorestl Forest bloomed, though the repudiation of the Serpent cult came to a head when Queen Anilla, a powerful priestess of Seshna, claimed the right to rule as the regent priestesses of old had ruled. She sacrificed both her first and second husbands to the goddess, and, when this was discovered, sought refuge in her goddess’ temple, but was slain by Men-of-All horsemen and wizards. Afterwards the worship of Seshna was constrained to repress its more savage aspects. A brief period of turmoil was followed by expansion beyond the set borders of Seshnela, and war with the Brithini and Enerali (one of the tribes of horse riders) in Arolanit. There was also conflict with the Waertagi as they restricted the flourishing sea trade.

transliterated in later times as ‘knight’, though those recruits who had not yet known Joy were known as Youths or Servants190). They were required on admission to full membership to surrender all their property to the Hrestoli community. Men-of-All were not allowed to spit, deceive, interrupt, offer sacrifice to Erasanchula191, dress badly, guffaw foolishly, or gesture with the left hand; they also swore to protect the innocent, the weak, and the poor, to show courage, to be gallant, obedient, to swear off cowardice and baseness, and to be a just champion of good against evil. They attempted to combine the best of attributes with a proud and tolerant moral code. Over the years the strength and aims of this knighthood changed, but the institution still remains. Each Man-of-All was provided with weapons and mounts by their community, and was expected to perform manual labor for the benefit of the community, study magical grimoires, and act as Judges and leaders for the outside community. In Akem, the Men-of-All served as the Guardians and Judges for the

The Hrestol Horsemen Hrestol had established the New Malkioni religion which became the spiritual support of the Hrestol horsemen. Because they fought from horseback, the Men-of-All were often called “horseriders” (which is sometimes

189

In the First Age the forest contained a Great Tree and no one was permitted to enter the elven forest. The elves were very friendly to the Seshnegi until the ruin of Old Seshnela by the Luatha. 190 These or similar terms are now used to refer to the cadets of the talari knights and the War Societies. 191

The True Beings or Forms created by the Demiurge. Among them are Zzabur and the Runes. Many were subsequently corrupted or became deities.

55

MEN OF THE WEST Fronelan colonies. In Seshnela, Froalar had founded several Hrestoli communities and with their aid had expanded his kingdom. However, the Hrestoli cult was not the preeminent religious sect in either Akem or Seshnela until 200 ST when the True Hrestoli Movement dominated religious belief. At this time, the Men-of-All horsemen dominated the cavalry of the Seshnelan army, supported by the infantry of the early War Societies. Even then, not all had the ability or inclination to become Men-of-All; many talari did not desire to lose their lands and station, but the relaxation of the caste restrictions meant that if they desired, they could fight as cavalry, having the wealth to support their own horses and equipment.

be resurrected by his heirs with a Second Dari Alliance in 350 ST194. In the north, the empire fought and defeated the Tawari barbarians, a powerful Enjoreli tribe. This ended the precarious position of the coastal colonies in Fronela, and set the stage for their future expansion. This Silver Empire dominated the regions around the Neliomi Sea, the coastal trade routes into Fronela and Tanisor, and the shores of Slontos195. The empire was short-lived, however, collapsing in 286 ST. Even so, its brief apogee was marked by a solidification of the Malkioni, with the True Hrestoli Way seizing control of the religion, outlawing Tapping, and all the other corrupting pagan ways of the Serpent Kings (which nevertheless survived among the rural dronari). Even so, Malkionism displays a continuing succession of different schools and sects196. Later commentators claimed that the last members of the royal house squandered their riches and wasted their minds and bodies in useless and jaded luxury under the influence of Hykimi priests from Ralios or Maniria. Gradually the practices of the pagan Serpent Kings were expunged and their ways erased from the Malkioni. Their rites had been necessary for the survival and success of the early kingdom of Seshnela, but were no longer needed. The number who remembered the Serpent Kings waiting in their templetombs diminished, and their rites were kept only by the rural peasantry. Even so, other pagan gods were worshipped and the War Societies venerated their Martial Beasts, barely disguised Hsunchen animal deities. The armies of this period were no longer similar to those of the Serpent Kings; several War Societies now rode on horses, albeit the smaller ponies197, and the state of knighthood was starting to evolve among the nobility, heavily influenced by the teachings of Hrestol. Their ships were small and fragile, compared with those of the Waertagi, reliant upon sail and oars, hugging close to the shore and avoiding open waters.

The Silver Empire Following the turmoil after the last Serpent Kings, under the rule of King Lofting the First, the realm of Seshnela expanded, becoming what is now known as first the Kingdom of Silver and then the Silver Empire. These kings and then emperors, enlarged their realm, fighting the so-called Hsunchen of the Dangan Confederacy in southern Ralios, taking land from the Fornaoli and some from the Utoni, west and south of Lake Felster, and expanding their realm northwards by sea to rule portions of the Fronelan coastline. Circa 200 ST, the Silver Empire conquered much of the lands belonging to the Fornaoli, one of the four tribes of the Enerali (called Rindland in the Third Age). The Seshnelan lords given those lands were all Hrestoli Malkioni. Although the majority of the Fornaoli continued their traditional practices, some adopted the religion of their new overlords. Over the next generations, the Silver Empire took more and more territory belonging to the Horse Tribes and even ravaged and occupied Arolanit in 253 ST. In 265 ST, the Hero Dari192 unified all the lowland Enerali into the Dari Alliance. Seshnegi sorcery destroyed Hrelar Amali193 the sacred temple-city of the Enerali City of the Gods around the same time; in retaliation, the Hero conquered Tanisor and led his armies deep into Seshnela. The Seshnelans assassinated Dari in 307 ST, and the Dari Alliance fell apart, only to

The First Cataphracti The first proto-cataphracti, with both the horseman and sometimes the horse partially armored in leather or

192

Some records name an early king called Dan. This may be a scribal transcription error, or a confusion with Dangkal, the founder of Danket. There are obscure myths that say that Dan was an ancient king, reborn as Dari. 193 Characteristically, Seshnelan annals refer to this as the result of evil ‘Vadeli’ magic. 194

The Second Dari Alliance became aligned with Nysalor’s Bright Empire and was subsequently destroyed by Arkat’s crusaders.

195

In the early First Age there were very few humans in inland Slontos save scattered Hsunchen, but many nonhumans.

196

Historically, there have been many different branches of Malkionism, many judged to be heretical or monstrous. The more extreme have claimed that the Prima Materia of the Creation was one of the Essential Forms which pre-existed existence, with the most monstrous declaring that the Chaos Rune is the Prima Materia. Other schools have held that each wizard is in truth a demiurge, a Little Creator, reshaping the world according to his Will. The Brithini hold that Malkion's descent into the mire of the Fifth Action needed to be resisted and stopped, lest the world itself dissipate into the Void; a view widely held as heretical by non-Brithini. 197 The Seshnegi ponies were a Galana sub-breed identified as the Dariti in an incomplete text, found running wild in Seshnela and perhaps Fronela.

56

SESHNELA bronze dates to sometime late in the history of the Silver Empire. The heyday of the Western cataphracti was still in the future of the Second Age with the Middle Sea Empire and their Fronelan chargers. Some horsemen wore a bronze breastplate, a skirt of scale armor, and arms covered in bronze plates or scale. Their weapons were the lance, the mace, and the sword, the latter two no longer restricted by caste laws. The heavy scepter was now a close-quarters weapon able to crush helmets, and horse’s skulls. The mace would have a wooden haft held together by metal hoops, sometimes gilded, and a heavy stone or metal head. The panoply of man and mount was very expensive, and very varied, with any standardization only likely to be present in the retinues of the highest ranked talari, where that status was maintained, and perhaps the Men-of-All. At this time, their horses, not much larger than ponies, were not always armored, but as the kingdom became more wealthy it became common for the mount to also be

protected with leather, cuir boilli or later bronze scale caparisons. Usually undisciplined, the individual noble warriors were fierce and relatively well trained. The reformed army now had a powerful striking force. Horsemen were now instructed from a young age, first as servants to a noble horseman or a Man-of-All, and then as attendants (who could fight at need) before becoming horsemen themselves. There was a growth in aristocratic ancestor worship among the nobility in which illustrious ancestors were worshipped, and were a source of magic198. These ancestor cults often had a zzaburi who performs the rites, but needed to have the nobles of blood descent present and involved. Many nobles strove to become Men-of-All for the additional status and prestige this rank provided. A civil war within Seshnela demonstrated the weakness of armies overly reliant upon horsemen and gradually the cavalry armies were supplemented by growing numbers of infantry. The mounted bands of the Men-of-All were elite shock troops that hammered their enemies in conjunction with horali archers. The horali had become warrior societies, most claiming descent from a Martial Beast. Many still exist, with the best known are the Lion, Mammoth, Wolf, Snake, Horse, Deer, and Bull. The Seshnegi armies of this time consisted of the mounted and disciplined Hrestoli Men-of-All, and the early horali War Societies, at this time still all on foot and led by mounted and armed talari, and a levy of dronari rarely called upon to fight but employed to labor performing tasks such as portage, foraging, and digging ditches and raising ramparts.

The Coming of Arkat In the year 375 ST the Sun ominously stopped in the 198

Talari worship of ancestors is still tolerated in the Third Age by the Rokari sects.

57

MEN OF THE WEST Sky199. So dire was this omen that the ruling Talar of Brithos decreed that more horali should be bred, and so the first soldier children since the Dawn were born200. So great was the perceived peril that nearly a thousand births were authorized. Far to the east, in Dorastor, a new god was born201 and his cult and Bright Empire grew peacefully and benevolently; it spread into Peloria, and westward across Kartolin Pass into Ralios where the bright radiance of Nysalor’s Light202 eventually dimmed to shadow. In the west, Nysalor’s proselytizers encountered the monotheists and humanists of the Seshnegi and Brithini cultures, and the new cult was not initially well-received. Nysalor’s priests, called the Riddlers203, turned to the dark side of their faith and secretly initiated a terrible plague, calling upon the disease mistress Mallia. When the plague broke out in Tanisor and spread into Seshnela and Arolanit, only the Riddlers of Nysalor could heal the plague, and so treacherously gained the gratitude and confidence of the people. The Arolanit zzaburi discovered that the cult had planted the diseases in the first place and begged for aid from Brithos. Such treachery earned Nysalor the new name of Gbaji the Deceiver204. Nine months after the god Nysalor was created by misguided mortals, Arkat205 was born206 in Brithos and reared as one of the horali cadets. As one of the new cadets, not yet a gwymir, Arkat marched in the Fourth Brithos Army of Law expedition attempting to liberate the loyal colony of Arolanit from

the foreign cult. Once freed of the fell influence, the Arolanit citystates volunteered forces to follow the Army of Law against the cult’s centers of power in the kingdom of Tanisor. At this time, that land was ruled by Grachamagacan the Iron Vampire, and an attack by vampires slew many of the leaders of the expedition; undaunted, the army marched up the Lower Tanier River valley confident that the four hundred gwymir and a thousand cadets could easily defeat the barbarian army of Tanisor, estimated to number only 15,000 infantry and 4,000 cavalry. At the first battle with a skirmishing force, the Brithini horali suffered no casualties, massacring their opponents. When the enemy attacked en masse several weeks later, the horali confidently formed a square and easily withstood a cavalry attack and counterattacked, resisting a charge by heavy cavalry. The battle continued for three days, with the horali taking few losses, but with supplies of food and water running low. When dronari guarded by gwymir were sent to the nearby river to fill buckets the Tanisori attacked – with cavalry which were easily repelled, and then with powerful magic and monsters. The Army of Law was forced to withdraw, with as many of its dead recovered for resurrection as possible. It was obvious to the leading Talar Malaskan Phillippe that the army needed allies, even if drawn from the mortal heretics. Envoys were sent to the Seshnegi, with gwymir and cadets accompanying the talari emissaries, Arkat among them. The evil cult also afflicted the

199

One story known to some Orlanthi is that upon the creation of Gbaji, the Broken Council rejoiced. However, the Good Gods, those the Broken Council had betrayed, unsheathed Humakt and asked him to end Gbaji and the Broken Council. Grim Humakt consented and sent Arkat into the world to be Nysalor's Death. He blessed him with the powers of Death, and Arkat cut a swath across Genertela, bringing War and Death to friends and foes alike, until he finally brought Death to Gbaji and slew him atop the Tower of Dreams. 200 Unless more members of the other castes were bred at the same time, this would appear to contradict the ancient Brithini allocation of caste by birth order but may explain the later exiling of large numbers of members of the other castes to Arolanit and Seshnela as an excess population. 201 Nysalor did not present himself as a god to the people that made him, and tried often to correct them on what they had actually done. He claimed to be only a wise person, transcendent in nature, come back voluntarily to reveal to the world what he knew. 202 The aim of the God Project was not to create a God of Light until the Dara Happans and Aldryami commandeered it. Some commentators claim that when he became Light, it was inevitable that this would create his Shadow, Arkat, in the West, where the Sun descends and dies each day. 203 Although the term is often used in a disparaging way, Riddling was a part of a larger philosophical practice involving the posing of paradoxes to challenge assumptions to bring the listener into a state of mystical enlightenment. 204 Much later, the term was used in different places to describe Nysalor and Arkat, sometimes as distinct beings and sometimes as a single entity. 205

Arkat in early documents is also rendered Argad or Argat, from which is derived the Third Age Southern Theyalan name or title Argrath, meaning ‘the liberator’. 206 Some Orlanthi say Arkat's father was Humakt, the God of War, or a barbarian Humakti hero. This seems unlikely, for a half breed would not have been accepted as a horali cadet. The Zzaburi tested all suspected of mixed parentage, destroying or expelling those adjudged impure. Despite being assessed several times, Arkat passed all the examinations posed. These legends also claim that Arkat possessed a powerful weapon belonging to his father which he freed from under a boulder before he left the island. It is called God-Cleaver in the legends, reputed to be the Unbreakable Sword of Humakt, fashioned of Adamantine, which is said to be formed of raw incarnate Law. It is improbable that a cadet would own or be permitted by the zzaburi to retain such a powerful weapon, and the Hero probably obtained it during the wars on the mainland. Instead, it may have been gained on one of the Hero’s many heroquests during the wars in Ralios. It is said that in his lifetime Arkat proved he was the son of Humakt, a pure horali, and all the other things legend claimed for his origins, impossible as that may seem, unless there was more than one Arkat... It is possible that some of the deeds ascribed to Arkat were performed by one or more of his Companions instead.

58

SESHNELA reduced but still powerful kingdom of Seshnela. Many had died from the plague which the wizards and priests could not heal and so the Riddler priests of Nieby 207 from Ralios were eagerly accepted. It was there that Arkat encountered the Hrestoli and, secretly at first, began to train to become a full Hrestoli Man-of-All. He preached against Nieby and incited everyone against the supposed healing cult. King Blastring sent for him and was convinced, for several of his predecessors, and many of his people had died and he himself later contracted the plague and expired fighting from a stretcher while invading the precincts of the Temple of Nieby in Frowal. Though the king was killed, so were all the priests and most of their worshippers. The scourge of Seshnela had begun as supporters of Nieby initiated an armed insurrection resulting in a massive battle. Victory was achieved only by the arrival of a foreigner, Gerlant, and his horsemen and army. Arkat and Gerlant insisted on pursuing the destruction of the cult outside the kingdom, and King Hermalor consented to allow soldiers and Men-of-All to go with them to destroy the Vampire Kings. Even before the onslaught of the Nieby cult, Tanisor had been a traditional enemy of Seshnela. The king’s son, Prince Grimnos fought alongside Arkat for most of his adult life, until recalled to ascend the throne. Grachamagacan, King of Tanisor and his court had been Illuminated by the Nysalorean Riddlers and had willingly offered their souls (which as Illuminates they realized had no value) to Vivamort for power against Seshnela. Tens of thousands were slaughtered to quench the thirst of the vampire lords for the blood of the living, and their corpses were raised to a mock semblance of life to fight and die for them a second time. When the envoys to Seshnela returned, accompanied by the Prince of Seshnela, the Brithini horali saw for the first time members of the Seshnegi Men-of-All and the War Societies, the horsemen brilliantly arrayed on their resplendently draped horses and clothing (and now arrayed as proto-cataphracti), with Grand Knights208 wearing ornate helmets, each followed by his attendants and servants, and a train of liveried spare mounts, pack animals and grooms, all displaying their lord’s colors209. The appearance of the

War Society horali were as foreign to the Brithini, the soldiers wearing the skins of their Martial Beasts, and leather or scale armor. With only four centuries between them, the Brithini and their heretic descendants were each stunned by the other. Despite their differences, the Brithini and Seshnegi joined forces against Tanisor210. The limitations of his caste did not suit Arkat. He was reprimanded many times, and finally outlawed from Brithini society, finding acceptance as one of the Hrestoli Men-of-All in the household of King Blastring of Seshnela. Within a year he mastered all the crafts, demonstrated his mastery of soldierly sciences, and studied the sorcerous arts as he campaigned. After several years of desperate fighting, the capital Tanewal211, now known as the Red Ruin, was besieged and taken, the infamous Vampire Legion defeated, and Grachamagacan the Vampire King was slain212. Arkat was named the Master of Armies and Grand Marshal for the Holy War of Law Against Chaos by the king of Seshnela. During Arkat's struggle in Ralios, diverse forces aided him. Wizards obeyed him, contrary to their tradition for mistrusting warriors. Many tribes of heathens followed too, despite their dislike of Malkioni monotheism. Arkat later spread the methods of sorcery to his allies, including the trolls. To many Malkioni he is reviled for teaching their magic to others. Arkat is represented in many different forms. Western manuscripts describe him as a huge burly redhead and clothe him in Fifth Century armor and fashions, with a black shield displaying two gold crowns. Orlanthi barbarians depict the same man but carrying two swords and wearing their barbaric clothing. Trolls carve images of him in marble, shaped like a dark troll but with more prominent teeth, a heart shape on his chest, the sign of the Redstone Zorak Zoran temple engraved on his back, and a bronze nail driven through him from head to foot.

Gerlant Flamesword Gerlant Flamesword was an early supporter of Arkat, though many claimed he was his son. None knew

207

Nieby was the name by which Nysalor was known in Ralios and Seshnela.

208

An anachronistic term added by a copyist in the Third Age. This probably refers to elite Hrestoli warrior-wizards.

209

Or that of their Brotherhood. Each Hrestoli Brotherhood were identified by different patterns, often mixing the four caste colors.

210

According to Orlanthi sources a band of Ralian Humakti also approached Arkat for his aid in defeating the Vampire King, and fought for him.

211

‘The City of Tana’, named for the River Goddess of the Tanier River, or, according to the Pralori, Tanis, the son of their tribal founder.

212

Despite the pacification of Tanisor by Arkat, after he marched north, in the following years the renascent Pendali Lion Men became powerful in the land again and a threat to Seshnela, even besieging and wrecking the capital. This suggests that many fought as his allies, and so were not exterminated; others may have hid in the forests. Although the Vampire King was destroyed and the Vampire Legion was crushed by Arkat, the cult survived and continues to plague Tanisor and Safelster. Some vampire lords are said to have escaped into Ralios.

59

MEN OF THE WEST his origin or parentage213, but he was so great a hero and pious Hrestoli that he was ageless and lived twice a normal lifespan. Some say his flaming sword was a gift of the dwarves, forged in the distant Land of Fire, perhaps Caladraland. It became part of the royal regalia of Seshnela, occasionally mislaid but recovered by heroic acts, until it was permanently lost in the wreck of Old Seshnela. Leading the Sons of Truth, he followed Arkat to Dorastor and the Final Battle against Nieby. Some Westerners claim it was Gerlant, not Arkat, who slew the Deceiver. The Rokari say that when Arkat abandoned Malkioni ways, Gerlant piously refused to support him, declining to participate in the ‘War of Shadow against Darkness.’ This betrayal is one of the great epic tragedies of the West. Arkat freed the souls of Gerlant’s people when he cleansed Seshnela from Gbaji’s curse. Arkat gave Gerlant his kingdom, his salvation, and then, adding gift on gift, gave Gerlant Arkat’s own loyalty and life. The ties between Gerlant and Arkat were many and firm. In the end, Gerlant had to choose between saving the kingdom Arkat had given him and saving Arkat. The perfect ruler, he saved his people, but not his friend. Having no home of his own, Gerlant returned to Seshnela with his friend Prince Talmakos, who lived only two years because of the wounds he had suffered in Arkat’s wars. With his death, the royal male line died out and Gerlant was asked and accepted the throne, marrying Princess Hupala214 to legitimize his claim, founding the dynasty of the Flame Kings. King Gerlant attended the Third Ecclesiastical Council of Malkionism and founded the port city of Genertsket215 which greatly contributed to the wealth of his kingdom. Gerlant’s reign was long and relatively peaceful, and he often sent presents to Fronela where his friend Talor ruled. The Hrestoli later revered him as an Ascended Master. In Third Age Seshnela he is still venerated (but not as an Ascended Master) as the Greatest Warrior King. He is pictured in manuscripts as a bearded 213

king with black hair wielding his famous flaming sword. The design on his shield is a flaming red sword upon a white background. A variant of this subsequently became the widely hated symbol of the God Learners. Under the strict but just rule of Gerlant’s son, King Nralar, the kingdom regained its prestige and strength until civil war shattered it in the early Second Age.

The Armies of Arkat’s War in the West Even before Arkat abandoned his Western heritage for the cults of heretics, barbarians and then nonhumans, as the Master of Armies for the Holy War, he had commanded a mixture of Brithini and Seshnegi, to which were added recruits drawn from the Hsunchen and Enerali tribes, and later the upland Orlanthi barbarians. Mercenaries were drawn to the conflict from across half the continent, including even Old Ways Orlanthi from distant Heortland. Before Arkat’s arrival, the Hrestoli Way of the First Age permitted the Hsunchen to be placed within the caste system, according to the judgement of a Warrior-Priest, and often assigned their station as dronari Workers. In war, others were recognized as fierce horali and most joined the War Society that venerated their god as a Martial Beast. Now even Telmori Pure Ones joined the Wolf War Society. After the Lightning Revolt some Galanini and other Enerali joined the Horse War Society. When Talor fought in the north, after his return from the Underworld, his forces mustered the warriors of various Seshnegi War Societies, but especially the Lions, which included warriors descended from the Pendali and others descended from Seshnelan lion hunters. That regiment survived to be part of the army of Syranthir Forefront, who migrated into Peloria in 719 ST after being defeated by Arimadalla and his Middle Sea Empire allies. Broadly similar developments occurred in several of the other War Societies, and records suggest entire clans of other Hsunchen, never touched by Nieby or who rejected his teachings, joined the armies as mercenaries, and as the decades of war went on in Ralios, many became recognized as hereditary horali of the War Societies. The resulting military traditions were a syncretic merging of Western, Hsunchen and Orlanthi warriors and their disparate deities, a synthesis that later Malkioni historians would gloss over or ignore. Similarly, the various cultures of the peoples in lowland Ralios centered about Lake Felster became an amalgamation of various Malkioni sects, Orlanthi cults

He may have been an outlander captain of a prestigious mercenary cavalry company.

214

Her name is suggestive of the Huraka crown of sovereignty worn by the goddess Seshna. By marriage, Princess Hupala also conferred sovereignty upon her husband Gerlant. 215 Situated at the mouth of the Tanier River and drowned when Old Seshnela was destroyed by the Luatha.

60

SESHNELA and native religions.

by trolls from Halikiv and Dagori Inkarth at the bidding of Arkat the Savior after the Gbaji Wars. Heavily armed and armored with lead they were formidable in combat. Seshnela frequency attacked the peoples of the Autarchy, and the Archons became military and religious figures and the Autarchy became a true empire. The Autarchy was destroyed by the Jrusteli Army of Rightness in 740 ST, after more than two centuries of war.

Holy War Crusade is a Malkioni term for a Sacred or Holy War. Certain types of magic are available to Western forces when an official crusade is in effect giving its participants a special fanatical zeal. The Kingdom of Seshnela is the home of the crusade. The emblem of the crusade is the Tripart Triangle, an ancient symbol inherited from the mythical Kingdom of Logic, which existed before the gods destroyed the Old World. The most obvious sign for participants in the crusade ceremony is the wearing of the emblem pinned over their hearts. It is said that the power of Crusade was rediscovered by Hrestol in his wars against the kings of the Pendali, when the Crusader Spirit came to aid him against the army of the Cannibal God’s Army, and on its departure gifted him with the Scroll of Crusades, detailing how one should be invoked. Arkat employed the power in his attack upon the Tanewal, the City of Vampires216. The power of Crusade continues to exist. Leaders are sometimes afraid to invoke it: it may not come, and their claim for religious justification is left in open question. Such a failure creates a permanent sense of demoralization and distrust of the religious leaders. A false crusade, relying upon the extra magic for victory always suffers critical losses.

The Second Age The son of Gerlant, Nralar the Old, ruled for 112 years. During his reign, he waged near constant war against the Stygian Empire of Ralios, often based on spurious claims for tribute, and he sired too many sons. With his death, many of his children and their families and retainers, often called the Nralarites, sailed south upon Waertagi ships to found colonies in the southern island-continent of Jrustela. Intended to prevent strife, this departure perilously weakened the kingdom, which slipped into civil war – at the Fourth Ecclesiastical Council of Malkionism held in Frowal King Bretnos was assassinated and the kingdom was wracked with war and then ruled by resurgent leonine and wolven barbarians. Tanisor had been pacified by Arkat, and its people had adopted the ways of the Malkioni, but this proved to be a thin veneer as the pagan Pendali reasserted themselves, aided by mercenary Telmori from northern Ralios. The warlord of Tanisor steadily took over Seshnela, city by city, citadel by citadel. In 680 ST the Army of Rightness was carried from Jrustela218 and landed from Waertagi ships to expel the barbarian Pendali warlords. It took more than fifty years for the Return to Rightness Crusade to complete the liberation of Seshnela from the barbarians, finally achieved under the rule of Annmak the Peacemaker. Most of the Jrusteli were descendants of the exiles who had left Seshnela centuries earlier. They returned with their own brand of Malkionism. The Jrusteli had initially used the revelations of Hrestol to bypass the inhuman restrictiveness of the Brithini laws. Communities of the most powerful wizards renounced the distractions of the other castes and devoted themselves utterly to spiritual explorations.

Wars with the Autarchy Arkat’s students dominated Ralios after the final defeat of Nieby in distant Dorastor, seeking to prevent others from misusing Arkat’s secrets and teaching new generations of students to carry on Arkat’s legacy. Local cults, new sects, cults from Dragon Pass and Darkness cults all flourished there. Whilst he lived, his surviving companions, the Archons, the ‘rulers’, served as the intermediaries and intercessors between him and the mundane world, overseeing his Autarchy or Empire of Peace, though outsiders named it the Stygian Empire217 for the trolls that would fight and eat his enemies. After his death, Arkat was venerated there as a god. The armies of the Autarchy included humans and trolls, many of the latter recruited from Guhan, settled 216

Related to Holy War but much more focused, the Malkioni Way includes the concept of Demonization. Similar to declaring a heresy, but far more intense and potent, it is employed against enemies who are evil and corrupt beyond redemption. It requires the performance of a complex and solemn rite of condemnation, consisting of an accusation, a trial, a proof and then the magical casting to make it so, supported by all the participants. The ceremony does not alter the nature of the demonized individual but it makes them vulnerable to the anti-demon powers of the condemning body. In his war with Nysalor, Arkat undoubtedly also utilized the powers of Demonization against Nysalor. 217 This name was given to the Autarchy by the Seshnegi as a synonym for ‘of the underworld’. When the Seshnegi were confronted by Arkat, who had been a Malkioni but, upon returning to Ralios was viewed as a Darkness devotee who still used sorcery, they thought him as tainted by Hell and dubbed his region the Stygian Lands, and his religion, about which they knew virtually nothing, the Stygian Heresy. 218 At its earliest pre-imperial stage what would become the Middle Sea Empire was comprised of the Jrusteli Alliance and the Umathelan Coalition. After the addition of the Kingdom of Seshnela, under King Svagad, it attained imperial status and conquered many other far-flung lands. The Malkionism of the empire was the religion of the Abiding Book, whose members were the warriors of the Return to Rightness Crusade.

61

MEN OF THE WEST The God Learners219 movement originated from one of these communities. The revelation of the Abiding Book220 provided the Jrusteli wizards with a new and dynamic materialistic

philosophy221. The Abiding Book was a supernatural work, created by the Will and Thought of Makan222, to give guidance to humanity in a dangerous magical world. The Abiding Book’s revelations of the Invisible God provided the unifying factor for the Malkioni and later the Middle Sea Empire. When the Jrusteli came ashore in Seshnela,

many local lords joined with them in the face of their overwhelming military and sorcerous power, immediately converting to the new religion and destroying all obvious signs of pagan worship among their own people. Together, they drove out the barbarians from Tanisor who had seized the throne. By 734 ST the Jrusteli had placed one of their own upon the throne of Seshnela. In 789 ST 219

The God Learners were a conglomerate of groups within the many orders, philosophies, and schools of this religion. They were never a single united group working together, though at certain times particular groups became so strong, influential or important, that they nearly attained such status. The discovery of a fragment of Zzabur’s Red Book was fundamental to their research. The fragments detailed the origins of the cosmos and the Runes of Acos, beginning with Chaos and the emergence of the Powers and Elements. From that fragment, the God Learners began to categorize the magic associated with gods and spirit as part of the Mythical Synthesis Movement. 220 This supernatural book integrated Hrestol’s Joy with the Brithini sorcerous understanding of the world. Each chapter was formed of several poetic verses, a meta-textual, self-referential sacred text that reflected constantly upon its divine origin. Except for the Articles of Faith at the beginning, it seemed to have no beginning, middle, or end, its nonlinear structure being akin to a web or net. Chapters covered subjects such as rituals, cosmic realities, and moral laws. The Abiding Book consisted of the Frontispiece, and was divided into parts: the Credo, The Chosen People, The Gospels of Malkion, Prayers to Malkion, and Proper Forms of Address for Wizard-Priests. Studying the Abiding Book resulted in a materialist understanding of the workings of Glorantha that rivalled the ancient Brithini techniques. It also contained earlier holy texts, such as First Times, thereby proving their veracity. The Abiding Book is a powerful grimoire, tied to the Law Rune. It describes the Laws of Creation. The Law Rune embodies continuity and predictability, unlike the Stasis Rune which is static immobility, and stability. Some schools of Henotheism claim that the orthodox Malkioni have been deceived by the dwarves and worship Stasis, not Law. The Jrusteli had initially used the revelations of Hrestol to bypass the inhuman restrictions of the Brithini Laws. The revelations of the Abiding Book provided the Jrusteli wizards with a new and dynamic materialistic philosophy which they used to conquer much of the Middle World to create the great Middle Sea Empire which united all the Western peoples, except the Brithini, and a few other minor peoples such as transgressive heretics including the Irensavalists. It should be noted that whilst the Law Rune encompasses the cosmic law and structure of Glorantha it is not paired with Chaos as the Disorder and Harmony Runes are paired in opposition to each other. Chaos is antagonistic to all the other Runes despite often existing in combination with them. 221 This asserts the primacy of Logic and Reason to distinguish between the true and the false. 222

The Jrusteli term for the One Mind, the Invisible God.

62

SESHNELA the Empire of the Land and Sea was created, also called the Middle Sea Empire, with King Svagad of Seshnela named Emperor to rule over Jrustela, the new Jrusteli colonies, Safelster, and Slontos. Seshnela became the heart of this realm. The God Learners ruled great armies, navies, and owned treasuries filled with the plunder and tribute of almost all the Middle World. Unlike the earlier Hrestoli, the Jrusteli were willing to support and participate in cults and learn their mysteries, adopting Wachaza and Tolat as their most fearsome gods of war. Emperor Miglos attempted to invade Brithos in 823 ST with a vast army and navy. The emperor was killed and his followers drowned almost to a man, but a few generations later a migration of exiles from Brithos landed in Seshnela to support the God Learners. After the fall of the Middle Sea Empire in 990 ST, their domains fragmented. In Old Seshnela their ways survived only among the proud sorcerer-warriors of the Hrestoli principalities of the Castle Coast living in their isolated but impressive castles. Rival Ralian warlords pillaged Tanisor around 9801000 ST. The armies of Seshnela and Ralios led by the powerful wizards Yomili and Halwal destroyed each other outside the city of Basmol in 1026 ST. The fortress was ruined and in the Third Age still glows with magic. This was the conclusion of a decades-long struggle known as the Sorcerer War between the two wizards over the nature of religion and the application of magic. In 1049 ST, Halifor, the last king of Seshnela, learned that a great force had invaded his kingdom from the sea. Old Seshnela was destroyed by the Purple Ship from Luatha which cast a terrible spell which made the land roll and cities fall; a mountain-high wall of water turned the southern land into islands; a wave of blue and red light washed across the land, killing thousands; and an elf army emerged from the forests, slaughtering all livestock and escorted the surviving humans to the border. Tanisor had been the eastern half of the kingdom in the Second Age; before that, it had been the homeland of various barbarian peoples including the lionworshipping Pendali. When the oceans Closed, the sea had run upriver to kiss Sodal223, flooding most of the riverine cities. Many nobles were killed, but the general destruction was far less than in the western half of the

land a century later. Tanisor absorbed the refugees fleeing from Old Seshnela and eventually inherited the remnants of the royal mantle of authority.

The Armies of the Middle Sea Empire In the restoration of Seshnela, the Army of Rightness of the Jrusteli, not yet the Middle Sea Empire, was aided to a very great degree by the wizards utilizing the grimoires of the Order of the New Iron Staff 224. Their combat magic formed the basis of most of the later military sorcerous orders of the empire. As the empire expanded, its armies became larger and more regimented though there was no standard Imperial Army; the empire habitually used local troops, troops sent from nearby provinces, and elite mercenaries from all over the world. Permanent mercenary companies of infantry and cavalry served the Dukes and Counts of the Empire. The emperors had easy access to iron for weapons, armor, and other tools. The elite of their armies were clad in whole or part in iron and steel, the equal or better of any military in the Middle World, save perhaps the immortal horali of Brithos and the Iron Dwarves. Flamboyant Kralorelan silks were widely worn under armor, and helmets had extravagant feathered plumes from Pamaltela. The resources of the entire mortal world flowed along the trade routes of the empire and into its coffers and markets. A local regiment was raised and supplied and commanded by a Viscount; several regiments comprised a Battle225 commanded by a Count; several Battles were commanded by a Duke, the military commander of a prefecture; a General (sometimes styled an Archduke) would command the combined military forces of several provinces226; a Marshal would command the forces of two or more Generals; a Grand Marshal was the supreme military commander, subservient only to the King-Emperor. The soldiers were often dressed in shades of red, and most were armed and armored by the military commander who raised the regiment. Traditionally, a Battle would comprise one third of an army (the Vanguard – deployed on the right of a battle line, Center, and Rearguard – deployed on the left of the battle line, with the Vanguard the most prestigious), but a deployed army in the

223

The Ralian city of Danket was once set on a series of small islands in the Sodal Marshes. The city is now wealthy from exploiting the salt deposits of the flood of 930 ST. Peat is excavated, dried, and then burned, and the peat ashes dissolved in water, and the salt obtained when the water evaporates. This digging of the salt-impregnated peat is gradually expanding the extent of the Sodal Marshes. 224 The Book of the Iron Staff, a grimoire, is tied to the Death Rune and describes spells that aid members of the horali caste in battle. 225

Sometimes rendered as Battalion.

226

The military hierarchy existed in parallel with the civilian bureaucracy of the Middle Sea Empire. With its fall, these purely military ranks ultimately became the titles of the aristocracy. Due to the constant warfare with the Empire of the Wyrms Friends in the contested lands of eastern Slontos, one of the military Archdukes had already unified martial and civic authority there into a single hereditary position.

63

MEN OF THE WEST field might consist of many more Battles, divided between these three designations. Each rank of commander had their own battlefield banner. When the King-Emperor rarely took to the field their royal banner would be present, though it might also be carried to represent the king’s authority even if he were absent. Many of these regiments, in Seshnela, consisted of the War Societies of the Martial Beasts. Unlike their predecessors, the Jrusteli were happy to utilize pagan gods to serve their ends, whether the war god Tolat227 from the east, or the Hsunchen Beast Gods and many new regiments were founded. Aristocratic regiments were formed of cavalry, with the status of knight becoming recognized as meaning something more than horseman, an aristocrat who served and fought as a cataphract. The empire mostly used mercenaries to occupy lowland Ralios as the locals were considered untrustworthy even two centuries after the defeat of the Stygian Empire. Clandestine Arkat cults and secret societies abounded in Ralios, and there were vile pacts between the treacherous locals and the barbarians and krjalki. Other regiments of the empire were exotic, including the Good Dragon Soldiers of the Immanent Mastery School formed in Kralorela, armor clad war elephants from Teshnos fitted with tusk swords, and sometimes the weird innovative inventions of the Zistorites, who also mass-produced magical weapons, especially swords. The Zistorite weapons, which included firesprouting Bronze Turtle Galleys228, man-powered Covered Chariots, the Machine for Storming Walls, and the common smaller Spring Ballistas were instrumental in the conquest of Slontos. After this victory, the Zistorite sect were awarded dominion of the conquered

lands of the Mirrorsea Bay to build their Divine Automaton, attempting to create the Great Machine, which consisted of a myriad of automated Logical Circles and powerful prayer wheels spun with pneumatic energy, to transmute the cosmos to achieve the Original Law by means of the mechanical combinations of Runes and phrases from the Abiding Book. In much smaller quantities, the uncanny Zistorite inventions might be found in other theaters of war. The Bronze Turtle Galleys were widely used in war and to escort treasures229. Sorcerous weapons of mass destruction were developed by other schools, such as unstoppable tidal waves and deadly but controllable clouds of poison gas, though no extant texts record them as being deployed successfully. There were centuries of intermittent conflict between the Empire and the draconic Empire of the Wyrms Friends mostly confined to the borderland of Kotorsland in Maniria. Twice, these erupted into significant conflicts. In the first, the Surprise Battalion caused the EWF flying units to crash and others to fight each other. Then a Storm God was wounded and hurricanes lashed Slontos for seven years. In the second, there were massive magical duels of fire and ice. The Surprise Battalion was destroyed by trolls and three great dragons incinerated seventeen cities. The forces of the Middle Sea Empire were forced to withdraw and Kotorsland was ceded to the EWF. During the Second Age the big-headed Daron war horse breed were spread far and wide by the Middle Sea Empire, as the Daron was used to carry their heavy cataphracti into battle. Only in Pamaltela was this cavalry ultimately unsuccessful in war, due to a severe lack of fodder230. As the empire disintegrated in the Closing, the royal coffers of Seshnela could not fund the army. Regiments

227

Tolat is the violent God of the Red Planet and War. The Middle Sea Empire first encountered his fierce worshippers in the east, in Melib and Trowjang. 228 Turtle ships were so named because the interior was completely enclosed, with a domed roof of bronze plates covered in rows of spikes to dissuade boarding. Lacking a mast, these vessels were probably propelled by Elementals supplemented by oars. The steering oars, or possibly a rudder, was entirely enclosed. The oars, when used, projected downwards from beneath an overhang. A fire projector of some sort was located at the bow above the ram. Other ports along the sides permitted missiles and offensive magic to be used. If stranded by a receding tide they could extend and slowly walk upon short stubby legs. These galleys seem to have varied in size; all included below deck cabins and storage holds. 229 In the Tenth Century, it is written that a fleet of Bronze Turtle Galleys escorted The Book of Secrets from Jrustela to Slontos. 230

Horses cannot digest the ground-covering plants of the southern continent’s savannah; even the plants there that resemble grass are toxic to equines. The northern coastal lands of Pamaltela have only slightly less difficulty in supporting horses, meaning that fodder must be imported from overseas, an impossible logistical challenge for cavalry forces of any size, even for the Middle Sea Empire.

64

SESHNELA were disbanded, other units dismissed, and officers awarded grants of land, for themselves and their followers, forming the basis of the later Seshnelan feudal system. The ordinary soldiers were left in penury, and were eradicated by the new landed gentry when they resorted to banditry. Only a number of the Martial Beast regiments survived, serving the nobility as Sworn Men or as mercenaries.

the timber for these colossi, enraging the elves. These terrifying ships required massive magical resources, but supported by massed sorcerers and Wachaza priests, they were mobile floating temples of Death and War. Other gargantuan ships were floating pleasure palaces such as the famous Floating Garden, or served as more prosaic support vessels such as the Beast Boats that raised herds of cattle and other food without ever touching land. Lesser ships, many of which were much larger than Third Age triremes, were dwarfed by the great battlebarges, but still performed important roles as support and patrol vessels. The highly maneuverable Bronze Turtle Galleys were particularly effective, using their rams and fire projectors to sink enemy vessels. Rather than being reliant upon sails and the whims of the Air Gods or the currents of the Sea Gods, teams of sorcerers enslaved elementals and other spirits to provide the motive power for their warships and larger merchant vessels. The Closing that emanated out from Brithos in 920 ST slowly swept these great ships from the seas. Most could sail ahead of the invisible wall and make port but were then shoved into the shore and wrecked; at least one battle-barge was tipped down Magasta’s Pool; huge monsters rose from the depths and dragged some down to their doom; others are said to sailed ahead of the invisible wall and disappeared from the Middle World, never to be seen again. Sailors’ tales now mention gigantic derelict ghost ships smothered with seaweed, filled with treasures, terrors, ghosts, and the bones of the dead adrift in the outer oceans, spied looming ominously out of sea fogs, sometimes accompanied by the ill-omened humming of still active prayer wheels.

The Fleets of the Middle Sea Empire As early as 660 ST, the Jrusteli were experimenting with sea-going vessels, in defiance of the Waertagi, who had provided all commerce across the seas since the Dawn231. The Jrusteli Free Men of the Sea sailed between Jrusteli and Umathela; in response to this the Waertagi destroyed their ships and their port city with a tidal wave. Most of the drowned were successfully resurrected, and were then dedicated to the destruction of the Waertagi. In the year 718 ST, the puny wooden ships confronted fifty Waertagi dragonships, and their wizard passengers Summoned the god of the water of the Sky World to burn them down even below the waterline. This Sea of Flame covered a vast expanse of the seas, spreading towards Magasta’s Pool and some portions lasted for more than a century. With the defeat of the Waertagi, the Jrusteli shipping expanded, dominating the seas. The huge shipyards of Jrustela were a major factor in the empire’s growth, building ships that now had no equal upon the mortal seas. Although the armies of the empire were impressive, their greatest might was to be found in their navies, after their defeat of the Waertagi. The war cult of Wachaza232 was the backbone of their naval power. Their battle-barges were unequalled; their sorcerers enslaved gigantic Water Elementals to move them, and these leviathan barges were loaded with Wachaza worshipping cultists. They boasted multiple tiered decks of ballista and catapults, and tall towers to permit long-range surveillance and elevated platforms for priests and sorcerers. All but the very largest of the war engines were mounted on rotating platforms, to give them the greatest arc against targets. The colossal battle-barges were often based on two or three huge hulls joined together sharing a single reinforced main deck, to provide stability for their floating ziggurats. Those with tripartite catamaran hulls impressed the trident symbol of Wachaza upon the waters they sailed. Entire forests were felled to provide

The Aerial Fleets of the Middle Sea Empire The empire had a variety of flying craft at its disposal, though never in large numbers. These all required a major ongoing expenditure in magic. The largest resembled the smaller ships of the navy, but made of wicker not wood, held aloft by Air Elementals; others were curious machines built by the Zistorites, capable of carrying only a one- or two-man crew sitting beneath a large rotating spiral Air Rune; the smallest consisted of ensorcelled paper wings able to carry only a pilot, and then one of small stature. These craft were used primarily to carry

231

The first serious opponent of the Waertagi at sea was the fleets of the far eastern island-nation of Mokato, and this distracted them from the early experiments of the Jrusteli. 232 Wachaza is the son of Magasta and the dark demon called Robber or Taker, and brother and ruler of the feared waterspouts of the open seas. He is cruel and final, and those he slays are never reborn. He is the God of War for the sea, but shunned by many who find him too violent and irrevocable; the Waertagi shunned him because they had witnessed and greatly feared his power of Death. The navies of the Middle Sea Empire also found him useful for his power to pull things near or upon the surface of the water into the depths, utilized to sink enemy warships, or to wreck the walls and harbors of port cities. He is shunned in the Third Age by many because he was the principal war god of the fallen God Learner empire.

65

MEN OF THE WEST messengers, scouts and high status passengers. Their use in battle is not recorded. Just as the Closing swept ships from the seas, it also made flight increasingly difficult. It may be that the invisible wall also negated the magics these craft were reliant upon, and they tumbled out of the sky. A few are said to have been caught whilst airborne by giant flying creatures, including the fabled Roc, and carried away to an unknown fate.

kingdom as petty nobles struggled for supremacy in a patchwork of squabbling little states, with a shifting kaleidoscope of alliances and wars. Society and religion was subjected to a reactionary backlash against the ways of the Middle Sea Empire233 and of Hrestolism, with Rokarism rejecting the Ascended Masters, and caste again becoming fixed and entrenched, in an attempt to restore the pure pre-Hrestol religion. There were many petty wars between Tanisor and the states of western Safelster.

The Third Age

The Foundation of Rokarism

Turmoil and War

The prophet Rokar, born in 1310 ST, founded what became known as Rokarism, the ‘Right Way’, an ultrareactionary sect which was intrinsically tied to the martial dynasty of ruling talari from the semi-barbarian lands of Rindland and Tanisor. At the time, there were numerous Malkioni movements in Seshnela, most attempting to understand the fragments of the Abiding Book that had survived the fall of the empire, with wizards expounding on the meaning of the Abiding Book or even rejecting it. Hrestolism was more than a thousand years old, and before and after the dominance of the version spread by the empire was subject to schisms. There were Arkati revivalists claiming to know The Book of Secrets and even that Arkat had destroyed the God Learners. In some areas, farmers and warriors offered sacrifices to gods and spirits and willingly served them. Rokar picked up the pieces of the God Learner’s Abiding Book, and used his incredible logic to pierce the falsehoods that they had added to the original holy book234. Rokar’s logic and scholarship was so great that his followers claim that he redacted all the lies, edits, and modifications the God Learners had made and revealed the Sharp Abiding Book235, the True Abiding Book, restored to its Truth. Instead of the 216 chapters the God Learners had claimed, Rokar determined that only 72 were True and original. The taint of superstition, lies, and falsehoods were purged and pruned back to reveal the glory of the Truth. He also disapproved of schools of Malkionism centered on an Ascended Master’s personality and acts instead of their teaching and knowledge. When Rokar's revelations made him unwelcome in the city of Leplain in the Tarasdal Alliance, Bailifes’ grandfather invited him to Segurane of the Walls. The Rindland rulers accepted Rokar’s revelations and swore

After the destruction wrought by the Luatha, Old Seshnela was mostly abandoned by the surviving human population, many fleeing eastwards into Tanisor taking the remaining treasures and royal regalia, into lands embroiled in turmoil and anarchy. The libraries of the God Learners were destroyed, their monuments were defaced, and the greatest cities of Seshnela lay in shattered ruin, overgrown by baleful forests, or drowned beneath the sea. Knowledge was lost, and the land was enmeshed in a Dark Age that lasted for centuries. Only the immortal Brithini of Arolanit remembered accurately what had happened in the Second Age. Various Abiding Book sects competed with henotheist sects for dominance in the wreck of the ancient kingdom of Tanisor. A confusing array of Archons, Princes, Archdukes, and even the occasional King, competed for dominance. Self-proclaimed prophets raved and preached, warning of yet more doom and disaster, if the people did not repent the errors of their ancestors. Tanisor had long been the eastern portion of the kingdom in the Second Age, and before that the homeland of many of the Hsunchen tribes. Ironically, what had been the home of the Pendali and the Fornaoli tribe of the Enerali, inhabited by a large number of their descendants, became the core of the new Seshnela. For nearly three and a half centuries, there was no true king and no united 233

Despite the rejection of the ways of the Middle Sea Empire, its martial titles were adopted as noble ranks, in part because regional military commanders had seized power in the political chaos after the collapse of the empire. 234 He also rejected the Hrestoli parts of the original Abiding Book, especially because the potentially casteless society contradicted his determination to return to the ideals of the Brithini caste system. 235 The Sharp Abiding Book is effectively an abridged, abbreviated, and intelligible version of the Abiding Book. One can read it and readily understand it: it is straightforward and lends itself easily to a consistent and literal interpretation. Like the Abiding Book, the Sharp Abiding Book is a grimoire and numerous spells can be found within it, including Worship Invisible God, Find Concealed Place or Thing, Cure Pox, Calm Beast, Bless Caste Action, Curse Lawbreaker, Curse Foe, and Clear Mind from Distractions and Influences.

66

SESHNELA to uphold the Sharp Abiding Book. Rokar thereafter taught and studied, and lived a long and pious life. Rokarism utterly rejects the revelations of Hrestol236, and uses the Sharp Abiding Book purged of the God Learners’ lies, and generally tries to emulate the Brithini Way whenever possible, in as far as it is understood. It emphatically states that the one path to Solace is through the strict adherence to the duties of caste and the eternal Laws of Malkion the Founder, only practices the Abiding Rites, and supports only schools of depersonalized thought. It rigidly upholds the ancient castes of Worker, Soldier, Wizard, and Noble237. Harsh sumptuary laws delineate the colors and clothing of each caste. The Rokari are very much in favor of each caste keeping to its correct attire238 and strictly enforces caste restrictions and caste taboos. The zzaburi, for example, must wear a tall hat, beard, and heavy robes. Many display long fingernails signifying that they do not engage in manual labor. The mingling of the castes is firmly delineated. Each caste regulates the behavior of their members. Disputes between castes are decided by the local talar, with the ultimate decision making authority being the King. Each person is born into his class; an unmarried woman is born into the caste of her father and her primary responsibility is as a wife and mother 239. A married woman belongs to her husband’s caste. If a minor noble marries the daughter of the local chief of the horali, she becomes a noble (albeit she still does not entirely lose her military brotherhood caste connections and is likely considered tainted by her lower caste origin). Illegitimate children always belong to their mother’s caste. Slaves and non-Malkioni are outside this caste structure and not subject to their restrictions or their

protections. However, Rokarism did not attempt to restrict the Nobles to the roles of the Brithini talari, as the aristocracy now saw itself as a martial elite of knights. The Sharp Abiding Book supports this, citing instances in myth, legend and history where the talari fought so that Nobles can rule and fight, but Soldiers can only fight. The Wizard caste practices strict ascetic rules in an effort to re-attain the Golden Age240 perfection of the zzaburi; they own no landed property, do not engage in any work, do not negotiate or bargain with other castes or outsiders, and are celibate. Rokarism rapidly developed a hierarchical structure as the sect grew in power and influence. The lowest rank within the Rokari sect is called a Reader241, one who reads caste-appropriate sacred writings to the assembled members of the Reader’s caste, and facilitating their magical energy to travel through the Chain of Veneration242 to the Invisible God. Readers are not permitted to gloss or otherwise interpret the sacred writings (other writings blessed by the High Watcher provide guidance to the Readers). Most Readers are not of the zzaburi caste, but are (often barely) literate dronari or horali who have been appointed by a Watcher. Readers may know some caste-specific spells though it is forbidden for Workers or Soldiers to learn sorcery. Those who are of the zzaburi caste work for the common good by leading the people. Knowers are the wizard-priests of the Rokari. They read, interpret, and analyze magical grimoires derived from the sacred Sharp Abiding Book. The Knowers cast spells and blessings to benefit their community, and are subject to the authority of a Watcher. The Rokari place a great deal of importance on ensuring their wizards do not fall prey to the liberties and temptations so apparent in Hrestolism, which ultimately led to the

236

Hrestolism was the basis of the God Learners, who ultimately brought destruction upon Seshnela; the oceans were Closed, the heartland of the ancient kingdom was destroyed or forbidden to humans, the vast majority of the population died, and the original True Abiding Book was lost, drowned with Jrustela. All this proves to the Rokari that the Way of Hrestol is wicked, and that only strict adherence to the Old Laws of Malkion will prevent another such disaster. 237 The teachings of Rokar state that a man need only master his own duties of caste in life to achieve Solace, and the philosophy of the sect, if not its policies, values a good farmer as much as a mighty warrior or powerful king. The Abiding Book acknowledged differences in social classes, but the interpretation of those passages varied among practitioners. Rokar reinstated strict caste laws in his Sharp Abiding Book. 238 In part to enforce caste identity, but also because certain spells require the participants to wear the appropriate garb. 239

Rokar’s Teachings tells Watchers not to risk corruption by talking to a female.

240

The era of the Third Action; a period of peace and prosperity, when the Land of Logic was harmonious and undisturbed.

241

Reader, Knower, Judge (or Watcher) probably go back to the Malkioni True Way established in 655 ST, not long after the appearance of the Abiding Book. The Jrusteli recognized the learnéd and revered Dersvamal as their first High Watcher. He in turn appointed fourteen sages as his Judges. The Judges established rigorous tests of knowledge and purity for the Knowers - those who had the right to read the Abiding Book. This Malkioni True Way was Hrestoli (but not Irensavalist) and promoted inter-caste mobility. Indeed, in much of the Middle Sea Empire, there were no true castes. A peasant who obtained an education could rise to become a Knower and even a Judge. Ambitious soldiers became Rulers, appointed to positions of power by the Middle Sea Empire. Schools and Orders of Knowers were authorized by the Judges; amongst them was the School of New Order, which eventually became the core of the God Learner movement. The unbridled creativity and experimentation of these Knowers resulted, the Rokari claim, in many strange and even blasphemous interpretations of the Abiding Book that gave them magical power at the price of the loss of spiritual truth. 242 In all Malkioni sects a Chain of Veneration may be used to bestow blessings upon the congregation, or to channel the magical energy to the higher echelons to power their spells, and ultimately, it is claimed, to the Invisible God.

67

MEN OF THE WEST intemperance and calamities of the God Learners. Knowers are said to focus on errors in the world and seek to repair them. Watchers, sometimes called Judges243, are appointed by the Holy Guide of the Rokari, the High Watcher244, to oversee the Knowers and Readers in an administrative district (always based on a city) to keep them on the true path. They have full spiritual authority within their district, subject only to the Holy Guide of the Rokari. They are also responsible for ensuring that the veneration of ancestors, spirits, and gods do not cross acceptable boundaries, and that the Invisible God is recognized as the supreme deity. The ranking wizard of the Rokari is called the High Watcher. His decrees concerning issues of philosophy and theology are definitive and binding on all Rokari. Even the High Watcher should be subject to the surveillance of the Judges. The sect dominates Seshnela, but is also found as a religious minority in Fronela and Ralios. As the Rokari zzaburi caste are celibate, potential Knowers are recruited from the promising children of the other castes245 when they are five years of age. Naturally the children of talari are most likely to display promise (in both literacy246 and logical thought), although the children of horali or even dronari247 are not unknown. Training the Noviates in the processes of logic and emotion necessary to manipulate the Runes begins from the age of six and continues until they are thirteen years old when their education over the next five years becomes more specialized. They are dedicated to a scholarum before they have achieved adulthood and are conferred membership in the caste in a solemn ritual that cuts them away from their former family and caste. Rokar died in his study room of extreme old age, a sign of his pious life of dedication to the Laws of Malkion. His student, Mardron, later known as the Watcher

Supreme, magically restored the regalia of Seshnela and crowned Bailifes the Hammer as King of Seshnela in 1414 ST. He is claimed to have shown Bailifes the path of Rokar, reviving the One Righteous Kingdom. Mardron died two years later whilst maintaining a strenuous spell that enabled the king to defeat the rebellious nobles of Tanisor. After his body was burnt, and his ashes interred beside those of Rokar, the Blue Temple of the Invisible God in Leplain was commemorated in his memory.

Recovery and Rule The lords of the east reclaimed lands taken by the Dangkae of Ralios and formed the Tanisor Alliance (resurrecting the cursed title) circa 1180 ST. Though much of the royal regalia had survived, if kept secret and hidden, no ruler attempted to adopt the title as king because the position was obviously cursed. After centuries of upheaval wizards discovered the lost kingship rites, and they created anew the sacred regalia of the king. In 1412, ST Bailifes the Hammer, Duke of Rindland248, smashed the southern nobility at the First Battle of Asgolan Fields. The next year he laid many sieges in Ralios and by autumn had exacted tribute from most of the cities and towns of Safelster. The Watcher Supreme of Leplain, who headed the Rokari school of Malkioni wizards, crowned him King of Seshnela249 and presented him with most of the royal regalia of the old kingdom 250. Two years later he conquered the barons from Tanisor who disagreed with him, and also Nolos, Pasos, and the Safelstran city-states251. Surrounding areas, including Fornoar, Arolanit, Nolos, and Pasos, accepted his rule, and since then his dynasty has supplied the Kings of Seshnela. He reigned from 1414 to 1431 ST, creating the core of modern Seshnela, dominating the southwest, and master of the great river system into Ralios. Some of those lands later

243

One of the tasks of a Judge to make sure that the evils of God Learnerism do not return by overt and covert surveillance, and the identification and prosecution of such heretics. 244 Sometimes styled as the Watcher Supreme. 245

It is claimed that those chosen have displayed an affinity to the Law Rune.

246

Literacy is almost exclusively restricted to the zzaburi and the talari castes, with a very small number of horali and an even smaller number of dronari, most of whom are Readers of the Rokari sect. Only the highly educated can read Brithini, usually called Old Seshnelan. One dronari sub-caste, ‘the scriveners’ are literate; they write only what they are told to or copy other writings. The Rokari attempt to keep everyone else illiterate and ignorant. 247 The leaders of dronari guilds can be as wealthy as a talari merchant, though restricted by the Rokari sumptuary laws as to what colors and materials they can wear; they are very likely to be literate but do not advertise this skill. 248 The House of Bailifes was a Talar family who were the military overseers of Rindland. Rindland had been the center of Arkat’s Dark Empire before it was conquered by the Middle Sea Empire. 249 The current ruling dynasty of Seshnela were described by a Brithini zzaburi of Arolanit as a “pack of trumped up, half-barbarian horali”. 250

Even though Rokarism rejects Hrestolism, the King of Seshnela wears a Crown, and wields a Scepter and Sword, the insignia of the talari and horali castes. 251 This age of conquest is considered a golden age by the Rokari nobles of Rindland and Tanisor, as well as by the wizard-priests of the Rokari sect. However, the loyalty of the Safelstran cities to the Seshnelan king was always tenuous and temporary, and their allegiance to the Rokari sect largely non-existent.

68

SESHNELA reasserted their independence. Bailifes’ successful politics were to endorse the Rokari schism and develop its beliefs to reward his loyal followers. Thus, he established the hereditary nobility as the dominant political force in the land. Noble families and certain religious establishments became owners of their lands, with all other people divided into castes. This was not, however, the end of conflict, as struggles between the authority of the king and the most powerful nobles continued. The period of anarchy of wars between the nobles and the foundation of the new kingdom, and constant warfare has honed the martial nature of the noble cavalry, which have become the basis of Seshnelan armies, supported by the War Societies of the soldier caste. Nolos and Pasos later regained their independence, forming the Quinpolic League, and growing very rich off the trade of the Solkathi Sea. In 1607 ST, King Guilmarn ascended to the throne. Ambitious and shrewd, he is proclaimed the One King of the West at the Seventh Ecclesiastical Council and pledges to unify the West and to purge it of heresy and corruption. An inquisition is instituted, named the Golden Lance, to end all veneration of the Ascended Masters among the Rokari and other suspect pagan ways, and to seize the possessions of all religious communities supporting these heretical practices. All sorcery not of the pure Rokari tradition is outlawed. The Duke of Nolos who venerates Gerlant and the Duke of Pasos who venerates Waertag are declared deceivers and enemies of the Truth. With a great army, the king invades Nolos and Pasos in 1622 ST, eventually reuniting all of Seshnela in 1623 ST. He then turns his attention to Ralios and Fronela, launching an invasion of Ralios with the intention of exterminating all of the Arkati heretics. There is a hidden war in Seshnela: the struggle between the High Watcher and King. Whilst the two work in conjunction, the rigid religious authority crushing dissent to monopolize the energy of prayer, the rigid civil government crushing dissent to monopolize material wealth, they are hard to resist, and will succeed. But when each has completed their consumption of their enemies, conflict between the two is very probable. The wars in Ralios will be vicious and sustained, as the Rokari wizards fight with the Arkati sects, knights clash with Men-of-All and mercenaries, and there will be a new king claiming the Serpent Crown of Seshnela. And the seas will rise to inundate the land.

trained for centuries. Even in conservative Arolanit, many talari now fight as knights, armed with throwing ‘crowns’ and heavy scepter maces. Their society is innately conservative, and maintains the usages and practices of Brithos. The talari act as the leaders and intermediaries between the castes. There are no markets or trade between individuals; all transactions are overseen by the talari. Surpluses are stored at the appropriate warehouses and the required authorities informed. The talari understand the concept of exchanging wealth in return for goods produced by outsiders, and have no qualms in doing so, but there is no similar economy within their own society. The last significant increase in population occurred when Arolanit was used to house some of the remnants of the new Brithini generations of the Gbaji Wars period, which were mostly commoners and soldiers. Over Time, the population has continued to slowly decline, though it is reported that breeding commenced at the beginning of the Hero Wars.

The Castle Coast Along the shore lands of the peninsula known as the Castle Coast, the sorcerer-warriors still ape Jrusteli ways and seek to maintain the old, pure Hrestoli religion. They view themselves as the last remnant of the virtuous Kingdom of Seshnela of the First and Second Ages. Only a very few have embraced the wisdom of Rokar. Most profess to hold to the faith of Old Hrestolism but with their own abridged version of the Abiding Book. These Lords of the Twilight still seek to outdo each other in philosophical insights and displays of martial prowess in the Third Age, as they endeavor to re-enact the dimly remembered splendors of a bygone era. They have access to iron weapons, armor, and tools of dwarven manufacture far superior to

Arolanit The Brithini steadfastly maintain the Laws of Zzabur to retain their immortality in their grey dismal land. Their small armies consist of ancient horali soldiers who have

69

MEN OF THE WEST what the smiths and artisans of Seshnela can make. Much of this materiel was recovered by excavations of the ruined cities of Old Seshnela. Their isolated castles, whilst imposing edifices, were built of stones quarried from the nearby ruins. Some boast decorations and statues excavated from the rubble. The most important is Rhis, whose lord controls the iron trade between the dwarves and humans at the nearby ruins of Laurmal. Most of the inhabitants strive to maintain fidelity to the Hrestoli ways of the God Learners, rejecting strict castes, and permitting lords to fight, wizards to rule, and knights to practice wizardry, though rejecting the excesses of their ancestors. Their Men-of-All are brave, idealistic, and strive to emulate Hrestol the First Knight. They observe elaborate versions of Hrestoli chivalry252, combining the principles of lordship, wizardry, and soldiering, all constrained by elaborate codes of conduct, allowing talent to rise yet permitting the old families to maintain their ancestral traditions, titles and domains. Their clothing seeks to emulate the high fashion of the late Middle Sea Empire. In most seasons, lords and ladies wear yellow or golden silk (from Kralorela) or the finest linen garments (from Ralios) wrapped around the waist, bare-chested, but with great hats like golden towers, sometimes crenulated to resemble a Mastery Rune, cylindrical or conical in shape, as was the custom in semi-tropical Jrustela; the height of the hat denotes their status. The noblemen often shave their chins and grow impressive mustaches. Theirs was once the dominant sect of Malkionism in Old Seshnela, now almost entire supplanted by Rokarism. Their tiny but magnificently arrayed armies are a mixture of talari and Men-of-All knights, and horali. Many strive to retain the cataphracti in the style of the Middle Sea Empire, wearing the resplendent panoply of a bygone Age. If they fight among themselves, it is in elaborate horseback tourneys as much ceremonial as actual combat. Many claim their skirmishes are little more than an opportunity for their warriors and Men-of-All to display adherence to their noble code. None have the means or inclination to besiege the castles of their rivals. Their little wars are almost elaborate theatrical rituals, mostly bloodless, where deaths are rare and the fallen are mourned by both sides. They lack the numbers to withstand any invasion by Seshnela.

modern Seshnela is centered on the Lower Tanier River, boasting major cities, prosperous from the agricultural surplus of the rich and fertile plains and gentle hills, the iron trade, the flow of goods on the river, and more recently the trade along the coast from Esrolia and across the seas from distant Pamaltela. The rule of the House of Bailifes has been marked by constant warfare; the eulogies of kings are often glorifications of their victories on the battlefield, even if command was delegated to a Grand Marshal, with any defeats ignored. The king is the supreme head of the secular state, served by counsellors, administrative officers, and Rokari Watchers. For much of its history, the Seven Great Houses effectively formed semi-independent segments of the kingdom, each with their own political center, with the Counts entitled to a silver throne, the Dukes a golden throne, all theoretically under the rule of the king. Authority was divided between actual political sovereignty split between the Great Houses, each exercising control over a region, and ritual sovereignty, residing with the royal House of Bailifes. In the last generation, the kings have regained direct control of the central provinces through means fair and foul, gradually unifying political and ritual sovereignty. Each of the four castes polices its own caste, implementing its own caste laws, though holari may be employed as enforcers and guards, and the Rokari zzaburi are watchful of any unpunished caste infractions.

The Talari There are fifteen to twenty thousand talari in Seshnela divided between many large extended families. They marry amongst each other, socialize with each other, and have all manner of taboos to keep themselves above and distinct from the dronari and horali. They look to their fellow talari, in particular the House of Bailifes, and not to the lower castes. There are many rules of social etiquette, with those of inferior status or caste expected to perform proper gradients of obeisance253 and terms of address to their superiors, and how to address their inferiors. The talari are the rulers; not all talari are suited or desire to be knights, but there is much social prestige in becoming a noble warrior. Others become administrators, judges (including the arbiters between castes), courtiers, and merchants, for only their caste is supposed to deal with foreigners. Some veteran knights retire to take up one of these other careers, or withdraw to their estates.

The Kingdom of Seshnela The greatest power in south-western Genertela, 252

The observation of the ideals of Hrestolism in peace and war. They highly respect valor and skill in battle, even by foreigners.

253

Where a talar might politely bow to a higher ranked noble (with the depth of the genuflection determined by their relative status), a zzaburi addressing the same noble would raise a hand in benediction, a high ranking horali make a salute, a lower kneel, and a dronari prostrate themselves.

70

SESHNELA They may carry the Golden Badge of Talar, one of the symbols of their authority. Prior to the Seshnelan conquest, the talari of the Quinpolic League handled the trade with outsiders; the Barbarian Quarter of Noloswal was notorious for its brothels, heretic sorcerers, and demonic temples254, all things offensive to pious Rokari, and mostly now expunged.

experience. Naturally, the talar of the greatest rank has the largest personal following and so is superior to a lesser noble of greater martial skill. Each talari knight recognizes only his social superior as his better, with the king or, in the days of the Middle Sea Empire, the King-Emperor at the pinnacle of both the civil and military hierarchies. The king as the supreme talar might appoint a Master of Armies to lead armies in his stead, always a talari of high rank. Gradually in addition to the civic talari social hierarchy, a knightly system grew up in Seshnela, with the rank of Grand Knight being recognized for the most puissant, often the companion of a king or prince. In reality, a weak king of Seshnela is rarely fully in command of his subordinates. The Counts and Dukes of the seven greatest noble houses do not reside at the capital Segurane meaning that the enforcement of royal edicts can be difficult, if not impossible for an

Seshnegi Knights The term ‘Knight’ means a ‘cavalry soldier’ but can also be used by outsiders to refer to the soldier-wizards common to Hrestolism. Thus the Seshnelans might be said have talari and horali ‘knights’255 but the Loskalmi have ‘knights’ who are the Men-ofAll who have mastered how to fight from horseback. Both forms can be traced back to the teachings of Hrestol, though few Seshnelan knights save those of the Castle Coast now follow his precepts, being faithful to the Rokari creed, and all are of the noble talar caste. Talari knights have evolved from the Brithini mounted nobles and the cataphracti of the Middle Sea Empire. They are now armed, and engage in handto-hand and shock combat, charging at their foes, as fully armored cataphracti. For these knights, courage and leadership is more important than discipline, and social status determines who commands, not professional 254

Temples to various outland deities, serving the foreign traders and crews.

255

The term is used hereafter to refer only to Seshnelan noble cavalry who in the Third Age fight almost exclusively as cataphracti, as they can afford to pay for the full panoply for themselves, their retainers, and their mounts. One thing the noble heavy cavalry will not admit to is their reliance in battle on Martial Beast cavalry, which even if classed as heavy cavalry is not as heavily armored, and many carry crossbows or bows. Unsupported heavy cavalry is vulnerable to light cavalry employing hit and run tactics, though this is supposedly forbidden by the Codes of War.

71

MEN OF THE WEST ineffective king. This means that knights and Sworn horali will look to their immediate liege, a Count or Duke for leadership than being beholden directly to the king. A competent king strives to keep his high nobles at variance to minimize their counterbalance to royal authority and power. Often noble squadrons of knights will charge at the first sight of the enemy with little or no semblance of maneuvering. There is a widespread belief that true knights fight only on open ground, so that their virtue and courage is visible to all, and that only a coward cowers behind walls. There is a certain caste consciousness, meaning that knights prefer to attack other cavalry rather than infantry, and there have been cases of them riding through their own horali units, scattering or riding through them to get at the opposing knights. This tendency has resulted in the custom of deploying knights in front of the professional regiments. It took time for the lesson to be learned that cavalry and infantry are most effective when working together, but many knights still despise the infantry and the more disciplined horali cavalry. Only the best and highest ranking noble generals are able to deploy knightly cavalry to the best effect, to smash into an enemy line in column or wedge to add momentum to their charge. However, all too often the knights will bridle at such restrictions, and the column will transform into a widening and irregular line before impact. The high-born knights initially deploy in one or more ranks, with much jostling as to who has the precedence to be in the front ranks. After the initial charge a fight between numbers of opposing knights becomes a huge sprawling melee of knights fighting hand-to-hand, sometimes breaking apart to give horse and rider time to regain their breath, and then rushing together again until one side breaks and flees. The powerful frontal charge means that formations of Seshnelan knights are vulnerable on the flanks and rear, but the Codes of War prevents the horali exploiting this (though it can and does happen). This awareness of rank and privilege is apparent when an army is on the march, where the knights expect to be at the head of the column, ranked according to status, with the horali marching or riding in their dust behind them, with the dronari baggage train at the rear. In reality, the horali often position themselves in front and behind the wagons, to protect the train from attack. The estates of the highest nobility include studs to supply themselves and their followers with mounts.

Titles Noble titles in Third Age Seshnela are largely derived from the military offices and ranks of the Middle Sea Empire. Most of the administrative districts of Seshnela date back to the Second Age. Thus, the talar responsible for raising, equipping, and supplying the single Battle for an entire administrative district is still called a Count; the military overseer for several districts is called a Duke. A few sub-district regions are placed under the supervision of a Viscount. The talar of a district or districts is responsible for justice between the castes, as well as the defense of the district. Dukes, Counts, and lesser nobles are subject to the King of Seshnela, the head of the House of Bailifes who receives the sacred regalia of Seshnela from the Holy Guide of Rokar. The ruler of a district is the head of the local talar kinship group and is assisted by his entire kinship group, as well as numerous followers and noble companions. Hereditary service is the norm; however, the King of Seshnela has on several occasions removed rebellious or out-of-favor rulers and placed a district under his direct rule or that of a favorite.

Clothing Splendid tunics and other clothing of yellow identifies the caste of the talari. The wealthiest may adopt clothof-gold or yellow or golden Kralorelan silk. Poorer knights make do with yellow dyed linen or cotton. Leather belts are dyed yellow, and decorated with gold or burnished brass studs. Some knights even dye their mustaches yellow, or bleach their hair; most wear their hair long in an effort to replicate the imagined styles of the Brithini talari. Knightly tunics, worn under padding and armor are usually short with long sleeves, with embroidery at the neck and wrists, a decorative belt adorned with gold, jewels and pearls, with loose trousers, and soft leather riding boots. When not prepared for war, Seshnelan nobles wear magnificent flowing saffron256 colored robes or skirts of linen, cotton, or silk, draped across the chest from left to right fastened with a metallic, usually gold, fibulae, with the most expensive decorated with yellow gems and gold threads. If the noble wears a tunic, embroidery may be present at the neck, cuffs, and hems. Unusual decorations such as ostrich feathers from Pamaltela or Prax are greatly desired. Their long hair may be oiled or perfumed with cinnamon and myrtle, with scented unguents applied to their skin by their body servants. The king and high lords give out golden neck torcs and bracelets, and golden daggers to their noble followers, silvered bronze daggers to their horali, as

256

The dye is derived from the dried pistils inside the petals of the saffron plant. Considerable labor is required to obtain a sufficient quantity, making the dye very expensive. Despite the cost of the purple dye from the Holy Country, the talari do not wear garments of this color, as its paler shades are associated with the zzaburi caste.

72

SESHNELA signs of favor and rank within their service, and copper neck chains to distinguished dronari257. A highly decorated member of their retinue will wear multiple torcs. Less impressive gilded or silvered badges of status are awarded by the lesser nobility to their favorites. Similarly, when not arrayed in armor for war, the manes of their horses may be tied with yellow or golden ribbons, and the forelocks extended with hair of

the same color as the mane, usually human, to look even more splendid. The mount may also wear a magnificent harness, golden or gilded chains woven into the mane, bells and tassels and a plume mounted between the ears, according to the rider’s taste. In processions and warlike games, brightly colored ribbons are often tied around the animal’s legs.

Pastimes In addition to their caste duties, the life of a talar is filled with martial training, feasting, massages, hunting, playing board games258, and the company of their wives and concubines259. King Guilmarn has six wives and numerous concubines. Many knights are connoisseurs of dance, as spectators, not performing themselves. They expect their concubines, and prospective brides of the talari caste to dance for their pleasure. Talar dancing girls skilled in the traditional Serpent Dance forms260 are highly prized, and the education of a talar includes a full appreciation of the forms and meanings inherent in the dance. The retinue of a knight may also include a praise-singer, who not only sings of the noble deeds and valor of their master, but that of their ancestors. They are also expected to have memorized the epics and histories (often of dubious veracity) of Seshnela. Hunting is a popular pastime, and considered a preparation for combat. Nobles prefer to engage in hunting, mounted, and using lance, spear and sword. This enables a knight to maintain their equestrian skills when not committed in war. Lions are the most prestigious prey, but other creatures such as panthers, stags and wild boar are also popular. Dangerous animals are a better match for the

257

The zzaburi eschew such ostentation.

258

Most of these games are martial in character. The most popular is Katurang, a two-player board game (similar to chess) in which most pieces represent nobles and knights: the King, Queen, Wizard, Royal Concubines, Grand Marshal, Marshals, Archdukes, Dukes, Counts, Viscounts, Grand Knights, and several Knights. On one side, the pieces are yellow and white, and on the other, yellow and black. The most opulent sets have pieces carved from gems, the board inset with black and white marble, the cheapest, pieces carved from wood and painted. Another game is Katranj, another two-player game where the pieces reflect the four castes and are colored accordingly: Noble, Wizard, Soldier, and Worker. The aim of the game is for a Noble to become King by commanding a central square or by having the last Noble on the board. Enemy pieces of the three non-noble castes are either removed or ‘turned’ depending on how they are captured. The rules reflect an idealized form of the Codes of War, making the tactical placement of pieces important. A Noble piece is always removed when taken by another Noble. Workers are used to block squares, especially to form ‘walls’ and ‘forts’. In a Hrestoli version, lower caste pieces can be promoted to a higher caste by taking an opposing piece of higher caste; whilst popular in Loskalm, this variant is not played in Seshnela. In Shir, one player has pieces called Hunters whilst the other has Lions, each stalking the other. 259 Attitudes to sex and sensuality are caste specific: bad for zzaburi, perfectly acceptable for dronari and horali, mandatory for talari. 260

The Serpent Dance probably dates to the days of the Serpent Kings, when the priestess-dancers of Seshna performed in her temples. Similar dances are still performed for Loronaga in Laranessa, and for the orgiastic snake goddesses in their Safelstran temples. The dancers glide and twist into stylized serpentine S-curves, their upper bodies adorned with chains of brightly shining gold, copper and silver. The choreography blends hand, foot, and body movements, facial expressions, eye movements, poise, and rhythm. Each single and double hand gesture has a meaning, providing the dancer with an extensive vocabulary to communicate specific ideas, events, emotions, actions, and creatures, both mundane and mythical. Dances relating particular myths and legends considered appropriate by the Rokari, having been stripped of their pagan attributes. The eight emotions expressed are categorized as love, courage, loathing, anger, mirth, terror, pity, and surprize. Wizards, being celibate ascetics themselves, watch the dances to judge skill and the content they convey, not for any other reason… Similar but far less elaborate and often brazenly erotic dances are publicly performed by dancing girls of the dronari caste in the style called Safelstran. No talar would demean himself by watching their wanton performances. Of course not.

73

MEN OF THE WEST knight-hunter, resembling the hazardous circumstances they will encounter on the battlefield, especially when using hand weapons. A knight is extolled to ‘be a lion, and your enemies the prey.’ The image of a knight on horseback slaying a lion with a lance is a common and enduring decorated motif, found on wall panels, pottery, and tableware made of precious metals. Few if any talari hunt using the bow, considered to be a weapon of the horali, and the stalking tool of dronari huntsmen. It is not unknown for orphaned lion cubs to be reared as impressive pets, and when full grown to be kept as a dangerous adornment for a lord’s retinue, tamed or dominated by zzaburi magic.

awarded fiefs to their companions and allies, resulting in a segmented feudal system of homage and fealty. Prerogatives are jealously guarded. At the lowest level, the counts and viscounts would allot sufficient land to support and equip a knight in their service. In some cases, these allotments became hereditary, and in others were allocated to a knight whilst in service, and sometimes after their retirement. The lesser talari in service to the greater are more likely to have a level of uniformity in arms and armor, reflecting the preferences of their lord.

Tournaments Although at each level a talar owes homage to their liege lord, there remains an inclination to resist their control. Neighboring lords may defy their liege’s edicts to pursue quarrels. Nobles and knights are not supposed to openly wage war on one another, but duels and such are common. Most violence is cloaked with a veneer of politeness, and the feudal laws also prevent some deaths, as two enemies who both swear fealty to the same lord are not supposed to attempt to kill one another. Assassination is prohibited but does occur. In part an effort to redirect this internal strife in peacetime, tournaments offer an opportunity for knights to gain in prestige and renown, and for the poorer knights to win prizes and come to the attention of the higher nobility and invitations to join their retinues. If fighting mounted, it is considered poor form to attack an opponent’s horse. King Vikard of the Games bankrupted the Kingdom of Seshnela with the Most Grand Tournament of All History held in Kustria in 1511 ST that included over 10,000 combatants, 11,000 animals, and numerous dragonewts, trolls, and even Chaos monsters. The heavy taxation to pay for this spectacle led to revolts and rebellion. Since then, Seshnelan tournaments have been far more modest in scale. Nobles also display their prowess in wrestling contests and group contests, where bands of heavily armored knights charge against each other. Contests against dangerous animals (particularly lions) or exotic monsters are also very popular.

Classes of Knight The Seshnelan talari knights are divided into two classes, the greater nobility who are the heirs of great estates and wealth, and the lesser nobility who lack these benefits261. As caste is hereditary, only the favored son (primogeniture is not practiced in Seshnela) is likely to inherit the lands, wealth, and titles of their father, with the less fortunate likely to have a much smaller legacy, and their sons in turn inheriting their father’s caste, but perhaps little else. This lesser nobility must either rely on the more successful members of their family, seek service in the retinue of a greater noble, as companion, servant, or officer, in the hopes of winning not only fame and fortune but also land and perhaps a title, or become mercenaries abroad, seeking to make a fortune so that they can live as a noble ought to. If they gain sufficient fame and fortune, they can hope to be appointed as a lord of a domain by the king. If it is large enough, they can bring members of their kinship group with them and appoint them to be their deputies, viscounts, and judges. The local minor talari will try to hold on to their positions as the traditional judges of various sub-regions, or as market rulers, or other minor roles by making gifts and offering fealty to their new lord. They will seek to marry their daughters into the house of their new liege, or at least to their favorite companions, or as concubines. This drives a desire for gaining and ruling new territory, especially as recent kings have had a habit of dispossessing titled nobles and awarding their lands to themselves. The centuries of conflict between the fall of Old Seshnela and the reign of Bailifes the Hammer gave ample opportunities for a landless talar to seize or be awarded an estate. Bailifes the Hammer divided his conquests among his noble companions and allies, especially among the seven major talar houses, and these counts raised their own armies, and in turn 261

Retinue The following of a knight consists of both his own attendants and lesser talari subject or beholden to him. For the mortal Seshnelans, the ancient Brithini nurseries and breeding programs were impractical; all castes have become hereditary. Instead, the Brithini training methods were replaced by one more suited to the shorter lifespan, with young talari serving first as Retainers, maturing to become Attendants, and finally

In Carmania the warrior caste is divided into hazars (landowners) and romanak (landless warriors).

74

SESHNELA achieving knighthood (though his training is only considered complete once he had successfully proven himself in battle). Even then, they may remain in the retinue of their lord, continuing their training and schooling. Even a lower-class knight might be accompanied by three or more Attendants and as many Retainers. As the status of knight became more important, these talari were trained from birth to the saddle and the use of arms. Retainers are noble children, who from the ages of six to twelve are taught to ride and the rudiments of arms and armor, in a regimen based on courage, obedience and skill in combat, and indoctrinated into the code of morality and duty. They care and polish the arms and armor of the knight they serve, and help the knight don and take off his armor. Attendants are aged twelve to seventeen or older, who engage in training with heavier mock weapons and then edged weapons. They are instructed in morality, history and tradition. Attendants hold the knight’s horse when he wished to mount and dismount. Dronari grooms, orderlies, foragers, servitors, and entertainers complete the knight’s followers, and Several horali Sworn Men may protect this retinue. The knight’s banner would be carried into battle by a banner-man, either another knight or a Sworn Man. For a wealthy knight this retinue might include musicians, parasol-bearers, to shield the knight in or out of armor from the hot sun in summer, and others bearing fans or flywhisks. The baggage train of an aristocratic knight might number in the tens or even the hundreds, including several concubines and their female horali guardswomen – rare exceptions to the restrictions placed on women under the Rokari caste laws – and unlikely to fight in battle unless of the Snake War Society. Both Retainers, Attendants and Sworn Men ride on campaign with their knight; Attendants may fight in battle, though usually in the rear rank, and are lighter armed and armored, and are normally relegated to defending the camp and overseeing the Retainers and dronari of the knight’s following. Most Attendants aspire to knighthood, but some would instead follow one of the civic roles of their caste. The model talari hierarchy defines duties owed to superiors and responsibilities to inferiors. The fostering of sons to be Retainers and Attendants to another knight also cuts across these ranks to create a special relationship between the foster-father who ideally acts as tutor, guardian and master, with their charge. This forms a lasting bond of dependence and obligation on both sides. A knight of any importance will have at least one zzaburi among his retinue, to cast spells, perform blessings, and pray with charms and spells to ensure his master’s success and to undo the magic of his enemies.

Ransoms When rival talari fight, a defeated and captured knight can pay a ransom, often set by their rank, for their freedom. This is permitted by the King who receives a share of the ransom paid, though Rokarism frowns upon the practice as immoral, and because it is not mentioned in the Sharp Abiding Book.

Arms and Armor The knight wears scale or lamellar armor, or a mixture of padded plate and scale, of finer quality than similar armor worn by the horali, but often much more richly decorated, gilded or silvered, sometimes to a degree that makes the armor impressive visually, but not always as practical as the soldiers’ plainer armor. The panoply of a knight consists of a helmet, often with a stifling face-mask, a neck guard or gorget, and torso armor of scale or of pieces of plate, sometimes mixed together, and pieces of arm and leg armor, sometimes covering the hands and feet, with their weapons the lance, mace and sword. Some knights favor the wearing of greaves, with the decoration at the knee styled as a lion’s head. This weighty armor is worn not only to protect the knight in shock combat and melee, but also in response to the threat of missiles. Whilst knights rarely use the bow, and the Codes of War require the horali not to strike a talar, in battle, errant arrows and bolts shot at a distance do not distinguish whom they strike by caste. Even the bravest and most reckless knight is appalled by the thought of dying an ignoble death, pierced by the arrows of a social inferior or a barbarian. Face-masks or closed helmets, whilst not universal, were adopted as a result of battles against the chariot and horse archers of the Enerali in the First Age, where their heavy short arrows would find any chink in the armor of the Seshnelan cavalry. At that time, horses might be protected by leather barding, with horse and rider gradually becoming more protected, eventually to become proto-cataphracti. The face-mask may be an integral part of the helmet, or may be hinged or secured to the helmet, and only put in position when combat is immanent. These masks restrict vision, and are hot and claustrophobic to wear, especially in warm weather, even when they include breathing holes. Some are made of bronze, shaped to resemble the wearer’s face, or leather dyed yellow or even covered in gold-leaf. A tournament helmet might be fashioned to resemble a lion’s head, or another fierce animal, with the face-mask presenting a snarling visage. Closed helmets are more stifling in the Seshnelan climate, and tempt the wearer to prop them up or take them off entirely when combat does not seem immanent, and so vulnerable to unexpected attacks. A face-mask can be hinged up or removed whilst still wearing the helmet.

75

MEN OF THE WEST Helmets might be studded with precious stones, and gilded crowns or other head-gear adorned with gems and garlands. The wealthiest might wear gilded helmets with gold-leaf or golden decorations; for those unable to afford gold, burnished brass is substituted. The crown forms a band around the helmet brim, its size reflecting the status of the wearer, with the crown of an ordinary knight a simple crenulated band. In the heat of summer, turbans of cloth will be wrapped around the helmet. Knights also revel in the ostentatious display of adornments such as torcs awarded by their liege, earrings, bracelets and armlets of gold, the color and metal of their caste, and resplendent feathers to decorate their helms. Neck-protectors might be part of the helmet, or raised parts of a gorget or cuirass. Lion-skins might be worn over armor to serve as extra protection; though the symbol of the Lion War Society, any knight who has slain a lion will happily wear its skin as a sign of their prowess. Wolf and boar skins might also be worn, but are considered less prestigious. Their mount will have a chamfron to protect the head, some having eye-protectors, criniere, peytral, a

caparison, and perhaps greaves on the legs, though in hot weather some or all of this might be discarded. Horses were increasing armored as the cataphracti were developed, with a chamfron to protect the head and a scale criniere and peytral, its side by scale flanchards and its rear by a scale crupper. To bear this heavy weight, the mounts, unless of the Daron breed, have to be strengthened with zzaburi sorcery. The horse armor of a wealthy knight is decorated with embossed figures. A drawback of the heavily armored knight is that the weight of their panoply, and of their mount, limits their ability to fight for any length of time, unless their zzaburi, if they have the status to have a powerful mage in their retinue, have enhanced their strength and constitution, and that of their mount. The larger Daron horses are less able to regulate their body temperature than the smaller Galana and so rarely ridden in the hotter seasons. Cuirasses, breast-plates and even scales of scale armor are often worked with gold and be enriched with jewels (made of glass or paste for the less wealthy). The scales of armor might be edged or gilded with gold, silver, or brass. Black iron armor decorated with gold is particularly prized. Peacock-feather plumes are desirable as helmet crests. If gilding is too expensive or

76

SESHNELA impractical, the armor of a knight might be lacquered or enameled yellow. Swords were initially the weapon-of-caste of the horali and the flail and axe the tools of the dronari, whilst the staff is the sigil of the zzaburi; the weapons of the early knights were the lance carrying a pennon and the scepter-mace, usually hung on the left of their saddlebow or suspended from their belt, though later knights also adopted the use of the sword, held in a scabbardslide. The hilts of swords may be bejeweled. Maces are traditional weapons, derived from the scepters of the Brithini talari. Some are square, and others winged or spiked. These are particularly effective in delivering crushing blows and smashing the armor of a heavily armored opponent, usually another noble knight. The most effective, and heaviest, are solid metal, with the head and handle all one piece to have the maximum weight to shatter an adversary’s armor. As a further sign of their status, the higher nobles own ceremonial lances, carried in procession and parades, bearing gold or gilded heads, and even shafts gilded or wrapped in gold leaf. The headlong charge of heavy cavalry has become their defining tactic, with all its strengths and weaknesses. Drill and discipline permits some horali War Societies to fight as cataphracti using the two-handed kontos, charging in a dense ordered formation. The charge of talari knights is usually not sufficiently ordered to effectively use the kontos, and so knights charge using a one-handed lance, sometimes with a shield, with the best riding almost knee-to-knee to impact the enemy in unison. Elite bands of knights do employ the two-handed kontos, and they can be highly effective on the battlefield.

to toss its head and rear. Four-horned framed saddles are used, the front horns curving around the thigh to brace the knight when they lean forwards as their lance hits the foe; the rear horns serve to hold them in the saddle. Given the relatively warm wet climate at some times of years, horses in the Tanier valley are susceptible to split hooves because of the damp ground. This is treated with sorcery and alchemy.

Knightly Heraldry It became the custom for the shields of knights to display their identity. Many were a variant of the symbol frequently associated with Seshnela: a standing golden-maned lion derived from the Dawn Age wars between the Seshnegi and the Pendali, in which a successful warrior might nail a defeated lion’s skin to his shield or wear its flayed skin. From the early First Age, every city had its own symbol that was painted on shields. These designs serve to identify allies and opponents, but for the knight also serves to identify the individual, so that their exploits and achievements are glorified. A form of heraldry has evolved, using designs and colors. These designs are by necessity simple but elegant, favoring animals, less commonly avian motifs, and geometric shapes. White, yellow or black designs against a contrasting background ensure that the bearer can be recognized at a distance262. Yellow and gold are deemed the most noble backgrounds. Depictions of lions are the most prized, but often restricted to the households of the king and highest nobles. The lion of the king’s design is also surrounded by a circle of serpents, representing the Serpent Crown. Though the Serpent Kings and their religious practices are now reviled by the Rokari, the serpent remains an emblem of the royal house. Shields also display texts in the Western script, inscribing spells of battle, blessing, and authority, mostly taken directly from the Sharp Abiding Book. Two main types of banner are used, a long narrow flag, and a rectangular panel descending from a crossbar. Religious Runes are often shown on flags and banners, especially the Law Rune a263, occasionally portrayed with an eye within the triangle. The Hrestoli of the Castle Coast may use the iconography of the Ascended Masters, using devices they believe were used in the days of Old Hrestolism. A gold background denotes the highest nobility, followed by yellow, orange, white, and black. Shades of red are avoided as the color associated with the soldier caste, as is blue as the zzaburi color and brown as the

Horses Although the Daron breed is widely recognized as the ‘Western Horse’, its relatively few numbers in the south have always been supplemented by the smaller Galana ponies. Despite its smaller stature, the Galana is strong and resilient, but in order to carry an armed and armored rider and to bear an armored caparison and other armor, these sturdy ponies are strengthened with magic. Whilst the Daron is the preferred and much sought after mount of the western horsemen, many must ride ensorcelled Galana. Very few Sered horses have been imported from central Genertela. Curb bits are used; a metal hackamore in conjunction with a bit is routinely used on warhorses to provide the rider with very rigid control, effectively holding the horse’s head in a vice. A good rider uses its pain with restraint, as misused it can cause the animal

262

Unlike European medieval blazons, Seshnelan designs are relatively simple, though the background may be split into two colors.

263

Despite its widespread use, only the zzaburi tend to have an affinity to the Law Rune having been selected for this.

77

MEN OF THE WEST dronari. The device is most commonly displayed on a shield, but may also on banners and embroidered on the sleeveless surcoat worn to keep the sun off metal armor. It will also be worn by members of the knight’s household, and as a badge displayed by his servants. Tents and pavilions may also exhibit the design. The senior standard of a band of talari knights would be the personal banner of its commander, with the banners of other senior knights also present. The size of banners eventually was delineated by rank, with the lowest ranked talari restricted to a pennon or colored ribbons mounted on their lance. The great standards of the highest nobles are a spectacular sight, but requiring a strong standard-bearer to keep them upright. The role of standard-bearer is one of great honor, not least because they will draw the attention of the enemy, as downing or seizing a standard can have a major impact on the outcome of a battle. Guarding or retaking a banner is a way for a lesser knight to gain renown and rewards.

The War Societies of the Seshnelan Horali In the Third Age there are numerous War Societies, of diverse ages and origins; some of these horali still fight on foot, although others are now mounted; all carry swords as a right of caste. Many of these Societies are ancient, with their origins in the First Age and the wars between the Seshnegi and the indigenous Hsunchen. The most important War Societies are associated with particular cities. Each War Society is divided into one or more regiments, groups of extended families headed by a Captain, originally a talari officer, but by the Third Age a senior horali. Most are also armed with a bow or crossbow, and a variety of close combat weapons, including a singleor double-handed broadsword, spear, mace, or axe. Cavalry carry spears, lances, and bows. However, the sword is still the weapon-of-caste for the horali, and the characteristic sword of the Seshnegi is a straight and double-edged cut-and-thrust blade with a straight crossguard – a stylized Death Rune – with the hard edges of a paler bronze alloy than the core. All horali must be armed at all times, and sleep with a weapon by their side; women of the caste often wear distinctive curved daggers. Scabbards utilizing the skin of the Martial Beast are popular, and sword pommels may be styled in the manner of its head. Knights are disdainful of archery, whether with a bow or crossbow, though horali missiles are often used to support a talari cavalry charge and to repel attacks. Some consider that archery contravenes the strictures of the Codes of War, as an arrow or bolt shot by a horali can strike a talari at a distance, and wound or even kill them, contravening the rules of combat. Iron being relatively common in Seshnela, iron swords are carried by senior soldiers, though only elite officers are most likely to be armed and armored in iron. Given the warm and humid climate of Seshnela, iron arms and armor must be protected from rust by constant maintenance, dried quickly if exposed to rain, and when not in use, items may be carried in leather bags. Soldiers who are infantry tend to be more lightly armored than the talari noble cavalry, wearing cuir bouilli or leather with additional metal plates, especially at the shoulder. Cavalry and heavy infantry may instead wear scale armor, with larger scales on the torso, smaller scales on the arms and legs, and at the waist. Reddish bronze scales might be lacquered, enameled or more cheaply painted red, this being their caste color. The greaves of officers may be decorated with the stylized head of their Martial Beast. Their tunics or skirts are dyed shades of red, often with shoulder epaulette colors to indicate their rank; when not wearing armor, shoulder or chest badges display their affiliation to a Martial Beast, identifying their War Society and, if members of a Sworn

Knightly Organization A ‘regiment’ of knights is composed of the martial retinue of a hierarchy of knights, with the structure and command reflecting their relative ranks. Given the continuing history of warfare between the nobility, knights are often jealous of their rights and privileges, mindful of slights and conflicts dating back centuries; a commander must oversee the often prickly relationships between his aristocratic warriors. Despite the rejection of many aspects of God Learner society, their military ranks are now both civil and martial. The structure of the imperial armies of the Middle Sea Empire is also retained. Knightly regiments and Battles comprising several regiments reflect the aristocratic hierarchy, though the size of these units varies enormously according to the number of fighters a noble can recruit and equip. A regiment might number its noble commander and ten or twenty followers, or several hundred, the latter often including the retinue of nobles sworn to its commander.

Religious Schools The Rokari zzaburi includes a number of militant schools of wizards who specialize in combat magics. The oldest is the Order of the Iron Staff with its origins tracing to the Middle Sea Empire. Their spells augment the armor and weapons of the talari and horali fighters, and bless the armies. Another is the Iron Blood school. Others have magics to enhance the effectiveness of missiles or to cast spells which affect the morale of fighters.

78

SESHNELA Regiment the device of the Noble House they serve. Leather equipment is also dyed red. Cavalry may also employ scaled faulds or thigh protectors. Helmets will carry nodding feather crests, and may include a leather visor to shield the eyes in strong sunlight. Shields display their Martial Beast, rarely uniform in design. In the humid semi-tropical climate of the south, a surcoat may be worn over the scale, also displaying the Beast. Shield designs naturally feature the Martial Beast of the War Society, either only the head or the full body. Designs are rarely uniform, save when the work of the same dronari artisan. Shield bosses may be plain bronze for soldiers, or feature a stylized silvered animal head for officers. If of a Sworn Regiment the horali are settled around a district by their talari liege and assigned dronari guilds for their support264.

Clothing When off-duty, horali men wear a tunic and long loincloth, or a knee-length tunic also worn by women, with their hair bound by a red fillet. Men will carry their swords, suspended from a wide red-dyed belt or baldric as the symbol of their caste. The belt may also have polished bronze decorations and a buckle in the form of their Martial Beast. A red felt cap, usually worn under a helmet, may be adopted in cooler weather. So long as they display the color red, their other garments may be of other colors, though yellow, blue, and brown are caste colors and are avoided. Seshnelan tunics often feature beads of glazed clay, glass, or semiprecious gems or weighted tassels suspended upon cords hanging from the hem. From their inception, the War Societies were bands of professional well-trained troops, obeying their ancient caste laws and orders as closely as position. As a hereditary caste, sons follow their fathers into the ranks, having a familiarity with weapons from an early age. As Youths they are taught and trained, instructed that victory or death in battle is ordained for a horali as the goals of a warrior. If slain they will obtain Solace, if triumphant they will enjoy the fruits of victory. Very few have ever attained abilities equivalent to the now legendary long-lived Brithini gwymir, but an experienced horali is still a formidable fighter. A Youth will be initiated into the lesser secrets of their Martial Beast at the age of fifteen. Training is continuous with practice in the use of weapons, whether sword, spear, bow or crossbow and constant drills to enable them to fight in disciplined formations.

The Seshnelan Crossbow Infantry using crossbows employ the drill of advancing to shoot, protected by their shield, and then retiring to the rear to reload. The most proficient in their use are also employed as snipers. Larger and heavier crossbow bolts are intended to piece armor, punching through scale, with the penalty of having a shorter range than ordinary sized bolts. Whilst well made, Seshnelan crossbows are inferior to those used by Brithini horali unless they have been purchased at great expense from the dwarves. The Seshnelan crossbow uses a basic self-bow, but backed with baleen (a type of cartilage obtained from the mouths of whales) or horn, glued to the back of the bow, with smaller pieces of horn used to reinforce the nocks. This lath is set on the stock with a slider mechanism used to draw back the string; the bow must be spanned by pushing the slider against the ground leaning into the rear of the bow. When used on horseback all but the smallest have to be prepared before mounting. The smaller cavalry crossbows, unless of dwarven manufacture265, include a handle on the slider, but it requires considerable strength to span these crossbows when mounted. If shot at full gallop, the rider must hold the bolt in place with a thumb on the end of the tail. Whilst the Seshnelan crossbow can be spanned and loaded relatively quickly, it cannot match the volley rate of the Brithini horali.

Pastimes Soldiers practice and train constantly, but also have times for diversions. Hunting for game is a useful skill for foraging when one campaign. Most horali hunters use a bow or crossbow in hunting wild fowl, deer, and rabbits. Lion hunting is a

264

There is often far more caste interaction between the horali and their assigned dronari than is permitted by the Sharp Abiding Book, but these restrictions are rarely enforced. It is not unknown for a dronari youth to be adopted into a horali family to serve in their regiment even though Rokari Watchers disapprove of such infractions of caste law. 265 Those purchased at great cost from the dwarves have a steel lath with a spanning lever which can be reloaded on horseback, with a thumb trigger. Even more expensive examples include an integral screw mechanism which winds back a sliding block. Neither device have been successfully duplicated by humans as the mechanisms tend to fly apart if dismantled.

79

MEN OF THE WEST prerogative of the talari, even for the Lion War Society, unless given permission by the local ruler.

dye their facial hair; the most common color being red. The members of several societies shave their heads, completely or partially. Only those who have achieved a high rank in the cult of their Martial Beast know that Lion Man is Pendal or perhaps his father Basmol, for example. Their standards take the form of their Martial Beast, mounted atop a pole in its animal form, which may support a banner and medallions commemorating famous regimental victories. Even more sacred to a regiment are the temple standards bearing a statuette of the Martial Beast, usually as a male humanoid with a beast-head, an exception being the Snake Regiments whose figures depict Loronaga the serpent-woman. The standard-bearer often wears the head and skin of the Martial Beast over their helmets and armor, or ornate costumes styled on it (snakes large enough to be used, for example, are now rare in Seshnela, though may be found in Old Seshnela and the Sodal Marshes). Many of these skins are magically potent, inhabited by powerful spirits. In battle, they may roll their eyes, snuffle, or even roar or howl. Most are now Sworn Regiments, supported by a Noble House who they have sworn to serve. Individual regiments of the same society may be sworn to different – even feuding – noble families. A few are Free Regiments, free-booting mercenaries who serve whoever pays them. Several regiments trace their origins back to the First Age; others are less easy to track down. The ranges of many Hsunchen was much larger in the past, and some no longer present south of the Nidan and Western Rockwoods Mountain, may have been pockets isolated when the mountains were raised before Time, now extinct. In addition to the magics of their Martial Beast, many horali communities have their own special magical secrets. For example, the Segurane horali who directly serve the House of Bailifes are particularly skilled at overcoming non-horali on the battlefield.

Cults of the Martial Beasts The cults of the Martial Beasts keep their mysteries secret, with initiation being but one of several ranks in the faith. Some of these ranks are equated to the roles of lieutenant and sergeant. Most are said to have five ranks: Youth (lay member), Soldier (initiate), Sergeant (acolyte), Lieutenant, and Senior (including the regimental Captain), the latter named for the Martial Beast as a Lion, or Bear, for example. Their temples are often underground chapels reminiscent of the temples of Seshna, her Likitae daughters, and the Serpent Kings. Each combines the faith of Malkion merged with pagan gods, and makes use of the magics those deities provide. Their rituals and ceremonies can include the use of the Hsunchen language of their Martial Beast, even if only the priests comprehend these prayers. As professionals, their discipline contrasts with the individualism and reckless enthusiasm of the knights, displaying outstanding organization and mixed defensive and offensive tactical methods, with the emphasis upon attack to deliver a succession of coordinated blows. Unlike the knights, who are limited to direct frontal assaults, the horali perform coordinated actions, effectively combining missile and shock attack. Some mercenary regiments consist of only a few companies, sometimes with different companies worshipping a different Martial Beast; these varied mercenary regiments often serve under an experienced commander who has their own standard and banner, dissolving either when their contract ends, or the commander retires or dies. Most societies have a home city, where their barracks, retirement barracks for aged or crippled members, training grounds, and a temple to their Martial Beast is situated within a walled enclosure. The temple entrances above ground are usually modest in size and exterior decoration, so as not to offend the sensibilities of the Rokari Watchers, but inside they are richly adorned with ancient battle banners, including those seized from other regiments, painted friezes of famous engagements, standards, statues of famous captains and heroes, and an impressive idol of the Martial Beast, usually represented as a man with an animal head, with the exception of the Snake Woman who has a female torso, and a serpent’s head and tail. The Martial Beasts are worshipped by the horali as totems for their magic, gained without the intercession of the zzaburi caste, and are obviously barely disguised Hsunchen ancestor gods of the Korgatsu Spirit Magic Tradition. As they are less reliant upon zzaburi for their magical support, not all follow the ancient Brithini custom of horali not sporting beards. Most favor bushy mustaches, often luxuriant and oiled or waxed. Some

War Society Heraldry Soldiers of the War Societies typically display emblems displaying the stylized form of their Martial Beasts on their shields and banners. When off-duty, they may sport this crest on the shoulders of their tunics. Unlike the talari knights who are proud of their unique heraldry, the members of the regiments all display roughly the same design, though different companies may use different colors. The Beast may be white, black, or shades of red (or green for the Snake War Society) set on a contrasting background. Shades of red are most common. Different regiments of the same Martial Beast favor a different stance, so for some the Beast is in profile, others facing forward, standing, sitting or rampant.

80

SESHNELA The Boar horali adopt thick and bristly mustaches. Some who have served as mercenaries in the east, on the Manirian Road or the barbarian lands beyond, have taken to wearing boars’ tusk helmets. The Boar horali wear a bronze cuirass or scale hauberk, closed helmet, leather with padding on their mount, and are armed with sword, shield and lance or kontos. Helmets have a crest of short bristles, often dyed red. The wild boar roaming the forests and woods of Seshnela are hunted by members of the regiments for their hides and tusks. Capable of fighting afoot or mounted, members of these regiments ride horses. A very few regimental heroes in the past have quested for and ridden giant boars. The regimental standards take the form of a rampant bronze boar with golden tusks. In battle it snorts and rears up and down with its front paws, its eyes gleaming red.

Discipline Punishments in the War Societies are occasionally severe. A ‘type one’ offense (for brawling, offending employers, or being late for formation) gets the offender 10 to 100 lashes and extra duty, a ‘type two’ offense (failure to follow orders off the field of battle, or any cause for dismissal from the regiment) means that both little fingers will be chopped off, a ‘type three’ offense (desertion, killing a fellow soldier, sleeping on guard, or any action which endangers the lives of the regiment) is punishable by death.

War Societies Other beast war societies are known to those detailed here, but are smaller and regional.

The Bear War Society The Bear War Society may date to when the armies of the Silver Empire or the Middle Sea Empire came into contact with the Rathori Hsunchen in Fronela. The home cities of the regiments of this War Society are scattered across Seshnela. Their Martial Beast is Bear Man (Rathor) who bestows strength and tenacity, and most wear shaggy bear skins over their armor despite the warm climate of Seshnela save on the hottest days. Mighty warriors fight as ‘bearskin-clad ones’, clad only in the pelt of a bear, with the bear head worn over their head and helmet. Many are tall and have a heavy build, with brownish skin, brown to black hair and sporting bushy mustaches. The nearest significant population of bears live under the forbidding boughs of the Tarinwood, and hunters may seek them there. Fighting as heavy infantry, they are equipped with scale armor and greaves, and carry sword, shield, and spiked mace. Unlike other War Societies their tunics are red with a black or very dark brown trim. Different regiments may revere a different species of bear. A very few regimental heroes have gained bear companions who fight beside them. Their standards consist of a bronze bear mounted on a pole, which rears up and roars in battle, flailing its mighty forelimbs.

The Bull War Society The Bull War Society is thought to have its origins in the wars of the Silver Empire with the bull-riding Tawari of Fronela, who ruled the other Enjoreli tribes and led the resistance against the Malkioni colonies in the First Age. Their Martial Beast is the wide-horned Bull Man (Tawar266), who gifts those who venerate him with strength and battle rage. They are renowned for their fierceness in combat. The small city of Harsad is their home. The soldiers of the Bull sport thick mustaches, waxed to a point, emulating the horns of a bull. They often adorn their helmets with detachable bull horns. These heavy cavalry cataphracti regiments wear bronze or thick cuir boilli scale armor, greaves and vambraces, and are almost as heavily armored as talari knights. They are armed with sword,

The Boar War Society The Boar War Society regiments claim to date to the Silver Empire and its campaigns in Fronela, but some regiments were probably founded as a result as the Middle Sea Empire campaigns in Maniria. Their Martial Beast is Boar Man (commonly lusty Bakan the phallic boar god though the high initiates of some regiments know him instead as Mralot) who gifts them their tenacious and ferocious attacks. They favor the ‘boar’s head’ assault wedge formation. 266

Or perhaps Bemur or Urox. The inner secrets of the Bull War Society remain mysteries.

81

MEN OF THE WEST shield, crossbow, and mace. The regimental standards are either a bull’s head or a golden bull with long horns. The bull figurine stamps its hooves, shakes it head and snorts in battle.

strikes with its forelegs when the regiment is fighting. Helmets usually bear dyed horsehair crests.

The Lion War Society The Lion War Society is one of the oldest war societies; it was founded, it is averred, during the wars with the Pendali, and fought originally as infantry, only much later as heavy cavalry. Their home is the city of Levane near the ruins of the city of Basmol, an ancient fortress of the Lion People. Some marched with Talor the Laughing Warrior in the wars against Nieby when he returned from the Underworld, and those still in Seshnela have a distant and unsuspected kinship with the lion soldiers of Pelanda far to the northeast, including the Lasadag Lions of the Lunar Empire. It is rumored that their most secret rituals are performed in the tunnels under the ruins of the lion city, and that they have dealings with the Basmoli of Ralios who also go there. They venerate a sacred lion skin and their Martial Beast is the Lion Man (variously identified as Basmol or his son Pendal), who provides his worshippers with gifts of strength, courage, and aggression. A senior horali of the Lion regiments wears a lion’s skin, and even a lion’s skinned head over their helmet. Others wear lion claws as charms. The bravest hunt cave lions in the Tarinwood, their black manes being very distinctive. They wear big bushy mustaches, favor wearing their hair long but usually braided, and otherwise shave their faces. Lion cavalry wear scale cuir boilli and leather armor, greaves and vambraces, and carry a sword and shield for close combat, and a bow267. Their standards depict a golden lion (about 30cm tall in repose) atop the pole. The lion is normally at rest, but is on all fours when the regiment

The Deer War Society The Deer War Society fight as light cavalry riding upon horses, and their origins lie in the wars with the Hsunchen of Ralios. Their Martial Beast is Deer Man (Damal) who favors them with surefooted riding animals. Their home is Finval in the north east, on the Nidan River. Herds of deer live in the nearby woods and forests. The Deer horali wear leather armor and are armed with a sword, shield, spear, and self-bow, able to fight as mounted archers or in hand-to-hand combat when the enemy is in disorder. Their standards are either a magically preserved deer head or a statue of a bronze deer. In colder weather, cloaks of red deer skin are prized.

The Horse War Society The Horse War Society have always been cavalry and now fight as cataphracti. The heavily fortified city of Fornalor on the banks of the Lower Tanier River near the edge of the Sodal Marshes is the home of the Horse Society of horali soldiers and it is famed for its cavalry. The best horses in Seshnela come from here, whether of the Daron or more common Galana breeds. The regiment dates either from when the Seshnegi fought the Enerali horse barbarians or when Arkat recruited them to his cause (perhaps a combination of the two), and their Martial Beast is the Sun Horse Man (Galanin) who gifts them with swift steeds. Many recruits might trace their descent from the ancient Fornaoli. Historically, there has been at least one regiment of female horali who venerated the Horse Woman (Galana), when the Middle Sea Empire controlled Galin, Estali, Helby, and Tiskos in Ralios. Several of the Horse regiments retain the Enerali enmity for the Lion Men, and rarely work well with Lion Warrior Society regiments. The cavalry wear bronze scale armor, greaves and vambraces, and are armed with sword and shield, and long two-handed kontos spears. Their small shields display a running white or golden horse, often within a fiery Solar disk. Senior officers and regimental priests prefer to ride white horses in processionals and ceremonies, but most do not ride them on campaign because they make inviting targets. Their tunics are red with white hems. Their standards are either an ensorcelled horse head or a golden statue of a stallion, which rears and 267

There are indications that the innovation of mounted archery was introduced during the Middle Sea Empire’s surrogate campaigns in Fronela.

82

SESHNELA marches, and stands rampant during a battle. Before contact, the standard makes a huge roar to frighten the enemy.

Mammoth hide and tusks are exceedingly rare in the south, and the regiments must often pay enormous sums to merchants who can procure these items from the far north. Plaques of mammoth ivory as decoration for helmets, scabbards and other ornaments are highly prized by the Mammoth horali.

The Mammoth War Society The origins of the Mammoth War Society are obscure and may also date to the times of the Silver Empire or Middle Sea Empire when its soldiers encountered the Hogari Hsunchen who were more common in the First Age than they are now; legends suggest a few clans of the peaceful Kivitti Mammoth People may have also lived in lowland Karia in Ralios but are long extinct. Their Martial Beast is Mammoth Man (Hogar), often viewed as a fabled being as very few have witnessed the living creatures of Hogar in the far frozen north of Fronela. He provides his worshippers with steadfastness and hardiness, much as the mammoth boasts a thick skin and pelt. Many of the soldiers of the Mammoth regiments grow tall and bulky, and style their mustaches with white wax or grease as though they were tusks, sometimes with silver rings or tips. Mammoth War Society cataphracti cavalry are armored in bronze or cuir boilli scale, greaves and vambraces and are equipped with a sword, shield, large crossbow268, and spiked mace. Their standards bear bronze statues of a shaggy wooly mammoth, an exotic beast in subtropical Seshnela, which trumpets and shakes its head when a regiment is in combat. The standards of some regiments also boast long tusks, ancient yellowed relics, held together with bands of silver and gold; these are inhabited by particularly venerable and powerful mammoth spirits.

The Snake War Society The Snake War Society soldiers have always fought as light infantry and their home is the ancient city of Laranessa, which lies close to the shattered lands of Old Seshnela. Their Martial Beast is, surprisingly, the Snake Woman, widely known to be Loronaga269, a magical serpent-woman, who is appeased with an annual ecstatic festival and martial games. Members of the Society are enthusiastic participants. This society claims to trace its origins to the days of the Serpent Kings, and their cult is perhaps a survival of the once widespread worship of the Likitae. They may have originated as temple guards. More female horali serve in its ranks than in any other War Society. The horali wear either helmets resembling a serpent’s head or snake masks attached to their helmets, and they wear light scaled green-dyed lacquered leather decorated with snakeskins in honor of their patron. Some wear armor fashioned from crocodile hide, as sufficiently large snakes are rare in Seshnela and are held to be sacred to the likatae. They carry a sword, shield, and crossbow. Some of the crossbow bolts are fashioned such that they can be dipped in waxy poison, though this preparation slows the rate of shooting. These regiments are known for their stealth and scouting abilities. Standards are in the form of either long billowing wind-socks, fashioned as a fabric tube, shaped and painted to resemble a serpent with fangs and a forked tongue, or the figure of a copper snake. Both types rear and hiss in battle.

The Stag War Society The Stag War Society venerate Stag Man (Pralor) as their Martial Beast, who gives them speed and maneuverability. Unusually, they never sport beards or mustaches and keep their hair shaved or cropped short. Their helmets may have (detachable) antlers, either real or fashioned from hollow bronze tubes. The Stag horali fight as either heavy or light cavalry, the former wearing bronze scale, the latter wearing leather. Both are armed with a two-handed spear, swords or axes, and shields, though a shield of any size

268

A large crossbow cannot be easily reloaded on horseback, and so these are used either as a single-shot weapon when approaching the enemy, or when the user is fighting on foot. 269 One of the ancient Likitae. In Peloria, in Terarir and Lakrene, Loronaga is accounted the leader of the Seven Terrible Children of Ganagin Oria the primeval ever-hungry green-haired goddess of blood, Earth and sexuality, she who feasts upon those who fall in battle and drinks the blood of men.

83

MEN OF THE WEST cannot be wielded when using the two-handed kontos. Their standards may be either a stag’s head, richly endowed with antlers or a silver figurine of a stag. It barks challenges and shakes its head and antlers when the regiment is in combat. A very few soldiers ride stags, trained for war, procured from Pralorela.

a uniform structure and a clear hierarchy of command, with each Leader of Ten being ranked by seniority within a company, and the leader of a company ranked by seniority within a regiment. Many Captains are wary of having their troops deployed in front of or near knightly formations. Each company has its own standard, smaller and less ornate than the regimental standard, featuring their Martial Beast, and often immobile unless the standard is very old and formidable. Orders are relayed by trumpets or drums, with each regiment having its own set of command signals.

The Wolf War Society The Wolf War Society have fought as light infantry since their founding, known for their skill in stalking and ambush. Their origins may date to Arkat’s war with the Telmori who were allies in Ralios of Nieby, and the Pure Ones who fought under his banner. Grey-walled Ukos at the confluence of the Nidan and Lanator rivers is their home. They venerate a sacred wolf skin and their Martial Beast is Wolf Man (Telmor270). Their shields are grey, depicting a wolf’s head. Wolf soldiers wear leather armor, though some fight as ‘wolfskin-clad ones’, clad in the pelt of a wolf, with the wolf head worn over their head. They are armed with sword, shield, and bow. Wolves live in the Tarinwood, and the brave or foolhardy will risk the enmity of the elves to hunt them there. Rarely a regiment may send a band of hunters into Ralios to hunt the wolves there. The standards either hold up the head of a real wolf, magically preserved, or a silver wolf figurine. Each type of standard bars its fangs and howls in battle to terrify the enemy.

The Codes of War The horali caste of Seshnela is subject to the Codes of War, and many supporting zzaburi combat spells require that the soldiers have not violated any of the Code (or have been purified of any violation 272). Some of the more important codes include:  Combat must be confined to the horali and talari.  Obedient dronari must not be attacked for any reason, nor should disarmed and seriously wounded horali unless slain as an act of mercy.  A horali must never strike a talari273.  Fighting must not continue after sunset unless the foe is krjalki, barbarians, or heretics.  All foes must be defeated.  Raids must only be undertaken to compensate for past losses or to humiliate the enemy – never simply for personal enrichment.  A woman must not be looked at in battle unless she challenges you. Unless a woman is in your enemy’s army as a horali, you must not attack her. If she is a talari, she can only be attacked or asked to surrender after the whole army is defeated.  The objective of war is victory.  A traitor must never escape death.

War Society Organization Each regiment is divided into a number of companies, in the larger regiments each numbering a hundred infantry or fifty cavalry, and each company composed of cells271 of ten soldiers. Regiments can number anywhere from 80 to 1,200 soldiers. The smaller regiments are likely to be employed as palace or household guards for a talar, but may still fight in battle. Ranks are a Leader of Ten, a Leader of a Hundred for infantry, or a Leader of Fifty for Cavalry, with the regiment led by a Captain. The entourage of a Captain consists of the regimental standard-bearer, a musician, two runners to convey orders, and the warrior-priest of the Martial Beast and their assistants. A zzaburi sorcerer may also serve with the Captain. Compared with knightly units which vary enormously in size and discipline, horali regiments boast

270

The earliest date of these Codes is hard to ascertain. The decree never to attack talari may date to when Brithini talari acted as unarmed officers, not when Seshnegi talari first fought as armed knights. It is hard to imagine soldiers of the War Societies not at least defending themselves from attacks by mounted knights. The requirement not to attack obedient dronari means that the servitors in an enemy camp or fortification are expected to surrender; those who attempt any resistance are disobedient to their caste

An Old Seshnegi text names Telmor as Lokal. This name is said to be used in some of the inner rites of the Wolf War Society.

271

The term ‘cell’ dates back to the Brithini horali and refers to the rooms allocated to each cell of cadets in their barracks. The usage continues to be used for a squad of ten horali. In the Third Age each squad is traditionally allocated a pair of rooms, one behind the other, with the outer room used as an equipment store, quarters for dronari servants, and as a common room, and the inner used as sleeping quarters. 272 The need for such purification suggests that the Code is often flouted in practice, as such niceties are difficult to enforce in the tumult of battle. 273

Surely they are permitted to defend themselves and retaliate if attacked. This rule may indicate they are not permitted to initiate combat.

84

SESHNELA laws and may be attacked and cut down without mercy. The ruling never to attack non-combatant women seems to be of a later date, as it is now permissible to attack (and strike) a horali or talari female fighter. Obviously, despite the earlier restrictions, women were no longer restricted to the menena caste and could don armor and take up the weapons of the martial castes. When fighting other Rokari Malkioni, adherence to the rules of caste mean that the status of a foe can be easily recognized by the color of their garb: yellow and gold for talari, red and ruddy bronze for horali, tones of brown for dronari. A woman wearing armor may also not be recognized as such in the heat of battle 274. Zzaburi can be recognized by their tall hats, long clothes and beards. Barbarians are outside this system, and unless awarded a caste and adopting its colors, would not be protected by these codes. It must be assumed that heretics are identified and named by a zzaburi Knower or Watcher and that traitors are identified by the commanding Talar, and that these directives override the others which restrict who may be fought. No codes but local custom restrain the actions of the talari knights, though some endeavor to fulfill the Codes of War as a matter of personal honor.

bystanders. Often the aim is to kill or capture the enemy commander, to hold them for ransom. Horali cavalry is also used to threaten enemy infantry, forcing them to stand in place; light cavalry is used to harass the foe, and to pursue them if they rout. Horali infantry are mostly lightly armed, and fight as scouts and skirmishers. The Bear Regiments are an exception, often employed to engage enemy infantry who have resisted the attack of the cataphracti. The infantry also provides a place where cavalry can rest, re-equip, and rally, though a force of routed knights may flee leaving their horali to hold off the enemy and retreat. The Codes of War permit them to surrender if outnumbered or in an impossible position.

Navy Whilst they retained their independence, the maritime cities of the Quinpolic League, the cities of Arsden, Egarun, Manday, Noloswal, and Oradaros, and independent cities, including New Pasos, Nolos, and Pithdaros, used triremes to defend their regional naval dominance. These are built to the Kethaelan pattern, and are capable of travel along the coast or open seas. A few larger quadriremes275 were being built in imitation of those more recently developed in the Holy Country at the time of the Seshnelan invasion. Captains and officers are of the talari caste, marines, horali, whilst the helmsmen, deck crew, and oarsmen are members of the dronari. Some triremes carry light ballista at the prow. Navigationalist wizards, deemed heretics by the Rokari High Watcher, invoked and propriated various sea entities and were skilled in strengthening and enhancing the capabilities of their ships. A trireme has three inclined banks of oars each side, the lowest bank (the hold-rowers) emerging from oarports through leather sleeves to hinder the taking on of water, the middle bank (the thwart-rowers) from under the outrigger, and the upper bank (the stool-rowers) fixed to rowlocks through the outrigger extending beyond the side of the hull. Each oar is rowed by one oarsman, sitting on a leather cushion. There are 27 oarsmen each side at the lowest level, 27 either side at the middle level, and 31 on each side at the top level (where there is room for four additional rowers, one fore and three aft, where the hull is shallowest). The vessel has two sails, a square sail rigged from the main yard amidships for propulsion, and a smaller ‘boat’ sail at the prow to aid steering. The oarsmen in the lower and middle banks are protected by the wooden hull; the upper bank is more exposed, and may be protected from spray and missiles by a parablema, a wicker, canvas, or leather side-screen,

Tactics Seshnelan tactics are defined by the combination of talari knights, often undisciplined but privileged by their caste, and the professional horali regiments. This is expressed by the division of cavalry into talari ‘offensive’ cavalry and ‘defensive’ horali cavalry. Given that the noble knights have been known to ride through their own troops to attack enemies, especially their social equals, they are almost always formed up at the front of the battle line, or at the front of the right flank. The horali cavalry are positioned to protect the flanks and rear of the knights, especially regiments armed with crossbows, whilst those with lances and kontos are sometimes employed to support the noble attack. If their charge fails and the knights are pursued back to their lines own by enemy cavalry, the horali cavalry are also used to drive back any horali pursuers. Should the knights rout the enemy, the horali are employed to chase them from the field. If both sides are fielding horali troops, then these will engage each other even as the knights batter their caste equals and inferiors. Cataphracti are relatively slow and lack maneuverability, and are employed to either smash infantry formations, or to engage other cataphracti. The latter is most common between opposing noble houses, when the supporting infantry are, if present, mere 274

A commonplace cliché in Seshnelan poetry is a noble knight slaying his opponent in single combat only to find that they are a beautiful maiden, and the knight is struck with love and sorrow when her face-mask is removed. 275 A bireme with 44 oars in two banks on each side, each oar having two rowers. These vessels would be faster than a trireme.

85

MEN OF THE WEST and by the upper deck. Unlike the Holy Country triremes, the prow of a Seshnelan trireme may lack a raised stempost to allow a clear arc for the flat trajectory of a light ballista. When not in use, such engines are covered by waxed leather sheets to protect them from sea spray and rain. With the fall of the Quinpolic League to the forces of Seshnela in 1623 ST, some of the Sea Alliance’s triremes and merchant ships escaped to join the Wolf Pirate fleet or to become independent privateers or mercenaries. The remainder were either destroyed in the fighting or were seized by the Seshnelans.

Scale lamellar armor is only slightly less common, consisting of many individual small narrow rectangular plates (scales or lamellae) laced into horizontal rows, often attached to a backing of cloth or leather. Lamellae overlap upwards and provide better protection from attacks where a spear or sword blade slides upwards, making it better for cavalry defending from footmen stabbing upwards. Composite scale armor may include vertical metal plates and splints joined with rivets. A scale hauberk is very rigid, and usually has a fulllength opening on the left, protected by a shield, or at the front, and fastened with buckles or ties. This cuirass can have very short sleeves covering the shoulder, but no longer, because scale is relatively inflexible. Artistic representations of scale entirely covering the limbs are highly suspect, because even fine scales lack the required flexibility. A belt is worn over the hauberk. The hauberk can be reinforced by plates fastened to the chest. Wide sleeves of scale or banded plate manica can be attached using buckles and straps. The upper arm may also be protected by shoulder-flaps attached at the rear just below the arm holes, and brought forward over the shoulders and secured at the front using a set of leather or heavy cord ties. Padded or quilted garments are worn under the metal armor, with short or long sleeves. Infantry may have a skirt of leather with bronze plaques attached (some who have served as mercenaries in central Genertela have adopted leather or thick linen pteruges instead), and some protect their legs with greaves backed by padding, defending the shin from knee to ankle. Horsemen may wear a bronze or cuir boilli short scale hauberk or a two piece bronze breastplate, a skirt of scale armor, with their arms and legs covered in bronze plates, either as hooped articulated manica or as hooped splints, or leather covered with fine scale

Seshnelan Trireme Length Beam Draught Speed Sail: Oars: Maximum Fast Cruise Slow Cruise

40m 5.49m outriggers 3.96m hull 0.914m Knots Duration 3-7 Daylight 9 20 minutes 4-5 3 hours 3 9 hours

Seshnelan Arms and Armor The Western straight two-edged sword is now ubiquitous, carried by talari knights and horali soldiers. Scale armor is the most common form worn by soldiers, made of hundreds of overlapping rows of individual plates of various shapes and sizes with two or four holes drilled into the sides, threaded with a bronze wire or leather thongs sewn onto a cloth, leather or hide backing. The scales overlap downwards, with the roughly triangular scales resembling the triangular scales of a fish or reptile. Other scale shapes are square or rectangular with rounded lower corners. Scale tends to overlap downwards, giving better protection from attacks where a blade will slide downwards. Such armor is worn by infantry and cavalry.

86

SESHNELA reaching to the wrists or ankles with the heaviest entirely covering the hands and feet, with the neck protected with a gorget of riveted plates. Some may adopt very fine scale-covered gauntlets (of dwarven manufacture) and greaves. Those of great wealth may own fabulously expensive chainmail made by the dwarves. One drawback of the articulated armor is that whilst it provides a high degree of protection, it is also fairly inflexible. This matters little for the legs, used to grip and guide the horse, but the manica worn on the arms restricts movement to such a degree that whilst the wearer can hold and use a lance or kontos, they will be clumsy and slower when using a sword or mace. Cavalry, whether talari or horali, may also wear faulds of scale or plate hanging from the cuirass or corselet, from a belt or fastened around the thigh, to protect the abdomen and thighs. Helmets are either made in a single piece, hammered out, or made of several pieces riveted together, connected by a central ridge. Most sport crests, often of feathers. Some helmets are worn with anthropomorphic face-masks, with shaped eye-slits, eyebrows, nose and mouth-slits, often intended to resemble the face of the wearer276. The helmet may also have scale hanging from the sides and the back of the head, sometimes acting as neck protection. The best armor is crafted and fitted to the wearer so as to be comfortable and not to impede movement. Cheaper armor, especially if not manufactured for a specific customer, will be less comfortable to wear. Only the very wealthiest can afford to pay a fortune commissioning superior arms and armor from the dwarves of Belksan or Nida which will include fine chainmail, especially at the joints.

into and weakening the interior earthen core. Fired and unfired bricks are vulnerable in the warm humid climate of Seshnela, and are protected by magic and also more mundane drainage and ventilator systems consisting of a network of small tunnels and channels which take advantage of the prevailing winds. The walls are often of considerable width and height, with the gateways being a tunnel through the interior of the wall, with the most elaborate leading to one or more enclosed courtyards, in which invaders can be slowed and attacked. Vertical shafts may run between the gate chamber with the platform above it, permitting defenders to drop rocks, heated sand, flaming oil, and missiles down on anyone who manages to get through the iron-bound gates. The walls may also incorporate arsenals, storage chambers and barracks within their breadth. Walls were periodically rebuilt as the earth slumps over time. However, since the Ditcher’s Rebellion277 of 1470 ST, many of these walls have been reduced in defensive value to little more than protection against thieves and bandits and to enforce tolls. Gate towers protect the entrance, incorporating armories and barracks, surmounted by a roofed pavilion or cupola, which serves to protect shelter both from the weather, and hostile missiles and magic. The gate tower may be flanked with bastions. Taller towers permit zzaburi wizards to cast spells at enemies at a greater distance as well as being utilized as lookouts and signaling posts. The parapets and slits for arrows, and larger openings for ballista, permit the defenders to shoot missiles and drop rocks and pour boiling water or oil down upon attackers. Access ramps lead up to the walls from the interior, flanking a tower. Cities and larger castles typically have an ornate ceremonial entrance with an impressive gatehouse above it. Wooden gates are bound with iron or bronze, often ornately decorated and reinforced with magic to both strengthen them and ensure the wood is not flammable. Lesser towers will be found at the corners and along the length of the walls. Ditches and moats may supplement the defensive walls. Important cities may boast more than one defending wall. The capital Segurane, is surrounded by three rings of great stone walls built in imitation of the proud and gleaming triple white walls of Imperial Frowal which now serve quarries for the local princes. Seshnelan cities, like other Western conurbations, are built on a grid system, and are be divided into the residential, and the noble’s citadel-palace and administrative sections, separated by a wall, with the former divided according to caste and subcaste, and the

Seshnelan Fortifications Seshnelan cities have been walled since long before the Dawn. The centuries of fighting in the chaos after the fall of Old Seshnela, have also resulted in a tradition of robust fortifications, often called castles, placed either as citadels in a city, or standing alone. City walls, and the outer circuit walls of larger castles, traditionally consist of a foundation of bedrock or compacted rubble, surmounted by a core of rammed earth or clay, enclosed with fired brick and mortar or dressed stone; stone may be shaped and formed by sorcery. Battlements of stone or brick parapets sit atop the wall. The upper level is paved with stone or fired brick. The defenses may be stabilized and strengthened with sorcery. Stone or terracotta drainage spouts are built to ensure that water does not sit atop the walls, soaking 276

A talari face-mask depicts a shaven face, horali masks include a moustache, whilst that of a Man-of-All would have a beard but lack a moustache.

277

The dronari dug deep ditches around their towns and cities, where they also made tall walls of the excavated earth. In response, King Urfenthos had many walls demolished, and some cities and towns destroyed.

87

MEN OF THE WEST dronari quarter is further divided by guild. The administrative districts contain noble palaces, courts, pleasure gardens, a temple to the Invisible God278, and private quarters for the lesser talari. The districts of the other castes have well drained straight main streets paved with cobbles. Beyond the main thoroughfares run narrow, filthy, dark, and often winding lanes. Castles tend to be square or rectangular in shape. Where possible their construction takes advantage of difficult terrain, but most of Seshnela is relatively flat. The smallest resemble towers, complete with a cupola or pavilion, whilst larger castles may have towers at the corners and defending the gate. Castles are preferably built upon bedrock, but where this is not possible, the foundations are dug as deep as possible to prevent sappers undermining or tunneling under the walls, and filled with rubble or dressed stone. The walls above the foundations are of fired brick, or when quarries are conveniently nearby, stone, which is dressed. As with city defenses, the walls and foundations are enhanced with magic. The walls of a castle enclose vaulted corridors, niches and narrow rooms with arrow slits. The windows of castles and towers are sheltered with triangular coverings. Towers and walls are frequently decorated in the Western script with phrases taken from the Sharp Abiding Book proclaiming phrases such as ‘Hold fast and steady through your faith in the Creator.’ The largest fortress-palaces may incorporate pleasantly cool courtyards and gardens with fishponds and small lakes, and roofed colonnades, with the barracks of the horali serving to protect the inner talari residences and dronari servant quarters. Their gateways can include features used in the defense of a city gate. Seshnelan religious architecture is geometric in style, with comparatively plain pillars, though not totally devoid of ornamentation. Rokari temples are ornately decorated with Runes, arabesque writing and geometric designs. Calligraphy is deemed a high art. The palaces of the talari often display exuberant architecture, richly festooned with decoration, in which proud lions and graceful lotuses are common motifs. Cities and castles are built where water is available from wells and springs, supplemented by cisterns. Seshnelan armies are capable of besieging and assaulting fortifications, using ballistas and catapults. Dronari miners are skilled at digging under the walls, and sieges often include grim battles underground. Some talari employ dwarven sappers hired from

Belksan, though the fees they demand are ruinous.

Military Camps Whilst the camps of Martial Beast regiments are laid out in an orderly manner, with rows of tents and often a defensive ditch dug by their dronari workforce, those of knights are not as tidy. The commander of an army of knights can rarely impose his will upon them. Each leader of a retinue of knights will claim an area not based solely upon what their following requires, but upon their status, and their opinion of how much space each man requires. A defending ditch and palisade, if any, will only be built by the dronari servitors, as no noble, and no knight, would sully their hands with manual labor. Sometimes these defenses are dug to protect their own retainers, as other nobles in the same army may be old foes or rivals. Tents often consist of a canopy, to provide shade, and sides which can be raised to catch a cooling breeze.

Seshnelan Martial Music The charge of talari knights is signaled by trumpets and other wind instruments. On the march, a knight might expect to be entertained by flutists and lyre players, and in camp be diverted by singers and by dancing girls with tambourines, belled anklets and finger-cymbals. Horali tend to march to the sound of kettledrums, which are also used to convey signals for maneuvers. The drums are shaped like pots or upended cones, covered by a taut skin or membrane, struck with drumsticks. Several different sizes are used, the smaller carried by footmen or cavalry with the drum suspended on straps, with the largest carried by pack animals. Drums may also have bells mounted around the rim. Some of these drums are described as sounding like thunder or the roaring of wild beasts, intended to unnerve the enemy. The Mammoth War Society use long curving bronze trumpets resembling tusks that make a deep reverberating sound like that of their Martial Beast. Few Seshnelans have ever seen or heard the loud rumbling and trumpeting of these fabled creatures of the far northern taiga in the shadow of the looming cliffs of old ice. It is said that when these horns sound, the foe shivers not just with fear but with the touch of the icy breath of the far distant glaciers. I

278

The Invisible God is impossible to depict and so Rokari temples to the Invisible God are decorated with the Word of the Invisible God written in the Western script. Phrases from the Sharp Abiding Book in beautiful and elaborate calligraphy decorate not only books, but walls, ceilings, weapons, shields, coins, sculptures and everything else. These decorations are more than mere art - they reinforce the essential nature of what is being decorated. The Eye in the Law Rune is widely used as a symbol of the Invisible God, but does not depict it. It is a mark of heretic henotheist Malkioni sects that they give the Invisible God a form; for example, the outland Aeolian school worship the Invisible God as the supreme Creator and depict him as an elderly crowned god with thirteen (eight powers plus five elements) heads and four arms, holding a measuring stick, a book or scroll, and a string of eyes. Similar depictions are found in Safelster.

88

FRONELA

Fronela This cold but temperate land is dominated by the mighty Janube River. In the north are dark pine forests shared by barbarians and elves; in the west, the lowlands are dominated by the kingdom of Loskalm which strives to attain and maintain the ideals of the philosophies of New Hrestolism; the south and the great river valley to the east hold many diverse peoples. The icy Maidstone Mountains are inhabited by elves in the forested slopes and the Maidstone Archers, who were discovered by humans during the Second Age; they are headless three-armed monsters who are now valued by armies as mobile living ballistae.

in forest, and divided by rivers running north from the high peaks of the Nidan Mountains. The western plains are now famed for the large robust Daron horses, ridden by heavily armed and armored cavalry, especially the Men-of-All of Loskalm. The Janube River is the main east-west conduit for trade and transport in Fronela. The hill lands and forests hinder movement; there are few decent roads outside Loskalm. The magical roads of Fronela were fragmented and suppressed by the Ban, but with the Thaw are gradually being restored, as each portion of the Ban is lifted. However, not all stations on these paths are the same as they were before, and the Cursed City of the Kingdom of War is now a major and highly dangerous node. The land is named for the Land Goddess Frona, the mother of Rathor the White Bear. The demigod Oran wooed and married her to become the First King of Fronela before Time. Frona is depicted as a paleskinned goddess with golden hair, who wears a bearskin cloak and is crowned with a wreath of oak leaves, carrying a sheaf of rye.

Climate and War Lying south of Walwind’s279 great glacier, and north of the tall snow-capped Nidan Mountains, the climate of Fronela is cold and wet with heavy snowfalls in Sea Season which become severe in Storm Season, only warming in Fire Season, with chilly rains in spring. Whilst the inhabitants are inured to their climate, the military campaign season for all but the White Bear People centers around Fire Season, and a few weeks to either side. In the Gods War the region was entirely covered by Walwind’s ice sheets and the land still bears the marks of the weighty passage of the ice. Northern Fronela is a cold steppe dotted with herds of caribou and mammoth, while to the east lies the thick forests of Rathorela.

Religion The Kingdom of Loskalm is the center of New Hrestolism, with numerous other Malkioni sects, including other varieties of Hrestolism and henotheist cults scattered among the other city-states and kingdoms281. Theyalan and Hsunchen religions are widely found. The followers of the Red Goddess live in the eastern city-states. Several summits in the Nidan and Western Rockwood Mountains are among Orlanth’s Great Sacred Mountains; pilgrims from across Fronela and further afield travel to the holy shrines associated with these imposing and majestic peaks.

Terrain and Mobility The wide Janube River, flowing over 750 km from the Sweet Sea280 to the Ozur Sound, divides Fronela into two, the cooler lands to the north, and the marginally more temperate lands to the south. At the Dawn, Fronela was covered by the vast Greenwood Forest that spread from the White Sea in the east to the Neliomi in the west. The western lands are now mostly coastal plains, the valley of the Janube is fertile, with Sog City at the delta in the west, the Junoran principalities, and the Janube city-states stretching to the east. Beyond the Junoran floodplain, the land is covered with mixed forest, with the southern regions more rugged, covered 279

Calendar The Loskalmi chronology divides Time into Ages; their Second Age started with the defeat of Gbaji (450 ST) and their Third Age commenced with the end of the Middle Sea Empire (990 ST).

The Malkioni name for Valind, the Orlanthi god of winter.

280

The Sweet Sea, known locally as the Mabakarrisaro, is drained by two rivers: the Janube flowing west and the Poralistor flowing east into the Kenyrian Sea. Before Time, the Janube Sea covered much of Fronela, rendering Sog City into an island. When the sea dried out this threatened the ancient agreements the wizards of the city had made with the Waertagi. They began a massive spell and reawakened the Janube and guided its path to flow the length of Fronela until it reached the coast and streamed around Sog City. 281 There are a very few Rokari in Loskalm, due to missionaries sent after the Opening with more in Junora, but not in any great numbers.

89

MEN OF THE WEST The Jonatlings use the Theyalan calendar.

Their Enjoreli foes fought with weapons of stone and wood, enthusiastically utilizing plundered bronze blades, and were armored in furs, leather, or lamellar of plates of horn, hoof and bone stitched together, with their greatest warriors the Tawari bull-riders, supported by the powerful Hykimi shamans. Some may have had bronze arms and armor obtained from the itinerant Third Eye Blue smiths.

The History of Fronela The First Age The Armies of Fronela at the Dawn At the Dawn, Fronela was covered by the vast Greenwood Forest that spread between the seas. Malkioni colonies from Brithos and later Seshnela were clustered along the coastline, with Akem the largest and most successful. Hostile Hsunchen inhabited the interior, with the Tawari Bull People the most powerful and numerous, with their Enjoreli confederation dominating the west. Despite constant warfare, the colonies slowly expanded upriver. Little is recorded of the early military forces of Akem and the other colonies, but it must be assumed that they were not unlike the armies of Seshnela, consisting of horali poorly armed and equipped, led by talari officers, who were perhaps mounted on the surviving noble but very slow Daron horses, and not yet forming an effective cavalry.

The Orlanthi There were indigenous Storm worshippers scattered across Fronela at the Dawn

90

FRONELA whose Storm God had disappeared in the Gods Age. They fought in small clan warbands. In the furthest east, the Theyalans of the Council made early contact with some of these Storm People; further west, the missionaries were blocked by the Hsunchen tribes, but some holy men would have flown or followed the magical road from peak to peak along the Rockwoods. There are several sacred peaks near High Llama Pass including the Throne of Orlanth, and the High Watchpost of the War of Stone and Air. Southern Fronela still looks to Top of the World Mountain as the home of Orlanth. Many suspect that the lost god was Vadrus282, God of the Destroying Storm. Valind is worshipped throughout Fronela mainly to propitiate his wrath, but some clans worship him to invoke his might against their enemies. The modern Fronelan Orlanthi are culturally distinct from the Orlanthi of Ralios, Maniria and Dragon Pass. They encountered the Council much later than the Ralians, and the Theyalans may have had less to offer the Fronelan folk by then. Fronela was also virtually cut off from contact with Kerofinela for most of the Second and Third Ages. Many of the Orlanthi in Fronela worship gods not usually included in the Theyalan pantheon of Central Genertela, including deities such as Vorthan, a god of war and death, Bakan the Boar God283, a masculine fertility god, Drona or Oran, the first king, and Ladaral the Fire God. Harmast is widely revered for demonstrating the power of the Lightbringers to the local holy men when he accompanied Talor into the north in the First Age.

to protect the wearer from blows, but from the cold climate. Given the impressive size and strength of Daron horses, these riders and later their mounts could wear heavier armor than their southern cousins, and the horses required no sorcerous augmentation to bear the load. These horse riders were not yet true cataphracti; the Silver Empire would later introduce the early protocataphracti to the north, and the full armoring of man and mount was brought much later by the iron-clad elite regiments of the Middle Sea Empire in the Second Age. The Daron horses at this time were also slow though their great height gave a rider an advantage in combat; it was not until the Second Age that a decent destrier was bred, with the Daron breed becoming the capable heavy cavalry horse it is now. This was known as the Fronan Charger, to differentiate it from the other Daron breeds, in the Second Age. Waertagi ships launched devastating raids against Fronela soon after the Dawn, and even more destructive raids against Seshnela between 185 ST and 191 ST but by 228 ST the Seshnelan Silver Empire included the Fronelan coastline (connected by sea, not overland), allied with Southpoint inland, but it maintained its dominance for barely six decades. To the east, the High Council of Genertela defeated the Hsunchen alliance at the Battle of Eleven Beasts and steadily spread its influence westwards. By 300 ST the Theyalan High Council came into contact and then conflict with the Tawari and other Enjoreli people of Fronela. Orlanthi settlers came into the upper Janube valley. Talsardia was founded around 317 ST to stand as a bulwark for the lands of the High Council against the fierce Enjoreli and the other barbarians of Fronela. The Kingdom of Talsardia exercised a powerful cultural influence on the nearby Hsunchen of Fronela, ruled by an Orlanthi dynasty from Brolia and their Praxian allies. Native resistance increased but was unsuccessful. These armies were typically Orlanthi of the time, with a warrior elite supported by tribal fyrds fighting in a spear shield-wall, a basic form of phalanx. The Praxians fought from the backs of their beasts in their accustomed way, as mounted skirmishers or heavy cavalry. Gradually, the insidious influence of the Council among the barbarians of Fronela increased. Cultures inevitably mingled and loyalties blurred. In 375 ST the combined Malkioni wizards of Akem defeated the Hykimi magicians in a great thaumaturgical contest for which they had long prepared. In distant Dorastor the genesis of the Perfect One reached its culmination.

The Rise of Heavy Cavalry Hrestol and his companions came to Akem after being exiled from Seshnela, and taught the secrets of the Men-of-All to the local Malkioni, before he traveled on to Brithos. By the end of the first century of Time his sect had become the official religion of Akem. These teachings enabled many of the talari and others to take up weapons and to fight, with many striving to become Men-of-All, fighting as a force of heavy cavalry, making the most of their powerful but ponderous horses, and capable of meeting the bullriders in battle, and to defeat them. The Hrestoli Menof-All contributed to the rise of the military capabilities of the Westerners. The heavy cavalry was mostly armored in cuir boilli or bronze, iron not being as plentiful as in Seshnela, and the underlying padding serving not only 282

Violent and restless Vadrus winds still exist, but very few are worshipped beyond propitiation.

283

According to legend, the worship of Bakan began among the Enjoreli when he brought together Drona and Frona in the sacred marriage of king to land. Because of the part he played in bringing about this marriage, as well as his teaching of the methods of agriculture and instituting of fertility festivals, he soon became one of the more important gods. In Junora he is invoked along with Orlanth and Drona in all important oaths.

91

MEN OF THE WEST Chaos God plunging Akem into utter anarchy. Seeking aid, after Arkat had become the Dark Destroyer, a troll, abandoning the cults of Orlanth and Humakt for that of Zorak Zoran, Harmast had set off again on a heroquest to find an end to the war and he obtained the Keys of Castle Kartolin. This second quest was not as successful as the first, for he was wounded but returned to Hrelar Amali the City of the Gods with the New Light of Talor the Laughing Warrior who had been trapped beyond the Gate of Banir. Talor's experience of his Lightbringers’ Quest was the ‘Eastfaring’, the journey out of Hell. The device on Talor’s shield was said to consist of a black dog’s head on a gold background291, with a thin horizontal red bar behind the dog’s head.

Talor the Laughing Warrior The Hero Talor284 was born285 in Akem, and rose to be its greatest military commander, fighting not only the external forces allied to the Bright Empire but also internal enemies seduced and corrupted by the promises of the New God. Talor286 is also claimed by some to be a son of Arkat. Defending his native land of Akem in Fronela, Talor suppressed the Telendarian School287 of Akem as Chaotic, for their magics had adopted the powers of the Vadeli and others given to them by Rasarus288. The Eleven Beasts Alliance had encouraged the Hsunchen clans to worship the Lightbringers, and later many to worship Rasarus. The tendrils of Rasarus’ Bright Empire spread his corruption, reaching even into the heart of Akem, and the barbarian horde led by Varganthar the Unconquerable destroyed most of the river land settlements and threatened the borders of Akem, until Talor met him in battle. Even more so than in Ralios, the forces fighting for Rasarus were local; this was a war by proxy for the Bright Empire, its native armies led or advised by his priests and missionaries. The wars in Fronela were far distant from the core territories of the Bright Empire. Talor slew the wizard Arinsor289 and the Chaos monsters he had Summoned, which included the infamous Tarjinian Bull, and then closed the terrible Gate of Banir290 which it was said had permitted the Rasarus cult to enter Akem. In revenge, Talor was slain or was trapped behind the Gate of Banir in the Underworld by a curse sent by the

The Armies of Talor In 448 ST Harmast Barefoot left Dragon Pass on his second Lightbringers’ Quest and in 450 ST, again returned from the Underworld at Hrelar Amali bringing Talor with him. Journeying north, they came to the aid of the temple-city of Ulros, a refuge and center of resistance against the Bright Empire, winning the Battle of Giants against Rasarus’ supporters. Talor then defeated and virtually exterminated the supporters of Varganthar the Unconquerable and his Eleven Beasts Alliance who had allied with the Bright Empire. The two marched to Akem, bringing allies from the south with them. They ended a war between the local Orlanthi and Akem, demonstrating to all the nature of their true enemy, and then led an army of Akemite horali soldiers and Men-of-All and combined southern talari and Men-of-All heavy cavalry, Orlanthi warriors, and Hsunchen scouts and skirmishers292 unsullied by Rasarus’ gifts, to drive the god’s minions from Fronela. The army was then forced, lacking allies in the east of the Janube valley, to march south into Ralios to attack Kartolin Pass, and then entered Dorastor for the Final Battle. Unifying the disparate Fronelans, Akemites,

284

Talor is viewed by many Hrestoli sects of the Third Age as an Ascended Master, and is worshipped in Jonatela as a demigod. The New Hrestoli claim that his song of battle enables them to achieve strength through Joy. 285 Apocryphal stories claim he arrived with Arkat from Brithos or came separately. Akemite records are clear that he was born there. His ancestry is unrecorded; some southern sources claim he was a son of Arkat. 286 The similarity between the hero’s name and that of the talari caste causes some to wonder if he was of that caste instead of the soldier caste. 287

The Telendarian School first appeared in Akem, utilizing esoteric knowledge of the Viymorni dating back to the Fourth Action era before Time. The wizards of the Telendarian School explored western Genertela, although most of their interactions with non-Malkioni went poorly (except for those with the Mostali of Nida, from whom they learned some spells). 288 Rasarus was the name by which Nysalor was known in Fronela. 289

Arinsor was a priest or sorcerer in the service of Rasarus. He spread the cult across Fronela and Summoned Chaos monsters to fight and terrorize his enemies. He is described as a tall brooding man with hooded eyes who used a staff of human bone decorated with sparkling jewels. 290 A portal to a realm in the Underworld which included demons and monsters corrupted by Chaos. 291

Suggestive of his ancestry in the talari caste.

292

Talor’s army included Lion Men from the south, and probably some Pure Telmori, later also Redeli and Enjoreli from Fronela.

92

FRONELA Seshnelans, and Ralians into an army was perhaps Talor’s greatest achievement after his ascent from the Underworld. Aided by a band of heroes from many lands, Talor commanded armies, led secret plots, plundered ancient secrets, and slaughtered all the foes who dared defy him. Some say he used the keys293 found by Harmast to break through Kartolin and so entered Dorastor to slay Rasarus’ evil priests, even as Arkat the Kingtroll met Nysalor in battle. Throughout it all Talor maintained a wry (some would say insane294) sense of grim humor which failed him only twice295, giving him his sobriquet as the Laughing Warrior. Afterwards, Talor returned to Akem where the rulers of Nenanduft joined with him to form the Kingdom of Loskalm and he was acclaimed as its first king. After many years of reigning as king, he was buried at Parche. He banned the Stygian darkness that overcame Ralios from his land, instead shining for all his people as a beacon of pure Light and hope. One of his Companions296 who had fought beside him at Kartolin Pass founded the Kingdom of Dakal, in the hilly lands between the Janube River Valley and the snow-capped Nidan Mountains, known then as Syanor297. Later, Talor was venerated by the Hrestoli as an Ascended Master.

centuries after the reign of King Talor, remaining a center of the teachings of Hrestol and the Irensavalist298 sect of Hrestolism. Many voluntarily adopted the rigorous disciplines of Hrestolism in order to wield more powerful magic (the sect did not confine wizards to a single caste and allowed other castes to learn wizardry). In the south, Seshnela had become the center of the sprawling Middle Sea Empire. Despite the idealism of Hrestolism, around the year 700 ST, the Kingdom of Loskalm was engaged in an intense civil war over the succession with several candidates fighting for the vacant throne. This offered the empire the opportunity to intervene. In 719 ST, Arimadalla the Silver Lord, and his God Learner allies killed Narensaval, the warrior priest of Irensaval, and defeated Syranthir Forefront299, Duke of Jorriand, a General of the Royal Army of Akem, one of the other contenders for the throne. He and the other rebels were forced to submit or withdraw. Syranthir’s army of ten thousand retreated eastwards, following the course of the Janube300, with occasional diversions, serving as mercenaries for various petty-states. He had hoped to gain strength and counterattack, but was pursued301 and pushed farther up river. Eventually his army reached the Sweet Sea after ten years of wandering302. By the time they reached Lake Oronin they had marched at least 480 km, lost half their original numbers and picked up people from all along the way303. Arimadalla was proclaimed king of the new kingdom of Frontem in 725 ST. Under the Adalla

The Second Age The kingdom of Loskalm endured for more than two 293

It is unclear if these were actual physical keys, or magical artefacts that overcame the defenses of the fortress.

294

His apparent bouts of insanity may have been a slur propagated later by the God Learners, or caused by the many horrors he witnessed and fought. A common Hrestoli proverb of the Second Age: was “Why was Talor laughing? Because he had experienced Joy and knew what awaited him.” 295 One being perhaps when he first saw the extent of Dorastor and the lands of Peloria from the high ramparts of Kartolin. 296

Dakal is said to have been a Rathori warrior from the interior of Fronela.

297

Syanor was the name of the region south of the Janube River and north of Samita Lake, including Charg, Jonatela, and Oranor. In the First Age it was originally the northern half of Telmoria, the homeland of the Wolf People. 298 The development of this philosophy was a reaction against the Jrusteli Return to Rightness Crusade and other excesses. Irensavalism claims that Malkion, who they call Makan, is the evil demiurge, whose purpose is to imprison mortals in the gross and corrupt material world. They claim that the Hidden Mover, Irensavel (also called Ro Monakrin, the One Mind in the Second Age), is separate from the world, preceding the Creation of Matter and Energy, and beyond the brittle laws of the demiurge. The foundations for Irensavalism were set out in the writings of the Tomaris, known as the Messenger, a Fronelan disciple of Hrestol. The philosophy has a strict moral code, and prohibits the massive exploitation of worshippers or nature. To live Irensavel’s Pure Life allows people to be freed and become one with the transcendent Hidden Mover. The Messenger’s Rites were used for public worship. However, despite the claims of the God Learners, Irensavalism was not a dualistic belief; Makan, the Lord of Matter, and Irensaval, the Universal Being, who requires moral behavior and action are not in any way paired together. 299 So named because his manner of command was to give strict and explicit orders to his officers, then ride to the front of his army to watch the events occur or fail, and be prepared to lead the decisive charge himself. Among Syranthir’s entourage was a wizard named Estrekor who preached the doctrine of the Good God and the evil Lord of Matter, which became later the basis of Karmanos’ dualist religion in Carmania. 300 The subsequent history and military developments of Syranthir and the March of Ten Thousand in the land they named Carmania is described in The Armies and Enemies of Dragon Pass. The Carmanian Irensavalist sect in Peloria slowly syncretized with the native Pelandan tradition of divine worship. 301 God Learner agents chased him for years, fomenting trouble among the city-states and tribes, forcing his army to keep moving. 302

During their march, the Ten Thousand had constant trouble with Wolf People (rulers claiming descent from wolves, or bandits known as wolves, rather than Telmori), who were one of the main reasons the Ten Thousand did not stop and settle nearer to Loskalm. Arimadalla and his allies did not send an army in pursuit, concentrating upon consolidating his rule. 303 Including bands of Third Eye Blue smiths who made and repaired their arms and armor on the march.

93

MEN OF THE WEST Dynasty, Frontem joined the Middle Sea Empire. The failure to pursue Syranthir’s trek eastwards hints that the new dynasty was not as secure as the victorious elegies found in the surviving histories declare. The Fifth Ecclesiastical Council of Malkionism in 821 ST declared the Irensavalists to be heretics, and that their cult should be exterminated. By 850 ST, Frontem was conducting a haphazard eastern campaign and eventually conquered the Janube valley, seizing the independent and fractious city-states one by one as far upriver as the city of Eastpoint. The kings of Frontem razed cities, and built others, but never gained complete control over all of Fronela; barbarians north and south of the river lands sporadically rebelled, invaded, and submitted to their rule, before revolting again, and various principalities rose and fell amid the byzantine politics of the Middle Sea Empire. The rulers of Frontem were patrons of many Abiding Book sects and the philosophy schools that studied God Learner insights, but these institutions had no popular support in the populations at large. To the south of the Janube, the region of Golaros304 was populated by a mixture of Theyalan peoples who had inhabited these hills and lowlands since the First Age, centered on the valley of the Golaros River. Later from the east, between 919-929 ST the Carmanian Shah Nadar led his army westwards, campaigning along the Janube to the very borders of Frontem, to avenge the wrongs done to his ancestor, Syranthir, purging God Learner (and Wyrms Friend) influence from all the cities of the Janube. A Sun Dome Temple was founded to guard the frontier of his expanded realm, and remained even when the borders of the Carmanian Empire contracted. By 922 ST, the Closing cut off the

Neliomi Sea, although a fleet persisted in the safety of Ozur Sound. Sog City dwindled into an abandoned ruin populated only by those Brithini and their servitors who took refuge behind the red-hot brass walls of their citadel, and by the green-skinned natives, descendants of stranded Waertagi seamen. After the Closing, which radiated from Brithos, sweeping all shipping from the seas, Lord Janerndal rebelled against the God Learners, but was crushed by Emperor Celakos in 943 ST. The emperor sent his armies by land, along the Old Imperial Highway, which took much longer and was more difficult than sending forces by the now Closed seas. The fabric of the empire was starting to fray. King Baskaladalla of Frontem then ruled semiindependently with the blessing of Emperor Benalos, despite near-constant rebellions. The core of the Irensavalist sect had been destroyed centuries earlier, but it continued to resurface as the religion of the rebels. No revolution succeeded completely until 980 ST, when the great wizard Halwal aided the heroes Sigur, and Tryensaval, the leader of the Returners army, assisted by Avalor305 the Bearer of the Red Sword306, to throw off the God Learner yoke and expel all the

304

A cultural rather than political grouping.

305

Sometimes rendered as Avlor, and in some incomplete texts as Aamor. He was said to be a bastard son of the king of Eest by a slave woman.

306

The malevolent Red Sword of Tolat, forged by the Promalti fire smiths under the Earth, and named Klestor or perhaps Aerlast, is said to have been given by the god to his sister’s son, Artmal, and was later acquired by King Zemendarn of the Zaranistangi Loper People who brought it north to Genertela, where it was used to save Melib from the rising seas. It was taken as booty by the Seshnelans when they defeated the Loper People, and was eventually returned to Melib. In 950, King Avalor, the last of the Jrusteli dynasty that ruled all Teshnos, took the sword to pursue those who had kidnapped his wife. The sword is now kept in the Temple of War in Spada in Pomons province.

94

FRONELA foreign garrisons, while welcoming any refugees into its borders. Emperor Bajenyl withdrew troops from Ralios and Arolanit to suppress the revolt, but in turn those possessions rebelled and freed themselves. Bajenyl was the last king of Seshnela to be titled Emperor. Sigur was acclaimed King of Loskalm by Halwal, and, in a brief moment of unity, the rest of Fronela joined the restored Kingdom of Loskalm in slaughtering all who remained loyal to the God Learners, then reverted to their native borders. Loskalm became a self-sufficient and confident political entity able to maintain itself against all troubles. Not once during the ensuing centuries did son succeed father as king - each new king was chosen and adopted by his predecessor as heir and successor. The land was shaken by the catastrophes of 10491050 ST that wrecked Seshnela and Slontos, with the coast of the Winterwood Forest shattered to form an archipelago.

Ralios, the garbage dump of Nida. Forced to honorably submit by the Carmanian general Eklastos Jaranthir, this regiment later served the Carmanian shahs.

Jonat Big Bear Jonat Big Bear was claimed to be the demigod son of Redel the Bear God307; he was born among the Rathori barbarians in the late Second Age. Large of stature and stronger even than most of the burly Bear People, he was accounted a mighty warrior308. When his people were threatened by the ice demons Summoned from the north, foes he could not defeat with his sword, Jonat’s adventures brought him to the devastated lands of Seshnela309 seeking the Secret of Kingship. He returned to Fronela with troll and wizard allies. One legend says he was accompanied north by a Seshnelan princess who became his bride, travelling along the Old Imperial Road and encountering many strange adventures. He then unified all of Syanor around 1050 ST into a loose confederation of small kingdoms and tribal states. His lands were subsequently called Jonatela, and his people the Jonatlings. The Hero enslaved the Yellow Bear310 and unified the petty kingdoms and tribes of Syanor, often by force, and founded the kingdom that now bears his name. He retired into his underground mausoleum at the end of the Second Age and it is prophesized that one day he will return from his tomb to punish the enemies of his people. A Hero of the land of Syanor, Jonat’s people worshipped Rathor and Redel in addition to the Theyalan pantheon, but in adopting Orlanthi ways have lost most of their former communication and kinship with bears. They occupy some of the ancient Enjoreli lands. Jonat is now worshipped as the founder of Jonatela and as a War God. The modern rulers of Jonatela trace their descent to him and serve as his priests. He is depicted in his shrines and temples as a large bipedal bear wearing a crown and carrying a sword.

The Loskalmi Army The armies of Loskalm fighting in the Wars of Succession were divided into typically Western heavily armed and armored cataphracti, but also lightly armored horse archers, and bodies of infantry. The forces supporting Arimadalla included regiments and mercenaries sent from the Middle Sea Empire, mostly drawn from Seshnela. Others were elite Hrestoli Men-of-All who had embraced the Abiding Book and its Jrusteli wizards. They wore a heavy bronze cuirass, leather and bronze arm defenses, and a bronze helmet with a metal mask in the form of a bearded face, and fought with long spear, sword, and some even used bows. This became the model for the Fronelan cataphracti of the Second Age. After the victory of Arimadalla, and the rule of his dynasty, the armies of Frontem remained reliant on foreign mercenaries. The Middle Sea Empire, locked in an ongoing contest in the south of Genertela with the alien magics of the Empire of the Wyrms Friends, lacked any desire to open a new front and extend the borders of Frontem to spread their influence further along the Janube than Eastpoint. During Shah Nadar’s campaigns, one of those mercenary regiments was the Steel Sword Legion, armed with weapons made of enchanted dwarf iron, said to have been retrieved from Nador’s Marsh in

The Third Age Two new powers threatened Loskalm’s traditional primacy in Fronela at the beginning of the Age. In the east, the White Bear Empire exacted tribute from the Janubian city states. In the south east, a half-barbarian

307

Certain obscure texts describe a people known as the Redeli, the Bear People, who were rivals of the Enjoreli for the lowlands of Fronela before the Dawn or shortly afterwards. The Redeli knew how to make tools and weapons of copper, and made boats of wood and leather. 308 Some legends say he aided the wizard Halwal and King Sigur in finally expelling the God Learners from Fronela in 980 ST. This may have been another Jonat? 309 Shortly before or after the Luatha shattered Old Seshnela in 1049 ST. Prior to its destruction, the kingdom was already in turmoil following the end of the Empire of the Land and Sea in 990 ST. 310 The Yellow Bear was a petty god, a child of Androgeus, who accompanied the First Age Hero Beobard into exile among the barbarians and was later enslaved by the magic of Jonat Big Bear. It was set the task of building up the hills now named for it.

95

MEN OF THE WEST dynasty brought new energy to the Kingdom of Jonatela. Loskalm was severely damaged by the disasters at the end of the Second Age, its political institutions, its religious unity, and its armies all weakened. Even its famed heavy cavalry declined in numbers and effectiveness. Some regions became independent; the city-state of Morain ruled Jorra for a time. In the far east of Fronela, the bull-riding Orlanthi kingdom of Charg was dominant, although the Janubian city-states prospered by controlling trade between Peloria and Loskalm, despite the tolls and tribute demanded by the White Bear Empire.

valley to the east, whilst his brother Snodal led another force to the north composed mostly of a militia of spearmen with archers on the flanks, supported by a small number of noble heavy cavalry. Initially, a charge by the cataphracti scattered the enemy vanguard, but they regrouped and the armies met in fierce hand-tohand combat. The superior numbers of the barbarians routed the brave but doomed resistance, and Snodal’s army disintegrated. The surviving cataphracti were chased from the field by the greater number of barbarian cavalry, even their Daron heavy horses offering an insufficient advantage over the more numerous smaller ponies ridden by the Bear Men and their allies. The armies of Loskalm were defeated, and Snodal was pursued into the northern wastes of Walwindela and out of the Middle World into the realms of demigods. The prince returned in 1483 ST, barely aged, killed the now elderly leader of the barbarians313, and drove them out. To dismember the White Bear Empire, Snodal led a band of priests and sorcerers to slay the God of the Silver Feet, the Fronelan deity of communications. When his companions returned, they found disaster had befallen their land. Every separate state or region was cut off from its neighbors. Each region became isolated. The king himself was never seen again. Several years after Loskalm had been isolated, Snodal’s son came from the far north and occupied the vacant throne of the kingdom. The later kings of the current realm are the descendants of his companions. Those political entities which were self-sufficient throve, such as Loskalm, and the Jonatling kingdom. The Rathori mostly slept through the Ban. In contrast, many small city-states, especially those along the rivers, dwindled without trade and outside support. Human societies under the Ban were isolated in a state somewhere between the worlds of God Time and Time, separated from each other by some eldritch and not understood criteria. Time progressed but also the Golden Age patterns were re-imposed, sometimes beneficially, such as in Loskalm, and sometimes detrimentally, as for several Janubian city-states which fell into ruin. For some human societies, harmony and community became easier to achieve, a dream-like ease where there was a perfect correspondence of signifier

The Armies of the White Bear Empire The White Bear Empire included almost all the Rathori, as well as fighters drawn from the other Hsunchen dwelling within their forests, lending it an enormous number of fighters, from a society where all males, and many females, are warriors. A common clansman carried a sword, spear, and javelins, but wore little armor. Their organization was familial and training negligible, but under an effective and ambitious leader their military capability was significant. Many rode horses, perhaps seized from the cities along the Janube. The members of the White Bear clans could also fight in midwinter, when their kin were hibernating, travelling quickly in thick snow and undaunted by the ice and severe cold of a Fronelan winter, giving them an advantage over foes not expecting to be attacked in wintertime. The Syndics Ban destroyed the unity of the empire, and when it gradually lifted, the clans of the Bear People reverted to the level of clan warfare, the White Bears clans later severely weakened when Harrek the Berserk slew and skinned their god in 1609 ST, binding it within its skin.

The Fall and Rise of Loskalm Loskalm was riven by continuing religious strife between Abiding Book311 Hrestoli312 and Irensavalists and henotheists. It was raided by barbarians seeking vengeance upon the God Learners, of which the assault by the White Bear Empire in 1443 ST was the largest and the most destructive. King Orval’s army met the invaders in the Mintol 311

The Abiding Book was never a major Loskalmi scripture. The original Hrestolism was not based on it and preceded it by many centuries. When the Return to Rightness Crusade came to the mainland with the Abiding Book as their guide they conquered Seshnela, and later supported their proxies in the conquest of Loskalm, but were eventually defeated by Hrestoli who subsequently rejected the Abiding Book in favor of their own older scriptures. Siglat's Dream is the most important single text, being the most recent and the one used to unify the kingdom during the Closing and the Syndics Ban. As a grimoire, it includes spells such as Resist Spirit, Force Spirit Out of Body, Identify Spirit, Banish Spirit, Curse Spirit-Talker, and Overcome Spirit Curse. Another Loskalmi scripture is called First Truth, which contains stories which are often almost the same as those in the Abiding Book., but with a different moral method and prayers. 312 Recidivist remnants of the followers of the Adalla Dynasty who had adopted the religion of the God Learners and their corrupt version of Hrestolism. 313 Black Hralf was but one of many warleaders of the White Bear Empire.

96

FRONELA and signified. For other communities, it was a time of nightmares, where the most basic of tasks were a struggle, and some sequestered populations died out. The Syndics Ban ended first in Loskalm with the arrival of Dormal the Sailor. The Thaw moved steadily eastwards, with some exceptions, along the Janube and up the tributary river valleys. Sometimes new lands and peoples were found when the Ban was lifted, sometimes desolate empty lands and derelict cities were revealed. The most terrible revelation was the emergence of the barbaric Kingdom of War as the walls of the Ban dissolved.

The New Hrestoli The Virtuites were the early Third Age spiritual leaders of Loskalm, whose membership story wends between erratic genealogies and their spiritual absolutes. Before his disappearance, Prince Snodal had exemplified the vigorous life of the Men-of-All and stoutly defended Hrestolism with philosophical debate, law, and force of arms. He had assembled a canon of teachings, later including Snodal’s Vision, Siglat’s Dream, The City of Virtue, Against the Demons314, and a significant volume of Talor the Laughing Warrior apocrypha, all of which form the basis of the modern movement’s doctrines. In traditional Hrestolism315 the four Malkioni castes exist but it is recognized that some members of a caste can become a Man-of-All through spiritual devotion and be above and outside of all caste limitations and restrictions. However, intercaste mobility occurred but haphazardly; a farmer might become a warrior, a successful warrior might become a ruler, and the child of a rich farmer might gain a good education and become a wizard. However, most remained in the caste of their birth. The New Hrestolism movement systemized this for all Loskalmi society, creating a radical egalitarian and harmonious system whereby birth does not determine caste. Logic dictates that all human societies are divided between Workers, Guardians, Magicians (which includes both Menof-All and Wizards), and Rulers316. Logic

Akem Akem and Sog City were freed from the Ban in 1589 ST revealing mostly empty ruins, but with the Brithini and the marooned Waertagi populations intact. Sog City has no standing army of its own, relying on its wizards and the respect of the surrounding lands for its defense. The population of the outer city has exploded since the Thaw, though its walls are still in ruins. Mercenaries are often sought to fight off incursions by Chaos monster from the Dilis Swamp. The Brithini sorcerers reside in the citadel named the City of Brass which is surrounded by a red-hot brass wall of molten metal in which a Fire God is said to be imprisoned. The Brithini of the other castes who used to live here failed to maintain their caste laws, and aged and died in the First Age, though it may be that some are concealed within the walls of the City of Brass, as it seems unlikely that the sorcerers could maintain their caste laws without servitors.

Loskalm Loskalm is divided into two peninsulas divided by the waters of the almost landlocked Ozur Bay, and portions of Junora. Old Akem, the dismal swamps, and the great metropolis of ancient Sog City at the mouth of the Janube lie outside its borders. This idealist kingdom is ruled by a philosopherking and a high council, with each province governed by a prince selected by the king.

314

Against the Demons is an enumeration of various manifestations of evil spirits, and ways to confound them. The text consists of 22 chapters, arranged as discussions between Malkion the Law and Hrestol. The first chapter is the story of Creation, followed by the description of the Great Darkness. The second chapter recounts the expulsion of Malkion. The remaining chapters deal primarily with hygiene (in particular the care of the dead), as well as disease and spells to fight it. Two chapters discuss the dignity of wealth and charity, of marriage and of physical effort, and the indignity of unacceptable social behavior such as assault and breach of contract, and specify the penances required to atone for their violation. 315 New Hrestolism is one of several sects of Hrestolism in the Third Age. Variants exist even in Fronela, where several Junoran states have their own versions, influenced to a greater or lesser degree by New Hrestolism. Other Hrestoli sects exist in Ralios, the Castle Coast of Seshnela, and Pithdaros. One sect in Fronela, the mystical Perfecti, the Pure Ones, claim that the institutions of Loskalm are inimical to holiness, that progression through the classes cannot be achieved within the structures of the state, as the lords and wizards of Loskalm are too interested in the trappings of worldly power to provide for the salvation of the masses. They claim to possess the True Secrets of Hrestol's Second Revelation. 316 A ‘fifth caste’ exists in many places in Loskalm – the descendants of the Noyaling barbarians, who are semi-nomadic musk ox herders and huntergatherers. Some have adopted Malkioni ways, but are a distinct population. Too impure and practicing taboo vocations, they still have their place in Siglat's Commonwealth. They perform their trades, govern their own communities, and even serve as shamans.

97

MEN OF THE WEST does not dictate that the son of a Worker is best suited for being a Worker; and that keeping a potential Magician or Ruler as a Worker is an irrational waste. This mobility creates a society in which the higher castes must intimately understand the life experiences of those they govern. This philosophy recognizes that society should be divided into the rulers led by a philosopher-king, the warrior-wizards, the soldiers, and the rest of the population, the artisans, farmers, and merchants. The first three are the protectors of society subject to the rules and regulations covering their education and conduct. Protectors lacking the right virtues can do the worst harm imaginable, it is declared. New Hrestolism claims to be the restored teachings of Hrestol whilst embodying the philosophies of Irensavalism. Its adherents believe themselves to be the thoughts of the Invisible God trapped in the gross matter of Makan, which can be overcome by systematically surmounting the ancient restrictions of caste, so that the soul can be liberated through Joy and one can join the ranks of the Men-of-All. Those who do not succeed, are reincarnated317 until they eventually liberate themselves from the cycle of rebirth by achieving unity with the Invisible God. The New Hrestoli movement was created through experimental heroquesting318 (particularly Snodal’s quest to the Altinae in the far north, the murder of the God of the Silver Feet, and other actions taken to thwart Zzabur’s predictions of doom). The New Hrestoli use many of the methods of the God Learners, though striving to make an effort to avoid their excesses and wanton abuses. This sect holds that the Invisible God as revealed by Hrestol and Siglat to be the ultimate source of good and that each citizen must understand the essential beliefs of the divine to be able to contribute to a virtuous society. During the Ban, the miraculous and semi-divine King Siglat319, the son of Snodal, achieved a radical transformation of Loskalmi society, establishing a successful idealistic commonwealth where each citizen performs the role best suited for them in harmony and justice. All land. belongs to the

commonwealth, and is administered by the rulers, with these holdings providing their income to support their responsibilities. Among the Hrestoli of Loskalm every child, no matter his or her parents’ office, is sent out to labor in the fields alongside other farmers or in the workshops alongside other crafters. Those men and women who display appropriate spiritual virtue and ability are chosen by the Elders320 and trained as Guardians and taught to guard the community from external foes and to maintain order and harmony. Successful Guardians may be selected by the Elders and taught to be Men-of-All321, the mystic and martial protectors of Loskalm, an order of warriormonks who have managed to achieve Unity and encompass all the castes within themselves. They work, fight, lead, and perform the magical ceremonies that preserve the world. It is fully understood that nine tenths of the population are best suited to be Workers. The Guardians, Men-of-All, Wizards, and Nobles are make up the talented tenth of the population. Certain Men-of-All become potent Wizards, magical specialists capable of sustaining the spiritual needs of the land and its people. They are removed from worldly distractions and allowed to dedicate themselves fully to spiritual and arcane concerns. Wizards who show the most wisdom, justice, and love for the truth are forced back into the material world and become members of the Nobility – a ruling elite of Malkioni philosophers. Thus, every nobleman understands perfectly both the cosmic truths of the Invisible God and the common man, and has earned the respect of everyone who he or she rules. New Hrestoli Men-of-All and wizards are not required to be celibate ascetics, unlike the Rokari wizards, and are permitted access to luxuries and the right to indulge in them, within reason and moderation. It is not uncommon for Men-of-All, wizards, and noblemen and noblewomen to retire to a farm when their labors are done. The tranquil peace of the isolation of the Ban

317

Most Hrestoli say that unless the soul has achieved Liberation through Joy it is sent back eventually to the world for rebirth, unless the soul has enslaved itself to a god when it sent into that god’s realm or afterlife to suffer until its eventual rebirth. The soul is deemed immortal and imperishable as it is a part of the divine Invisible God, and with every birth strives to find its own level, rising towards its true destiny of release from its imprisonment in the material world. 318 Heroquesting is rare among the Malkioni because it requires interaction and communication with the cosmic divine world. Hrestol and later Arkat were unusual, and their discoveries laid the foundations for the calamitous excesses of the God Learners. 319 The mother of Siglat was Eleria, one of the Altinae. She was of a divine lineage that could be traced back to Ladaral the Lord of Fire. 320

The Elders are presently those who achieved maturity during the Ban. Some knew Siglat or even Snodal.

321

The terms ‘Man-of-All’ and ‘Brother’ are used to refer to both males and females. Neither are entirely satisfactory translations of the Loskalmi terms. The New Hrestoli view women as members of their father’s caste, until they marry, though those desiring to become Guardians or Men-of-All must become farmers or crafters. They practice pederasty between men and boys (which results in far more boys being prepared to become Guardians and Men-of-All than girls). Woman to girl relationships are not uncommon and mildly celebrated in poetry. Opposite sex pederast relationships are considered more problematic and dangerously selfish.

98

FRONELA permitted the formation of this ideal society freed of the powers of discord, corruption, separation, and falsehoods, all of which were banished to create a new Golden Age. Loskalm became the Land of Siglat’s Dream, a wise republic of peace, plenty, and harmony removed from all external conflicts. Men were perfectly governed as they were in Danmalastan, the Kingdom of Logic before Time322. Its inhabitants transcended the lies of the material world, and the order of the just and the wise ruled the land323. Its Men-of-All were splendidly attired, engaging in magical rituals, pleasant dances and pavanes, and athletic contests instead of warfare. Everyone had merit under King Siglat’s enlightened reign. None were sick for there was no disease. The Ban expelled Makan and all outside pollution from Loskalm. Man lived in harmony with Logic. People were assigned to the correct castes based on ability and character, and Siglat taught the tests so that the castes could recruit suitable members. Under King Amprel (reigned 1559-1573 ST), Siglat’s Commonwealth continued in perfect logic. Even the semi-barbarous folk within the borders of Loskalm knew their correct place, forming their own fifth caste outside of the four true castes. Powerful magical spells and ceremonies aided good government, farming, crafting, and all other productive human endeavors. Even the unruly Erasanchula obeyed this logic, becoming mild and temperate, and were celebrated in art and story, but not venerated with worship. There were no enemies, the philosopher-king was a benevolent and wonderful demigod, and if one were too ensnared in the material world to achieve Joy, there was always the next life. With the end of the Ban in 1582 ST, the malevolent powers of the material world have returned324 with a vengeance. The Erasanchula have turned on each other and brought their Gods War back. Even the weather has changed for the worse, and where the works of Makan had been banished it now erupts in the filth, violence, and hatred of the Kingdom of War.

If the Ban had been the Fourth Action returned, the end of the Ban brought on the Fifth Action 325. Those born since the end of the Ban are known as the Children of Tribulation326. The Loskalmi wizards believe the Kingdom of War is the material manifestation of all that is wicked and impure, the inverted dark reflection of Loskalm. It is everything which they deny and fear. Hate is an emotional cancer which grows wildly and without logic, and the dominant peoples of Fronela pride themselves in their staunch dependency upon Malkioni logic. Thus, whenever the Loskalmi see something fearful they think it hates them, for much of the hatred which is always reported about this world is from the perceiver. This is what the Malkioni call the Devil. For the New Hrestoli it seems as though Makan once again traps their souls in coarse material corruption. Even those who have been elevated to the highest castes may fall prey to greed, lust, ambition, and other petty venalities. By 1620 ST, there are relatively few people alive who were adults during the Syndics Ban, and only a small cadre of senior officials recall the Golden Age of isolation vividly and still strive to maintain or restore it.

322

Danmalastan was the name for the collective territory inhabited by the people created by Malkion. The God Learners gave it the name the Land of Logic. The original inhabitants were the Rune Beings of the Third Action. They served the Creator to continue to make Danmalastan according to the Cosmic Laws. These original and archetypal beings included Talar, Zzabur, and others that remained true to Malkion, as well as those which later went wrong, such as Worlath and Ehilm. In earliest Danmalastan they had not yet erred. 323 The Loskalmi scholar Andarlane wrote that the Ban was a gift of Irensavel which allowed men and women to partially transcend the corrupt material world of the evil demiurge Makan. According to his writings, under the Ban Loskalm achieved perfect laws, perfect harmony and perfect justice, and it has now been returned to the corrupt world so that the demiurge might be defeated and that all men might be shown the true pure path to Solace and Joy. 324 Freed of the Ban, inevitably Loskalmi society is slowly waning from this perceived Golden Age. Out in the provinces, there are cases of corruption, where existing Men-of-All and Nobles make sure their own children pass the examinations and are recruited to become Guardians and Men-of-All. Villages Elders appoint their own favorites as Guardians or even accept payment to do so. Judges strive to identify and root out such failures, and to educate those who succumb to material temptations. 325 In Malkioni mythology, the Fifth Action marked the time of disintegration and decay at the end of the period of Creation. 326

The Children of Tribulation are the generations born since Siglat returned to the immortal realm. Many now find Joy hard to reach or even understand. Some can achieve Joy, but there are those who fail to follow Siglat’s teachings.

99

MEN OF THE WEST New Hrestolism has always claimed to have retained or restored the brotherhoods and Orders of the early Hrestoli communities. The most important in Loskalm now is the Brotherhood of the Swallow, newly established by King Gundreken after the fall of the city of Perfe, with the specific aim to defeat and destroy the Warlords of the Kingdom of War.

defined by the impossibly tall Tower of Night and Day, where the great spells that sustain Loskalm are cast and maintained. During the Ban, the Loskalmi built buildings, walls, towers, mausoleums, domes, and spires, which by their architecture reinforced the spells woven by Siglat. When the people of Agria rebuilt the city of Hingswell, they constructed a magnificent blue and red tiled Fountain of the Nymphs - which King Siglat had already anticipated and described down to the exact number of tiles. The New Hrestoli philosophy maintains that the proper education and training of the warrior and leader is a curriculum of gymnastics, dance, music, literature (especially the texts collected by Snodal), ethics, and poetry, and higher subjects including arithmetic (required to reliably inventory supplies), geometry (to assess battlefield terrain, organize the proper number of soldiers into a formation, and deploy troops to military advantage), astronomy (to navigate the ships and position soldiers properly), and debate (to gain the wisdom and judgment to lead, and when and where to engage the enemy, and when to refrain from battle). The ideal soldier and leader must love the truth for its own sake328, love learning, seek the knowledge that endures whilst rejecting the transitory, fulfill their vocation with bravery and wisdom, and be concerned only with the pleasures of the soul, rather than the desires of the body, being temperate instead of greedy or extravagant. They will not be slavish or petty; they will be orderly and courageous, but not cowardly or boastful. Leaders must govern to do the best for those who are led. Truth leads to courage; falsehood ends in fear, and fear can only be banished by education, and knowledge is a virtue. Reason is held to be supreme; passion blinds reason. They learn that extravagant desires will lead to conflict, and when the individual or community is extravagant they will be driven to make war on their neighbors to feed their excessive appetites; the ideal individual and community, being austere and true, will wage war only for just and righteous reasons, in a manner that does no harm to one’s own society or to one’s self. Temperance is the mark of a well-governed state. People should live neither in idle opulence nor in abject poverty, but according to their physical and mental needs. The good protector knows when to fight and when not to fight, and remains gentle and considerate towards those they should not battle. Their education must be inculcated with the right sorts of ideals, to create a soldiering caste that is fierce and violent only

The Hrestoli Code Men-of-All are expected to follow the Hrestoli Code which includes:  Such moral qualities as reflection, concentration, and wisdom, including appreciation of poetry and understanding of the sacred laws. In this regard, the Men of All have mastered and overcome the zzaburi.  Such virtues as mercy, courage, valor, honor, fairness, and protection of the weak and the poor (especially the lower castes), including the idea of being willing to give one's life for another's. In this regard the Men-of-All have mastered and overcome the horali.  Duties to the Creator and Creation: this includes protecting the innocent, being truthful, being faithful to the Creator, and being the champion of good against evil. A Man-of-All must be moral and ethical. In this regard, the Men-of-All have mastered and overcome the talari.  Duties to women and service to the community. A general gentleness and graciousness to all women, combined with a sense of being a servant of the community. In this regard, the Men-of-All have mastered and overcome the dronari.

Art and Philosophy In Loskalmi art the physical form of New Hrestol Heroes and Ascended Masters is idealized, naked to display their physical perfection327, males clean shaven to differentiate them from barbarians, and presented with a certain severity of form. This reflects the New Hrestoli reverence of logic and philosophy, and their obsession with the Ideal Forms of things and concepts. Loskalmi cities and buildings look very planned in appearance with an emphasis on symmetry, proportion, geometry and the regularity of their parts. The city of Northpoint, rebuilt by King Sigur in 980 ST, is perfectly circular with incredibly extensive and elaborate fortifications, each gate has double doors made of bronze. The Golden Gate Palace (home of the King of Loskalm and his Council of Wisdom) dominates the city. Across the Bay, Southpoint is

327

Prince Snodal is always depicted with his cloak and traveler’s hat. Loskalmi art ignores the gross imperfections of the material world in portraying its heroes and heroines. 328 The New Hrestoli detest and loath lies as the tools of the corrupt and intrinsically evil demiurge.

100

FRONELA when these qualities are called for. They must exercise the rules and restraints in warfare329, that the pillaging and ravaging of lands are to be avoided, that there should be no enslavement or killing of those who have surrendered, and that war must be conducted in a way that allows for a just and mutually acceptable peace, so that a state of war does not continue interminably. With the advent of savage total war with the Kingdom of War this idealism will be severely tested.

Loskalmi forces are highly disciplined, displaying attention to supply and supply lines. As a result of the experience of defeat at the hands of the White Bear Empire, especially in winter when the Westerners were at a severe disadvantage, close care is now focused upon logistics, meaning that the army is capable of campaigning in any season, including winter. Most soldiers are equipped with gear suitable for campaigning in summer, and in all but the most severe winters. Conditions will limit the range at which the army can operate, given the problems of travel when the snow is deep and the rivers frozen.

Pastimes Guardians and Men-of-All perform ritual dances to exercise and enhance body and spirit, teaching coordination and balance, with formal graceful gestures. These may be performed singly or in a group. The Pomona Whirlers are perhaps the most famous. Demonstrations of athleticism, such as boxing, wrestling, running, jumping, and horse-riding, are highly regarded, with the contestants naked or nearly so to display their physical perfection. Intellectual skills, including logic, poetry, and music, are highly regarded; the abstract board game Laz330 is a popular pastime.

Organization A normal battalion has 3,000 Guardians divided into three regiments, 1,800 mounted Men-of-All also divided into three regiments, and 200 elite fighting Wizards called the First Brothers of Hrestol. The most prestigious Battalion is called the First Battle, and consists of 3,000 Guardians, 1,500 Menof-All, and 500 First Brothers of the Golden Banner of Flame. The Men-of-All and First Brothers of this battalion are all mounted on the finest Daron

Clothing Most Loskalmi dress for the cold weather of their homeland; those who have risen to Men-of-All status or higher likely know spells that allow them to shrug off the cold and other material mundane discomforts. After all, did not Prince Snodal trek across the endless ice of Walwindela to Altinela331? Whilst clothing can denote status, by cut and color, it is rarely overly rich or elaborate.

The Loskalmi Military The Loskalmi army is one of the best in the world. It is professional, motivated, well-equipped, and magically powerful. It is divided into eleven Battalions of 5,000 men each, ten of which are similar. The term Battalion is derived from the Middle Sea Empire Battle comprised of several regiments. Even though Fronelans detest and revile the empire and its works, the military terminology of the imperium is now entrenched in the martial traditions of nearly every Western culture. 329

These ideals share a common origin with the Seshnelan Codes of War, drawn perhaps from the various Book of Hrestol collections.

330

Laz is played on a board of hexagons. The twenty-one pieces are white or red with their value indicated on one face by drilled holes, ranging from one to five, with a single piece blank, the other faces featureless. Six pieces have a value of one, five of two, four of three, two of one, and one blank. The game is played with the marked sides facing the player so that their value is unknown to the opponents. The players place their pieces as they desire on their side of the board. Each player takes turns in moving, throwing a die to determine how far a piece can move; when a piece moves onto a hexagon occupied by an opposing piece, they declare a challenge; the one with the higher value wins and the lower is removed; if equal, both are taken out of play. If the blank piece challenges or is challenged the game is automatically lost. The game is a contest of strategy and memory, exercising the mastery of the mind over matter. In the most difficult version, one (if a Master or Elder is playing a student) or both players place their pieces face down, so that they must remember the value not only of the opposing pieces they challenge, but their own. 331 Altinela is the last land of the north. Beyond lies the questionable edge of the world, the substance of which is often insubstantial, whose reality is often unreal and whose existence is often non-existent.

101

MEN OF THE WEST horses that are typically armored with bronze scales. Infantry regiments consist of ten companies, each company consisting of ten files of ten soldiers. Cavalry consist of six troops each of ten troops of ten riders. Loskalm lacks the relatively complex bureaucracy of the Lunar Empire or Kralorela, but is still effective in implementing effective organizations. Just as the demonstration of talent and ability identify potential Guardians and Men-of-All, capable administrators are recognized and taught to enhance their natural gifts. Such individuals form the basis of the civil and military administration, though their practices may be idiosyncratic. However, there is some standardization in each Battalion, with the same array of offices at every fortress and military camp, with administrators in place to deal with every aspect of logistics, supply, and reporting. Healers are allocated to each Battalion to heal the wounded and cure the sick.

The Elders select potential candidates not only for their spiritual virtues, but also for their height, physique, good eyesight, good hearing, and bearing. Those that pass these criteria are examined more closely, both physically and mentally, to ensure that they are healthy and of good moral character. Those who most closely display the New Hrestoli ideals in mind and body are most likely pass the tests. On being selected and successfully completing their training, the new soldier will swear an oath of service, to serve their community and their comrades, and may later be inducted into a Battalion. Initially their training further tests their strength and constitution as the recruits are set to dig ditches and build earth ramparts. Then they are trained in the use of their weapons, taught to fight in formation, and engage in route marches. When using the sword, they are taught the Siglat Grip in which the fingers are folded over the thumb instead of the more common hold where the thumb rests over the curled fingers. The thumb is the weakest digit of the hand, and when sufficient lateral force is applied is liable to give way. Whilst difficult to master, this reduces the chance of the sword being knocked out of the wielder’s grasp. Although fighting as infantry, most learn to ride in hopeful preparation of becoming a Man-of-All. The ability to ride also offers the option of greater mobility. When serving in a Battalion half of the Guardians carry throwing and thrusting spears, swords, and large shields; the others carry crossbows, swords, and smaller shields. Some carry light maces or axes as secondary weapons. The lighter armed act as skirmishers and on the flanks of their heavy infantry comrades. When battle is joined, the forward skirmishers withdraw to the rear or sides of the intervals of the formation and make their way to support the flanks. As crossbows shoot on a flat trajectory, they cannot be easily used to shoot over the heads of the troops in the battle line. The first step in being selected as a Man-of-All is to rise in the hierarchy of command, to be selected as an officer. A regiment is led by a Captain, who is aided by Lieutenants, the second-in-command, standardbearer, drummer, and trumpeter, with the Senior Captain answering to the commander, a Man-of-All. Intervals are maintained between the companies of heavy infantry, both to allow the passage of skirmishers, to sally forward or to withdraw, and to maintain their cohesion acting in unison instead of a continuous line. Guardians equipped with spears carry tower shields and fight as a solid array with the shields held close together. The Guardians drill to be practiced at adopting several formations, including line, double line, column and wedge, and fighting in open and closed order. Their companies are able to turn or wheel from column

Horses The cavalry of Loskalm ride the large muscular bigheaded Daron breed. This breed is ideal for carrying the weight of a cataphract having been bred for greater speed in the Second Age. It has a strong large-muscled stocky body with a deep chest, powerful forequarters, hindquarters and rump, thick joints and broad hooves suited to soft ground, wide ears, and prominent eyes. Its tail is well furnished. The Daron is often described as ramheaded for the shape of its head and the bony knobs on its forehead. The Daron has a dun, black, white, or grey coat which is not shorn, so riders wear boots, leggings of leather or cloth, or use saddlecloths to prevent chafing. The Loskalmi saddle has a high cantle and pommels which act as high guard clamps curving across the top of the rider’s thighs and fasten to the saddle, enabling the rider to stay properly seated, especially during violent combat. It consists of a wooden tree supporting more weight from a rider with armor and weapons, padded with wool or hair and covered in leather or cloth.

Guardians Guardians are the protectors and footsoldiers of the Loskalmi army. Recruited from among the farmers and crafters, they mostly have endurance, good health, and are used to manual labor, being ideal soldiers.

102

FRONELA to line. Each province also has thousands of unarmored but trained rural Guardians. These are mustered only for defense, never to invade other lands. When called upon to fight in defense of the homeland, they act as a reserve line for their armored colleagues of the Battalions. Irregular supporting bodies of soldiery can be raised by designated individuals, either from within the kingdom or among foreigners. Promising farmers may serve as supernumerary members of a Battalion or the provincial Guardians, as assistants and servants, being trained even as they assist the Guardians and Men-of-All in their duties. They are not expected to fight except in desperate circumstances.

slung over the shoulder when marching. These large shields are used defensively to deflect blows and offensively, with the boss used to punch at an enemy’s shield or body. Having thrown his javelin, usually using a wound ankyle strap, a Guardian will punch with his shield and stab and thrust around its edge with their spear or sword. When approaching the enemy, Guardians drum their spears against their shields in unison to intimidate the foe. The smaller shields are circular or oval, and concave with a central bronze boss riveted to the board covering the handgrip, with the face of the shield tapering to the edge, which is protected with a leather or bronze rim. They are made of thin laths glued together in layers running in alternating directions. When not in use, shields are kept in leather carrying bags to protect them and their decoration from the weather and accidental damage. The severe cold of a Fronelan winter can split shield boards, and make leather brittle, so a soldier must constantly maintain their equipment. Shield decoration consists of geometric patterns or lines and bars, with the pattern and colors designating the soldier’s Battalion and company. Their swords are typical straight Western swords; Guardians carry bronze swords, but officers may be provided with iron. The grip is made of bone, hexagonal in section, some with concave finger and thumb grips; many have bronze rings to enhance the grip. The spears are made of ash with a bronze blade and buttspike, used over-arm to thrust at an enemy’s face. The center of the shaft may be bound in red cord or leather All equipment is provided by the state, and manufactured in state

Guardian Arms and Armor A Guardian serving in a Battalion is given a sword or axe, spears and dagger, a shield, and body armor and a helmet. The lighter armed Guardians wear a quilted leather cuirass. The heavily armored Guardians typically wear armor of lacquered lamellar with a bronze pectoral or bronze plates, and sometimes shoulder protectors. If a pectoral is worn, it is stitched to the leather backing or hangs on straps. Vambraces may also be worn. Helmets are of composite leather and bronze, reinforced around the rim and top, with rank denoted by the number and color of feathers. In shape, the bowl or skull of the helmet is a relatively shallow dome, with a raised bronze rim, which forms a peak over the brow. The helmet includes integral cheek-pieces, and is held in place by leather thongs running under the chin. Bronze tubes are soldered to the helmet for the mounting of feathers. Fabric or fur padding is worn under the helmet, either attached to the helmet, or in the form of a cap or hood which can be worn alone. Leather caps may be trimmed with fur. Most helmets are manufactured to the same basic pattern, though with inevitable variations. Some include circular domes over the ears to accommodate padding with also serves as insulation. The large tower shields are curved rectangles, arched at the top, flatter on the bottom rim, providing protection from chin to ankle, made of two or three sheets of wood, often birch, and hide glued together, covered with wool felt doubled over at the edge and stitched to the backing. The shield is thicker in the center. They are semi-cylindrical, with a horizontal handgrip, with a metal boss protecting the grip and a raised wooden spine, and a enarmes (inner carrying straps). If held only using the handgrip, a blow to the side can turn the entire shield; the enarmes ensures that the shield sits flat to its wielder’s forearm. A guige, a long strap, is fitted so that this heavy shield can be

103

MEN OF THE WEST manufactories by skilled artisans.

membership to surrender all their property to the Hrestoli community. They know that they are not immune to the temptations of the demiurge and continually subject themselves to a deep spiritual investigation and subsequent purification, following Siglat’s Way because it protects them from performing evil acts. The deepest teachings of the New Hrestoli recognize the danger in the hubris of considering themselves perfect, and the danger of judging others. The Men-of-All learn to fight from horseback (and are thus often called horse-men or knights by ignorant outsiders) and are provided with weapons and mounts by their community. They are expected to fight for the benefit of the commonwealth, study magical grimoires, and act as judges and leaders. They are armed and armored as cataphracti. In battle the Men-of-All ride close together, almost shoulder-to-shoulder, horses flank to flank, fighting as shock cavalry, charging relatively slowly towards the enemy line to break it, and then fight in the melee. Men-of-All are far more disciplined than Seshnegi knights, and roughly equivalent to the heavy cavalry of the Seshnelan War Societies. They charge in a wedge or column formation in disciplined ranks, unlike the impetuous and individualistic Seshnegi knights. Whilst an effective charge can cause an enemy formation to break and run, repeated charges and withdrawals are also used. Most use the two-handed heavy lance, the kontos, sometimes with a small round shield strapped to the left forearm using two spaced enarmes, and the Western straight sword. The long spear is used to thrust to the right of the horse’s head, permitting them to make repeated strikes; if the lance were couched underarm, the lance would be broken in the first and only shock attack, leaving the cavalryman with no primary weapon. Their large breed of muscular horses is capable of bearing the load of their rider and their armor, whether partial or full. A Man-of-All must study the skills of administration, combat, and learn sorcery and philosophy; a new Man-of-All will be initially greatly inferior to Seshnelan knights and members of the War Societies in fighting, and certainly inferior to a Rokari sorcerer in magic. Many begin seriously learning sorcery only in middle age, or at least well into adulthood, compared to the Rokari zzaburi wizards who begin at aged six and are solely dedicated to it. As they progress in their training and study, these warrior-wizards become a potent force on and off the battlefield. The New Hrestoli believe that their strength is

The Loskalmi Crossbow Almost identical in its basic design to the Seshnelan crossbow, the Loskalmi crossbow has a lath of yew, making use of the layers of sapwood and heartwood. Some are also backed with baleen. These are spanned with a slider mechanism used to draw back the string.

Guardian Clothing A leather or quilted wool sleeved chiton tunic is worn under the cuirass, extending to the knee, treated to make it waterproof. A loose-cut garment may be worn over armor in bad weather. In the cold north, loose garments will not keep the wearer warm; garments must stay in place about the body, with tightly fitted apparel for the arms and legs. Closely fitting trousers of thick wool are secured with a belt under the long tunic, with leather straps used to tie them to the lower leg and to provide additional protection. These keep the legs warm and minimize chafing when riding. In colder weather (which applies for much of the year in Fronela) high and thick woolen socks are worn; wide spiraling leg straps secured by tucking the ends in or tied below the knee ensure they stay up. Guardians wear supple leather boots suitable for marching with thick soles of layers of ox hide glued together. In particularly cold weather, several tunics may be worn, one under the other, with armor straps and belts adjusted to allow for the increased girth. In summer, lighter tunics and trews are adopted. The Loskalmi cloak is the woolen chlamys, rectangular or semi-circular in cut, fastened at the right shoulder by a pin or brooch, often with a hood. Tunics, trousers and cloaks may be dyed, so that the Guardians of a Battalion present a uniform appearance, though the shades worn vary. Red and offwhite, are the most common.

The Men-of-All Most candidates for this role are identified at an early age, initially as a likely Guardian and those with the most potential are trained to become Men-of-All. New Men-of-All are admitted only after satisfying the examinations and experiencing Joy332. They are a spiritual elite who have achieved union with the One, liberating them from the zzaburi strictures and opening new possibilities. They are required on admission to full 332

Only when a Hrestoli wizard has experienced Joy (henosis with the transcendent One) can they awaken the ‘inner light’ of their essential soul. Joy creates an emotional and ecstatic release for the otherwise rational Hrestoli (unlike the intellectual Rokari and the inhumanly logical Brithini). Hrestolism and cults of Joy reemerge now and then throughout Seshnela even in the late Third Age. One Rokari Watcher described it as a “plague of joyful madmen washing through the rural lands.”

104

FRONELA their rational social organization which promotes justice, virtue, and enlightened administration. With the conflict with the Kingdom of War, and the initial intense defeats, the emphasis changes; new Men-of-All are raised based on fighting prowess more than spiritual development.

leather straps covering the entire limb. The helmet often has a scale neckpiece and may be decorated with dyed feathers. Many have adopted leather pteruges333 to further protect the lower body and thighs. Rider and horse are armored in bronze scale and plate, with the mount’s armor consisting of chamfron, criniere, peytral and barding or trapper. The peytral may have rising sidepieces to guard the flanks and to protect the rider’s thighs, or the saddle can have armor attached to it that curves around the rider’s legs, covering their thighs, or even the entire limb from thigh to foot. In Fronela, the risk of the horse overheating due to the armor and the padding beneath it is far less than in the muggy climate of Seshnela. Horse armor may consist of plates and scales of cuir boilli, or metal, resting over fabric padding. As the belly is particularly vulnerable, the barding and padding are designed to protect it. They fight as heavy cavalry cataphracti, with a long, two-handed kontos lance as their primary weapon supplemented by a long straight sword and a dagger. Many are magically potent, with their arms and armor enhanced by spells, and most know potent combat magics. Highly experienced Men-of-All may use lances or kontos that are particularly long. Their standards, like those of the Guardians,

Men-of-All Arms and Armor Men-of-All wear armor made of bronze scales and plates connected together with leather thongs. Their armor is carefully etched with countless small runes and pieces of Western script, the visible components of elaborate defensive spells. The panoply of a Man-of-All consists of a full or closed helmet, sometimes with a neck-guard, a gorget, pauldrons, a hauberk of scale or lamellar with short sleeves over the shoulders, augmented by bands or a pectoral of plate on the chest, and pieces of flexible arm and leg armor consisting of segmented and articulated overlapping hoops or half-hoops of lames riveted to an underlying base of several longitudinal

333

A Pelorian style, possibly introduced to Fronela by the Carmanians at the time of Shah Nadar’s campaigns.

105

MEN OF THE WEST incorporate the icon of their Battalion, but also feature a flowing banner intended to stream out behind the standard-bearer when they charge.

Loskalmi Heraldry The Loskalmi prefer geometric shapes and blocks of color as shield decorations often set within the boundaries of a Law Rune. The Brotherhoods may instead use the symbol of their Order rendered as an abstract design. Rarely, images of Ascended Masters are used, depicted as ideal perfect nude beings. Text from the writings of Hrestol may run around the rim of their shields.

Men-of-All Clothing When not fighting, a Man-of-All wears an unadorned woolen or linen chiton and a heavy woolen chlamys; their magic may protect them from the inclement weather, but many continue to wear trousers, manufactured to suit a rider with a diamond shaped gusset at the crotch to provide ample room for sitting on a horse with the legs spread. The cloak is fastened either with a simple clasp or a brooch in the form of the Law Rune. The tunic, trousers, and cloak is usually off-white or dyed a pale blue-grey.

Standards Loskalmi standards display the triangular Law Rune of the Invisible God mounted above the symbol of a Brotherhood. The Battalion is identified by the decorations hanging from the standard. The standard of the Brotherhood of the Swallow displays a silver swallow flying up to the Law Rune, whilst that of the Brotherhood of the Flame has a golden flame beneath the triangular Rune.

First Brothers The First Brothers are organized into several military orders, each specializing in a different type of combat wizardry. First Brothers wear armor similar to, but often more ornate that that of the Men-of-All, covered in Runes and other magical sigils334. Most of the Loskalmi cavalry wear bronze armor, but First Brothers are more likely to have pieces forged of iron. Their helmets are especially impressive, as are their standards, incorporating the symbol of their Brotherhood. Senior First Brothers may abhor wearing armor, trusting in their spells and mystical self-discipline for protection, though most still wear a helmet and carry a long sword. Their clothing is nearly identical to that of the Men-of-All save that their tunics are dyed a darker blue, and, when not riding, longer, descending below the knee; their cloak brooches are in the form of the symbol of their Brotherhood. Some distain to notice the cold and are kept warm by their magic and their intense self-discipline. The senior officers who have attained the rank of Ruler wear yellow tunics; their armor may be richly gilded.

Tactics Loskalm is famed for its disciplined troops, who adopt and maintain ordered formations. The infantry form the center with skirmishers to the fore, ready to retreat through gaps in the files of heavy infantry. The cavalry are either positioned on the flanks or at the front, depending upon the nature of the foe they face: the latter if the enemy are also mounted. The mounted Men-of-All and First Brothers are magically potent, often with offensive spells prepared to strike the enemy before or as they charge home.

Navy The Kingdom of Loskalm has maintained a naval tradition that survived the Closing in the almost enclosed waters of choppy Ozur Bay. Their ships are specially designed for their cold, rough seas. Their single-piece keels provide strength and stability, able to survive hogging which is where the bow and stern both abruptly droop in turbulent waters, something that might break the back of a ship. The gunwale is also higher than those of southern vessels to

Military Engineering The weapons of Loskalmi warships and fortifications include catapults and ballista made by the Zendamalthan School. This school was founded by the Ascended Master Tomaris, a companion of Hrestol who wrote The City of Virtue. Mathematics and geometry are studied for both spiritual and practical purposes, and are applied by the school’s wizard-engineers to civil and military engineering and devices.

334

The Seshnegi erroneously refer to these elite warrior-wizards as Grand Knights.

106

FRONELA avoid the ship been swamped in heavy seas and when heeling over when under sail. The native warships are clinker-built335 unireme and bireme penteconters336, and their merchant ships are a wider, deeper, and shorter version of the same construction. Both are navigable on the Janube River and its larger tributaries, and similar types of ship are used on the distant inland Sweet Sea. The largest warships typically are armed with small stone- or bolt-throwers, usually located on the forward fighting platform337. Very few are fitted with a bronzesheathed ram, as these seriously affect the performance of a ship in the roughest seas. Instead, warships may be equipped with a cutwater. Oak is preferred for the keel, ribs, stem and stern pieces, planks and steering oar; pine for the mast, yard, and oars. The biremes are considered less sea worthy than the uniremes, having two banks of oars, and are mostly employed on rivers and in the safer sheltered waters of the bay, and are more maneuverable than the longer uniremes. The ship designs are well-suited to the cold rough northern seas. Both utilize circular wooden shutters to close the oar holes when not in use, enhancing their sea worthiness in tempestuous seas. The masts can be lowered before combat and are often topped with a Law Rune. Two fleets patrol the coastal waters, with their primary mission being to suppress the raiding fleets of the Vadeli and Ygg’s Islands pirates. Other ships patrol the lower Janube River. The art of a senior shipwright is considered an honorable calling for a Man-of-All, requiring a knowledge of geometry, craft, and often sorcery.

Loskalmi Penteconter Length Beam Draught Speed Sail: Sail and oars338: Oars: Maximum Cruise

32m 5m 1.2m Knots 3-8 8-10 9 4

Duration Daylight 20 minutes 15 minutes 2 hours

21.36m 4.8m 0.914m Knots 2-5 9-10 8-10 2-4

Duration Daylight 20 minutes 20 minutes 2 hours

Loskalmi Bireme Length Beam Draught Speed Sail: Sail and oars: Oars: Maximum Cruise

Loskalmi Fortifications These are broadly similar in construction to those built in Seshnela, though built more to endure ice and snow than heavy rain storms. The thick walls of forts and castles also provide insulation against the worst of the winter cold. Most cities boasted massive walls and gateways, some having sets of double doors, but many walls were allowed to deteriorate during the Ban. Some have been rebuilt since the Thaw. In the past, stone was shaped using magic to minimize the gaps between blocks that might be penetrated and weakened over time by frost and ice. More recent constructions have also utilized massive walls of fired red brick. These may be coated with clay. Loskalmi cities and fortresses boast tall towers, used not only as defensive structures but as platforms to permit wizards to cast long distance spells and to scry for enemies. The most impressive is the Tower of Day and Night at Southpoint. A line of forts, build of earth ramparts topped by dressed stone, protect the coast from pirate raids. In earlier Ages, extensive fortified walls were built to hold off, deflect or channel enemies away from cultivated

335

In clinker construction, the keel is laid down first, with a heavy shaped keelson above it, and the raked stem- and stern-posts attached. Vertical ribs are added, and then the shell of overlapping plank strakes, starting from the keelson and working upwards, fixed with bronze rivets and later caulked with tarred wool. The keelson supports the mast. 336 The uniremes are sometimes called long ships. 337

Their long narrow hull make warships vulnerable to rolling, meaning it is difficult to aim an engine accurately over the bow. When not in use the engine must be protected from spray and rain, as moisture will weaken the elasticity of the fibers of the torsion cables, reducing its range, and ultimately rendering it unusable. Most vessels carry spare cables, but it takes time to fit them. 338 The use of sails and oars is only possible in light winds. If the sail is full a ship will often move faster than the oars, making rowing impractical.

107

MEN OF THE WEST areas and into prepared kill zones where the Men-of-All heavy cavalry would be most effective. The walls were often anchored by fortresses at each end, and with watchtowers spaced along their length. Some towers were also used as depots where stockpiles were stored to permit a rapid and efficient distribution of supplies and weapons. Others served as barracks to permit a rapid reaction to any threat. Each watchtower included warning fires used to signal an attack using smoke during the day and fire at night, supplemented by mounted messengers. These walls were highly effective against foes lacking the weapons, equipment, magic, or patience to breach their defenses, especially nomadic Hsunchen. The walls made use of the terrain and local resources, typically built of stone, earth and turf, and requiring the investment of large sums and significant manpower to build and maintain. The thickness of the walls varies according to the terrain. The ditch would be dug first, with the excavated earth used to build the turf ramparts or to infill between the stone walls. Often other backup walls were built behind the frontline walls, of cheaper turf bank and ditch construction. The Corce Wall is 18 km long, bolstered by a deep ditch on the north side. The Harram Wall is even more impressive, being 72 km in length, eight to ten meters tall and four to five meters wide, with numerous watchtowers. It was built in the Second Age and then revived in the wars against the White Bear Empire. During the Ban, the need for such lines of fortification ended and the walls were abandoned or used as quarries of convenient stone, and left to become derelict. The secondary walls slumped over time, slowly disappearing, and now are little more than relatively low ridgelines.

chime with two different notes, depending on where they are struck.

Military Camps Camps are laid out with geometric precision by surveyors using a variety of instruments, with a standardized layout, with ordered rows of tents and hitches for horses. Whilst a designated number of troops stand ready to defend their comrades, the rest of the army digs defensive ditches and embeds stakes to defend the perimeter. Guardians and Men-of-All are equipped with spades, axes, and other tools. As all began their careers as farmers all are used to the labors required. These temporary walled military camps are used as bases of an expeditionary force during a campaign, providing defense against enemy raids, storage facilities for the equipment and supplies, and living quarters for the soldiers and animals. When no longer required, the ditches are refilled, and the stakes uprooted to be reused lest an enemy make use of the camp.

Junora The petty states and city-states of the southern uplands of the Janube valley are a mixture of cultures, some of diverse Orlanthi heritage, and some that strive to be miniature versions of Loskalm, and yet others that mix Orlanthi and Western339 elements. Their military forces are similarly diverse, but typically consist of heavy cavalry and a militia of spearmen and archers. Some states are set around a fortified city, others have centers that are little more than walled villages.

The Janube River States

Loskalmi Martial Music

Each of these disparate cities can muster a small number of professional soldiers, usually well-equipped and disciplined, armed with swords, javelins, and shields. Of these the North Dona Sun Dome Templars are among the best trained. Mercenaries may be hired at need to supplement the local soldiers. For self-defense, ragged mobs of peasants and poorly drilled city dwellers regularly turn out to do their best. None are capable of withstanding a major power, or the predations of the Kingdom of War. Some settlements have stone walls, sometimes surviving in whole or in part from before the Ban, whilst the smallest and poorest may have little more

The armies of Loskalm march to the sound of drums, which are also used to relay orders in battle. Great bronze bells, arrayed on a wagon, are also used, tuned to the mathematical musical scale favored by the Hrestoli. These bells are shaped like inverted pots, with prayers and the sayings of Hrestol inscribed around the rim. It is said that when the bells chime, they give voice to the words set upon them. Larger bells may be found in temples of the Invisible God, and smaller ones in shrines dedicated to the Ascended Masters. The bells are manufactured such that each can 339

Much of Junora was never ruled by Snodal and so was never subject to the reforms instituted by Siglat during the Ban. Older versions of Hrestolism are scattered across the small states of Junora, with significant differences from each other; one might be run by a Brotherhood, another might practice hereditary succession for the nobility. In some, only the nobles and wizards are dedicated Malkioni; the warriors and farmers are polytheists who do not consider themselves to be a caste. Caste mobility might exist; but a warlord demanding to be recognized as a noble probably has to publicly embrace Malkionism and accept wizard advisors before he gains any recognition of the status by his new peers.

108

FRONELA than a timber palisade and turf ramparts. The Arrolian Properties consist of lands originally settled by Lunar colonists fleeing the reign of Sheng Seleris in the late Fourteenth Century.

The Sun Dome Temple The north bank of the central Janube, the region where the river is called the Dona, is guarded by an ancient Sun Dome Temple. It was probably founded when the Carmanian Empire extended this far west, by Yelmalion mercenaries hired to guard the western borderlands as a frontier garrison, though it may be built on older foundations, possibly dating to the Empire of the Wyrms Friends or even the Bright Empire. The temple endured when the Carmanian Empire lost these lands, hiring out its Templar regiments as mercenaries to the other states of the Janube valley before and after the Ban. Its community of dedicated soldier-farmers has survived the centuries and the Ban through strict adherence to the martial laws of their Cold Sun god 341. It was freed by the Thaw in 1593 ST. The Templars fight in a dense phalanx of phalangites, supported by their own auxiliaries on the flanks. The North Dona temple raises peltast archers, and from the wealthier farmers horse archers and even an elite troop of cataphracti equipped in the Carmanian manner.

Janube River Fleets The Janube is sufficiently deep and wide to permit the passage of merchant shipping and carvel- or clinkerbuilt sleek, oar-driven penteconters. Each of the major cities maintains a small fleet if they can afford it. The penteconters are uniremes with a single bank of rowers, twenty-five on each side, and used for ramming and boarding. High planked half-decks fore and aft provide fighting platforms which are protected by latticework panels. The vessel is steered by a large deep steering oar340 usually at the starboard aft side. Sails are only used along the widest stretches of the rivers, when the wind is favorable. These vessels often move under oars, with the yard or the entire mast lowered to avoid a furled sail catching contrary winds and slowing their progress. In addition to the oarsmen, who are all armed, the deck crew consist of the captain, helmsman, bow officer, shipwright, champion and the bosun. Two or three other warriors may also be carried to lead a boarding action. Speeds are reduced when rowing upstream, increased when sailing or taking advantage of river currents.

Hsunchen Tribes The Hsunchen tribes and clans to the north of the Janube, especially those whose beast brothers are predators, are adept in skills relevant for hunting and raiding. They include the Rathori Bear People, Kloisari Badger People, Sabadari Wolverine People, and Rinkoni Bobcat People. Their war parties consist of braves led by a war chief. When not raiding outsiders, braves may patrol their clan’s territory, or feud with other clans. Most are equipped with axes, spears, and javelins, tipped with flaked flint or obsidian heads342, though some may have bronze, taken in trade or as plunder. A very few champions and chiefs may own bronze swords. Their clothing is typically stitched leather or skins. Some Rathori also have fighting claws (with bronze or actual bear claws), and prefer to use bronze axes. The Rathori also use the longbow, its manufacture and use taught to them by Aldryami refugees from the Skyburn of Erigia in 1279 ST. They are the only non-Aldryami users of this weapon in Glorantha at the beginnings of the Hero Wars.

Janubian Penteconter Length Beam Draught Speed Sail: Sail and oars: Oars: Maximum Cruise

29m 4.m 1.2m Knots 3-8 9-10 9 4-5

Duration Daylight 20 minutes 15 minutes 2 hours

340

In this period, no human vessels use a stern rudder, save, perhaps, Waertagi dragonships.

341

More information about Yelmalion Templars is given in The Armies and Enemies of Dragon Pass.

342

These stone arrowheads are hard enough to penetrate skin and soft armor, and brittle so that they often break in the target’s flesh, making their full extraction difficult.

109

MEN OF THE WEST the use of yew makes what is otherwise a self-bow approach the capabilities of a laminate bow. A good quality yew bow uses a cut including both sapwood and heartwood. The two have different properties, as sapwood is strong when in tension, the heartwood in compression, and the two together provide a powerful bow without requiring strong glues, or any special treatment other than selecting and making the bow from a single piece of wood. A waxed leather grip is usually fitted, sized to the archer’s hand, which prevents abrasion by the arrow, and permits a quieter shot. The arrows are long, to permit the bow to be fully drawn, but slender to reduce their weight to allow the longest range to be achieved. Arrows are made of ash, aspen, or birch, with the arrowhead usually made of worked flint or bone. The arrows of a powerful longbow with a suitable bodkin arrowhead are capable of penetrating metal armor, even that of a cataphracti armored in bronze plate and scale, at close range. Quilted textile armor and shields of laminated construction can provide some protection. Leaf-shaped arrow heads are used when hunting, or against unarmored enemies, to make larger wounds, which will bleed heavily, permitting the target to be tracked.

The Longbow The Rathori longbow is a self-bow, made of one piece of wood. It is usually taller than its user to provide the greatest length of draw (a shorter bow might break) with the left arm extended and the string pulled back to the ear or shoulder, a feat that requires considerable strength but comes easily to the strongly built Bear Men. The stave of the bow is carefully shaped343, either oval or a semicircle in cross-section, after the wood has been slowly seasoned to remove all moisture. Wood with a straight regular and fine grain is best. Some bows are made only of heartwood; better bows are made from heartwood and fronted with sapwood which is more elastic. After being prepared the stave is carefully worked, with the back taken back to a single growth ring. Several different timbers are suitable for a longbow. Straight growths of ash, yew, wych elm, and hazel are all appropriate, but give a different draw weight for a comparable length. A yew bow, whether classified as a longbow or not, has significant advantages because if well made, 343

Jonatela This kingdom was founded by Jonat Big Bear when he unified much of Syanor in the Second Age. During the Ban, the loose confederation of small kingdoms and tribal states again became a unified kingdom, though parts were cut off and now no longer pay tribute or homage to the King of Jonatela. The ruling warrior nobility is heavily Westernized worshipping a henotheistic cult of the Invisible God 344 called Syanoranism and practice sorcery, but many also worship Jonat as a divine ancestor, and Humakt, Orlanth, Talor, Urox, and Vorthan345 as War Gods. The Jonatlings were introduced to Malkionism in the First Age, at the latest during Talor’s campaign in Fronela, but probably much earlier. Syanoranism acknowledges only three castes: warrior (who form the ruling class), wizard, and peasant; it permits and

Details of the manufacture of ordinary self-bows is given in The Armies and Enemies of Dragon Pass.

344

The most important text of their brand of henotheism is called the White Book. Their religion is often called Syanoranism. It respects the Abiding Book as a holy book but deviates from it by acknowledging only three castes: Warrior (the ruling class), Wizard, and Peasant. It permits and encourages non-wizards to worship inferior gods; the Warrior caste acknowledges the Invisible God and reveres Talor and several War Gods. 345 An Underworld God of War and the Red Planet, the twin brother of the Blue Moon whom the Enjoreli worshipped as Croesia; he is known elsewhere as Shargash, Tolat, Tol, and Zolan. He spends half his time in the Second Hell, and half in the Sky. Worship of Vorthan is primitive and savage, with blood sacrifice, including the sacrifice of captured foemen. The Red God is ancient in the northwest, possibly dating back to the Enjoreli Bull People and the days of the Eleven Beasts Alliance. Western sources claim he is the son of Ehilm, the Sun God, and Nakala, the Goddess of Darkness. Vorthan is depicted as a scowling old man with black skin with a red jewel embedded in his brow. For the Jonatlings and other hill barbarians of Fronela, Vorthan, whilst cruel, is not the foe of Orlanth as Jagrekriand or Shargash are for the Heortlings.

110

FRONELA encourages non-wizards to worship inferior gods. The nobility is divided into cruelly pragmatic War Clans each aided by sorcerers, and rules over the majority Orlanthi peasant population. During the Ban they reduced the surrounding clans of farmers and herders to bondage as helots or forced them to submit to their authority, extracting tribute and service. Revolts are ruthlessly suppressed. The commoners mostly maintain their traditional Orlanthi practices346 and his cult enjoys a revival among the elite after the Hero Garundyer of Ralios brings about an alliance of King Congern of Jonatela with King Kocholang of Lankst on the other side of the great mountains.

In open field battles, the nobility fight as courageous individuals, not as formed units. The heavy cavalry ride the finest horses and use the best equipment available. They ride either large Daron destriers or the largest and most robust Galana. Their equipment differs from the common Orlanthi style due to Western and Pelorian influences (their preferred swords are curved Carmanian style kopis), though their mounts are rarely heavily armored, with a felt or leather peytral being most common. Each carries a long spear with a leaf-shaped blade, some using a kontos twohanded in the Western style, and all wear a bronze cuirass, a conical helmet, often with cheek-pieces tied under the chin, and wields the curved slashing sword. Some are skilled in archery, using small self-bows, though not yet the Rathori longbow (which could not be used anyway when mounted). They carry standards depicting a stylized snarling bear, the ancestor of Jonat Big Bear, the

Jonatling Military Forces Much like Sartar and Tarsh far to the south east, the core of the kingdom’s army consists of several squadrons of elite heavy cavalry raised from the landed nobles and the military clans. They are regarded as among the best cavalry in Fronela. The Jonatings have been fighting wars as the Ban recedes, but most have consisted of small groups of nobles squabbling over control of the towns.

346

See The Armies and Enemies of Dragon Pass for details of Orlanthi warfare, and their arms and armor.

111

MEN OF THE WEST kingdom’s demigod founder. The cavalry kopis is a heavy curved single-edged blade, widening towards the tip, used for a slashing overhand stroke and thrusting, with the cutting edge on the inside of the long slightly curved blade (though some are also sharpened along the other edge). The downward curve of the kopis makes it especially suited to mounted warfare; a downwards stroke is capable of severing a foe’s arm at the shoulder. The Jonatelan kopis often has a longer grip than the Carmanian or Pelorian sword, permitting it to be used one- or twohanded. The heavy cavalry do not armor their mounts in the Western style, preferring peytrals and crinieres of wool or leather. The other clans provide contingents of warriors to the noble clans who demand oaths of allegiance and loyalty. A larger number of footmen are raised from the peasants and herders, and their arms and armor is typically Orlanthi. These levies are often expected to supply their weapons themselves and are allowed any sort of armor which they can afford and can carry. All have a shield, the favored tribal weapon (usually a bronze-tipped spear or bronze-bladed axe) or long curved knife, and a ‘strong hat’. Bows, javelins347, and slings348 are common missile weapons. They are used primarily to garrison fortresses. If called upon to fight in battle, the heaviest armed fight in a shield-wall, the lightest as skirmishers. Both cavalry and infantry prefer a typical planked Orlanthi round shield faced and rimmed with leather, many having a central spindle boss with a spine extending vertically along the shield board much like Loskalmi shields. Mercenaries are often hired for the king's frequent wars. Before the Ban, the kingdom was allied with the trolls of Xemstown, named for an ally of Jonat Big Bear. When the Ban lifts in 1625 ST, it reveals the presence of powerful troll war gangs, including the Night Guard and the Shadows of Death.

Tactics Jonatelan infantry adopt the traditional Orlanthi shieldwall, but a battle is usually dominated by the noble heavy cavalry who form mobile field armies and adopt and charge in an extended line of horsemen several ranks deep.

Jonatling Fortifications Fortresses, rich and modern in the lowlands and poor and ancient in the mountains, house the warriors and nobles who rule the land. The defenses of most cities are dominated by great fortresses used to oppressively maintain control of the commoners. Modern Jonatling castles and other fortifications are broadly similar to the Western forms, being heavily influenced by those built along the Janube valley, with rammed earth walls within inner and outer dressed drystone masonry of roughly rectangular blocks or thick brick walls. Older strongholds are similar to the Orlanthi model found throughout the Barbarian Belt, making strong use of defensive terrain, with the walls and towers built using stone and timber, the timber-laced stonework left uneven, or at most roughly hammer-dressed. The poorest are little more than the fortified enclosure of a hill-fort, defended by earthen ramparts and a rough wooden palisade. The Jonatelan military are particularly skilled in siege warfare to besiege and assault any city or noble castle that resists the king’s authority.

Clothing Both cavalry and infantry wear thick tunics, cloaks (for the wealthy fur, for others thick wool), trousers and leg wrappings and bindings. Tunics have long sleeves and are made of wool, also serving as padding under armor. Those of the nobility can be elaborately decorated at neck and cuffs, either when the tunic is woven, or as embroidery stitched on later. Most decoration is Orlanthi, though for the nobility the Law Rune of the Invisible God and complex geometric patterns are popular motifs. The tunics of commoners are white or off-white, with more expensive tunics colored using imported dyes. A linen under-tunic may be worn by those able to afford them. Nobles wear jewelry, a heavy twisted gold neck ring, and bracelets. The trousers are fashioned of wool or leather, some can have integral socks. They are held up with a cord tie threaded through a tunnel formed by turning over the hem, or by a leather belt passed through belt loops.

347

This list of accoutrements is a traditional Orlanthi poetic description of a free warrior. However, most in Jonatela are bound to the service of one of the noble war clans. 348 For Orlanthi, the sling is the symbol of the Thunderstone.

112

FRONELA Ornate belts are a sign of status, often with metal studs forming the shape of Runes, especially spirals or triangles, metal stiffeners, a strap-end, and bronze rings permitting pouches and other items to be carried. A cheap buckle may be carved from bone, or bronze, made in a mold, formed in the shape of a stylized animal head, commonly a bear. Patterns may be knitted into the trousers as they are made. The tightly bound wrappings provide protection from the cold, nettles, and thorns. They are wrapped around the lower leg and secured at top and bottom with ties. The cloaks of common soldiers are made of leather or wool, the natural oils providing some waterproofing, with a hood that can be pulled up over a helmet lacking a crest. Nobles adopt heavy cloaks of fur, with bearskins particularly prized, protecting them from the fierce weather, and also acting as additional armor. The cloak is fastened with a broach; bone or bronze for commoners, bronze gilded with silver or gold for the wealthy. On campaign these cloaks can be used as a blanket. The wealthiest may have fur cloaks lined with leather. Footwear is invariably of enclosed leather boots, with hobnails used to bind the thick soles together.

Charg When it emerges from the Ban in 1628 ST, Charg is inhabited by ferocious Storm-worshipping tribes ruled by Bull Lords. They worship ferocious War Gods such as Urox, Humakt, and Orlanth. Its tribal armies consist of infantry and cavalry, with bull-riders forming the heavy cavalry. The infantry includes fearsome Storm Bull berserkers wearing bull horns on their helmets, and Orlanthi who may have goat horns attached to their helms. The massed bull-riders, if suitably armored and equipped, fight as cataphracti. The thick hides and hair of their mounts provide a natural armor; their horns are also lowered before contact, augmenting the rider’s lance. Their arms and armor, and style of fighting are otherwise characteristically Orlanthi, with the infantry fighting in a shieldwall. Whilst many of their settlements are hill-forts, surrounded by a multivallate series of deep ditches, steep ramparts and surmounted by a palisade with fighting platforms, the people of Charg are capable of building impressively sized stone walls atop natural ridges and cliffs.

113

MEN OF THE WEST and armies who obey the edicts of the hideous demigod Lord Death On A Horse. The first entities in the Kingdom of War are said to have been demons, come from a part of the Land of the Dead because they had to351. Marauding bands raided for several years, but in 1618 ST they began demanding loyalty and thralldom from conquered peoples and seizing goods as taxes, plundering river traffic, and then began systematically besieging, assaulting, and enslaving the cities of the Janube valley. The Kingdom of War raged onward, destroying and pillaging to collect the world's largest treasure hoard. Mercenaries, heavy cavalry from Jonatela, and warriors from Tastolar (mostly Uncolings Reindeer People) and Rathorela have all volunteered to join its ranks. Others in its warbands are less easy to identify. The Loskalmi leadership is gravely perturbed by reports from the front lines - some fighters seen in the opposing ranks appear to be from among those dissidents who were secretly exiled into the grey fog during the Ban. Some of these should have been long dead, or now elderly and infirm. The warriors of the Kingdom of War are of diverse origins and difficult to classify. They wear the skins of bears, wolves, deer, and reindeer suggestive of a Hsunchen origin for many, and real antlers or bestial bronze helmets decorated with horns or antlers. Many are covered with tattoos of the Runes of Death, Beast, Disorder, and even Chaos; others carry spirit charms and fetish bags. Those who wear superior armor have looted it from their vanquished foes; most carry the defaced shields of the vanquished enemies as they are often better made than their own leather-faced shields of wood or wicker352; their weapons are numerous varieties of spears, bows, axes, and swords. The Kingdom of War supports itself by plundering, and leaves a ruined wasteland behind its frontlines, of devastated fields, ravaged orchards, slaughtered herds, ruined farms, burned villages, and sacked cities. Some farms are spared total destruction, the inhabitants forced to labor to feed the warriors, rendered into the most abject servitude, men and

The Dwarves of Nida The Nidan Decamony rules all Genertelan dwarves and has one of the most powerful military forces in Genertela. Its superbly trained Iron Dwarves are armed and armored with the best quality iron weapons – axes and battle-picks. The underground complex fielded a pike and musket regiment in the Second Age, which still drills deep inside of Nida.

The Kingdom of War In 1612 ST, the Kingdom of War erupted out of the Black Forest349 and began its brutal raids and conquests from the depths of the forbidding forest, which a century before had been a troll stronghold. Near the center of its circle of devastation lies the Cursed City, said to be sacred to a hundred different bloodthirsty gods of war350. Trophies, especially the heads of defeated foes, and treasures from the many conquests of the Kingdom of War decorate even the rudest temple. These warlike religions embody many different philosophies and styles of fighting, and yet cooperate in the vicious warbands 349

Some sources suggest this is where Snodal and his companions slew the God of Silver Feet with the Spear of Destiny.

350

The evil witch Ezdene has the power to find new War Gods, and establish the correct (and frequently savage and bloody) rituals for their worship. Most of these gods are obscure in the Third Age, their cults being long forgotten during or before Time. Some are rumored to number among the dread Lords of Terror. There are rumors that it is Ezdene, not Lord Death On A Horse, who is the actual power in this realm of wanton destruction. 351 During the Syndics Ban the Loskalmi and other isolated Fronelan peoples who survived increasingly became homogeneous with no external enemies. The spells of the Malkioni magicians exploit the material realm with their magic, and deny the consciousness of the gods, creating a spiritual region invisible to themselves infused with otherworldly demonic manifestations filled with hate, rage and violence. Some claim that the Kingdom of War manifested from the spiritual realms into Fronela, creating something which had not been there before. The Lunars of the Arrolian Properties view the Kingdom of War as a manifestation of Ganesatarus, the Carmanian Dark God. From their Lunar Moonboats they witnessed the emergence of the Kingdom of War as the cosmic force which brings change, and which is morally neutral. In fact, it was probably they who first loosed the Kingdom of War to break down the Syndics Ban. 352 One advantage of a wicker shield is that the blade of a spear or sword can get caught in the weave.

114

FRONELA women reduced to being yoked to pull the plows, as the oxen are eaten by the ravening horde. Lacking any logistical infrastructure, the Kingdom of War must conquer to survive. Their serfs are among the most wretched in the world; two things mitigate their misery, their children may be recruited to fight, and the serfs’ minds and spirits may be Tapped to the point that they barely comprehend their abject situation by evil sorcerers serving the wicked witch Ezdene. The countryside becomes increasingly devastated towards the center, as the lifespan of the abused serfs is short, and no effort is made to repopulate or rebuild what was once productive agricultural land. The conquests by the Kingdom of War follow a pattern. First there are incursions by scouts, who seek to spy out the location of defending forces and defenses, and to capture and carry off prisoners for questioning. Then come the foragers, who collect spoils to feed the fighters behind them, ravaging the land. Small scale skirmishing ramps up, as the Army of War engages the defenders and then assaults fortresses and cities, which will have been weakened by the brutal plundering of the surrounding countryside. When a settlement is taken all the surviving defending soldiers are gathered together and burned alive. The warriors then divide into two groups. One band retains discipline and mans the walls, watching for any potential relief army. The other rampages through the town, killing, raping, torturing, and plundering. At noon the groups change roles. This can continue for days, in an orgy of horror and destruction. The Loskalmi wizards believe the Kingdom of War is the material manifestation of all that is wicked and impure, the evil demiurge made manifest. In their desperation to destroy the Kingdom of War, Meriatan, First Scholar of the Brotherhood of the Swallow, and his wizards will impose their will upon the world and embrace methods forbidden since the demise of the God Learners. Meriatan enters the God Time and seeks to rob its denizens of magic and artifacts to use in the conflict. Loskalm mobilizes for an all-out War Against War. As the conflict grows, hordes of broo and other krjalki erupt from Dilis Swamp and other evil places to aid the Warlords. Meriatan’s army and tactics defend his wizards, as they strive to purify the desolation wrought by their enemy, for the land hungers for healing, and eventually the armies of

Loskalm and the Kingdom of War repeatedly clash. The barbaric Army of War is ultimately vanquished by the order, discipline, and superior magics of the Loskalmi Battalions. By 1630 ST, victorious Loskalm is poised on the borders of Jonatela, Rathorela, and the Arrolian Properties. It has become its enemy, a kingdom of war. The Rathori ally with Loskalm when the Arrolians utilize Chaos magics, whilst Jonatela, in league with Orlanthi kingdoms in Ralios, warily stands apart. In the east, the Lunar Empire is in turmoil, and Carmania proclaims its independence and then goes to the defense of the Arrolian Properties against the triumphant armies of Loskalm. Terrible battles of soldiers and sorcerers erupt along the length of the Janube. The monotheist warrior-wizards of Loskalm contest with the Carmanian dualist magi who utilize the powers of Idovanus the Wise Lord and Ganesatarus the Evil One (and some utilize terrible Chaotic spells). Carmanian cataphracti and horse archers, supported by Pelandan hoplites, war with the Loskalmi Battalions of Men-of-All cataphracti and Guardian heavy and light infantry. It is a confrontation that will rage all along the length of the Janube, under the boughs of the newly sprouting and fast growing Grim Woods353, to the very walls of Sog City in the delta. And as Snodal fearfully foresaw, the seas will rise to inundate the land.

Ygg’s Islands Lying off the northwestern coast of Fronela, this archipelago and the nearby coast are inhabited by Storm People, claiming they are descended from Ygg354, the God of the Winter Wind, and Nelarrina, a minor goddess of the Neliomi Sea. The people are mostly fishermen, sealers, whalers, and, more recently, Wolf Pirates355.

353

The Aldryami reseeding of forests will hinder the use of cavalry in Fronela and elsewhere, but will aid irregular infantry warfare, until the newly grown elves are in sufficient numbers to defend their new forests. 354 Ygg is the piratical God of the Winter Wind; many Wolf Pirates now find Orlanth a less demanding deity. 355

The Wolf Pirates, their vessels, their gods, and their methods of raiding and war are covered in detail in The Armies and Enemies of Dragon Pass.

115

MEN OF THE WEST The northern coastline was apparently shattered in the cataclysms at the end of the Second Age creating many craggy islands and deep indentations into the coast of the mainland. This was the last known destination of Dormal in the mortal world in 1583 ST where one of his ships was wrecked. Thereafter the inhabitants built the first of their beast-prowed clinker-built fifty-oared penteconters, with single and double banks of oars. Despite using a different construction method, they copied much from the smashed Holy Country vessel, but have also adopted a Loskalmi-style keel. Their pine and fir timber is obtained from the coastal forests. The capricious elf ruler of the Courtwood may be friendly or cruel and malicious, but further north the Yggites maintain an ancient agreement with the elves of the Winterwood which allows them a limited harvest of lumber. Unlike ships in the south which use ropes of hemp, those of the Ygg Isles use rigging of whale hide and seal skin, which are tough and water resistant. The Wolf Pirates originally allied with the Vadeli and plundered the merchant shipping and coasts of the Neliomi Sea. After the defeat of the Vadeli, the Wolf Pirates spread eastward along Genertela’s southern coasts. Despite their unsophisticated navigational techniques, these vessels have circumnavigated the Homeward Ocean bringing mayhem and murder to almost every coastline of the Middle World. The seas and rivers inland provide them with avenues to raid wherever they wish, and the mobility to escape when local forces gather to attempt to repel them. The pirates carefully select their victims to avoid pitched battles, with their raids preceded by scouting parties. Most have decamped to the warm Three Step Islands off the coast of Kethaela where the pickings are rich and plentiful, but Wolf Pirates still plague the coasts and mercantile shipping of Seshnela and Fronela. Most of the ships of the original Wolf Pirate fleet were penteconters, with twenty-five oars on each side. These were either uniremes with a single bank of oars, or biremes with two banks, the upper of fourteen oars and the lower of eleven. The bireme is a little slower and less seaworthy than the unireme, but has a smaller

turning circle. Both have a fighting platform at the bow. The fierce magical figurehead on the prow (typically a demonic wolf) may bite or bind an enemy ship, grasping it to permit a boarding. Some also employ spiked boarding ramps and Air Elementals to drop grapples to secure their prey. The oarsmen are all warriors, meaning that the pirates usually outnumber the marines of enemy warships in any boarding. Most of their warships also have a cutwater or ram, though these are employed against enemy warships, as their use against merchant ships might sink them before their cargoes, passengers, and crews can be seized. A Wolf Pirate penteconter typically has a crew of 50 warrior-rowers, five officers, and one captain. This is their basic fighting unit, strengthened by comradeship and discipline, and they have a reputation for ferocious, often savage fighting qualities. The Wolf Pirate fleet at the Three Steps Islands is now more diverse, including captured ships, and new recruits, especially from the Quinpolic League. By 1625 ST, only a third of the Wolf Pirates rampaging and ravaging the seas and shores of the Middle World hail from Ygg’s Islands. The size of the Wolf Pirate force in 1625 ST is difficult to assess. Their entire fleet numbers 30 to 60 ships, spread along the southern coast of Genertela, suggesting a total fighting strength of approximately fifteen hundred to four thousand fighters. In addition to becoming embroiled in the Hero Wars on land, the Wolf Pirates become one of the most ferocious foes of the returning Waertagi dragonships as they declare a crusade against the cult of Dormal and begin wiping the open seas clean of all other shipping. Penteconter (‘unireme’) Length Beam Draught Speed Sail: Sail and oars: Oars: Maximum Cruise

33.76m 4.67m 0.76m Knots 3-8 9-10 9 4-5

Duration Daylight 20 minutes 15 minutes 2 hours

Penteconter (‘bireme’) Length Beam Draught Speed Sail: Sail and oars: Oars: Maximum Cruise

I

116

21.36m 3.05m 0.76m Knots 3-7 9-11 10 4-5

Duration Daylight 20 minutes 15 minutes 2 hours

RALIOS

Ralios In the Third Age, lowland Ralios is a patchwork of citystates and the hills home to a mixture of tribal lands - a complex mélange of Western, Orlanthi and Hsunchen cultures. The uplands and arid forests are also inhabited by Hsunchen still living as their ancestors did, Orlanthi clans and tribes, and the Elder Races, including Aldryami, Trolls, Dragonewts, and several Mostali city complexes hidden deep within the northern mountains. The peoples of Ralios are all fiercely independent and proud of their different histories and traditions. The cultures of the rich city-states of Safelster are a hybrid of Orlanthi cults and Malkioni materialistic philosophies, upon a foundation of the legacies of ancient Enerali and Hsunchen ways, with numerous weird esoteric influences and secret societies dating back to the time of Nysalor and Arkat. The lineages of its inhabitants are similarly mixed. Ancient wars have left their mark on the land, the people, and their martial traditions.

Terrain and Mobility Ralios is surrounded by the steep Nidan Mountains in the north, the lofty Western Rockwoods in the northeast and east (the two ranges meet at Top of the World Mountain), and the lower but snow-capped Mislari Mountains in the south. Within this massive inland bowl, hilly, sometimes rugged terrain is centered about the plains of the central freshwater sea, Lake Felster. Two great forested regions lie to the north and south. The narrow and perilous High Llama Pass356 over the Nidan Mountains (created in the First or early Second Age when the True Giants liberated the Jolanti slaves of the dwarves) connects Ralios and Fronela, the forbidding Kartolin Pass crosses from Ralios into Dorastor, whilst the Mislari Mountains are impassable, save for a rumored pass. Ralios is open to the west to Seshnela, a factor that has heavily influenced its history. A glittering array of city-states is situated in the fertile plains surrounding Lake Felster, whilst Orlanthi and Hsunchen tribes and clans inhabit the uplands and the uneven outlands, with the harshest regions in the east and west inhabited by trolls. The lowland grasslands are ideal for the rearing of horses, and for mounted warfare, save around Sodal Marsh where the surrounding meadows look deceptively firm but are soft and boggy beneath the surface. The hill lands and forests of the north and east are less suitable and were probably one of the reasons why the Middle Sea Empire conducted at most punitive campaigns there. The land is named for the Land Goddess Ralia, the daughter of Gata and Genert; its suffix denotes the shore lands of Lake Felster in an ancient tongue, where her daughter Inulei’s son and his people lived with their horse herds in the God Time. Ralia took many lovers, including Sramak, and also gave birth to the river goddesses Doska and Tana, and according to one divine genealogy, the lake goddess Safa, variously also accounted the sister or daughter of Orlanth. Much of the uplands is covered in temperate broadleaf and mixed forests and is far less suitable for cavalry, with rough and arid pine forests and grasslands in the northeast and east, the driest of which are near desert. The Tanier and Doskior rivers, and the lakes are the major conduits for trade and transport. Beyond

Climate and War The climate of Ralios is temperate, save in the highlands. It has cool to mild and mostly dry winters with snow in the uplands remaining for less than a season, and hot, often humid summers. The campaigning season extends into every season save for Dark Season and the first weeks of Storm Season, being more restricted in the highlands. In Sea Season the major rivers of Ralios flood with meltwater from the high mountain ranges of the north, east, and south. The level of the Doskior usually rises before the Tanier as its sources lie to the south, where the climate is milder, so that the snow on the peaks melts earlier, followed by the Tanier river a few days or weeks later. Both rivers feed into Lake Felster, causing some flooding around its banks. The waters then slowly drain into the Sodal Marshes, which also expand, and then flow west and then south to the mouth of the Tanier River in Seshnela. The increased currents make crossing the rivers more hazardous, and vessels attempting to row upstream often wait at a river port until the spate has passed. This annual occurrence delays the campaigning season for Seshnelan armies intent on invading Ralios. The waters of Lake Felster are otherwise relatively placid throughout most of the year save when there are inland storms. 356

Named perhaps for a Hsunchen Llama People who later became extinct in the late First Age. The date of the creation of the pass is unclear. There may have been an even more hazardous pass there before the destruction wrought by Gonn Orta when he released some Jolanti from their captivity. This earlier pass may have been named the Wolves’ High Pass.

117

MEN OF THE WEST Safelster there are few good roads. The trail to the pass to Fronela is better than that to Dorastor, which had fallen into disuse until the commencement (in 1580 ST) of the annual caravans from the Lunar Empire. The magical roads of Ralios are still mostly intact357, though the Dragonewt roads were destroyed by the Hero Alakoring in the Second Age.

head of luxuriant hair is crowned with glossy fruits and vines bearing green and ruby-colored grapes.

Calendar Most Safelstrans use the Theyalan calendar; a few use the Jrusteli calendar (primarily the Rokari living in Safelster).

Religion

The History of Ralios

Among the diverse and fractious city-states of Safelster the Invisible God is widely acknowledged by a variety of names as the Creator, and Malkioni sorcery is extensively used, but for most purposes people call upon the aid of gods (such as Orlanth, Ernalda, Humakt, Ehilm, even Zorak Zoran, though not always by those names) or lesser gods (such as the local Horse God and Goddess, and various heroes and ancestors). Arkat is revered by some, but inaccessible (so much so that the various Arkati movements claim wildly contradictory attributes for him), and reviled by others. Many also worship the ancient Beast Gods. In the uplands, the Theyalan cults dominate, laid over an older strata, and there are still bands of nomadic Hsunchen in the wilds. The Ralian Orlanthi now share many of their myths with those of Dragon Pass, but their stories of surviving the Great Darkness are different, and the I Fought We Won story is not part of their mythos. The Theyalan missionaries taught them many other core Orlanthi myths, and Harmast gave them the Lightbringers’ Quest. Mount Visku is sacred to them, much as Kero Fin is for the Orlanthi of Dragon Pass. Orlanthi pilgrims from across Ralios travel to the holy shrines on the flanks of the great mountain, even though this requires passing through the wolf-haunted forests of Telmoria. The Issaries cult dominates long-distance overland trade between Ralios and Esrolia via Maniria. Some of the caravan leaders may also subscribe to a henotheist Malkioni philosophy, but many are Holy Country Issaries cultists. They work with the Trader Princes and the city lords of Safelster to maintain the still profitable trade. The Land Goddess Ralia is depicted as a beautiful green or brown-skinned woman, arms entwined with snakes, her outstretched hands bearing wheat, and her 357

The First Age The Warriors of Ralios At the Dawn, Ralios was lightly populated. Numerous tribes of Hsunchen lived in the Greatwood358, which extended from the Erontree to the borders of Kethaela, and the lowland hills and plains were inhabited by the four horse-riding tribes of the Enerali: the Korioni, the Utoni, the Fornaoli, and the Vustri. The inhabitants of Ralios never unified, torn by constant wars between themselves and with foreign invaders. Elves and the Sedrali Dog People lived in the forests, trolls lurked in Hakiliv, and dwarves dwelled in their underground complexes in the Nidan Mountains. The Hsunchen lived mostly as hunter-gatherers united by the shamanic priesthood called by others the Serpent Beasts359 roaming through the hills and forests.

Hrelar Amali, though now in ruins is still a major node, and is a station in many heroquests, including the Lightbringers’ Quest.

358

In Orlanthi myth, before Time, Seravus (or Seras) the Enchanter and his beast allies resided here. In the Plundering of Aron myth, all the beasts of the Vingkotlings had been magically bound in the Greatwood. The Thunder Brothers went forth to return the beasts to their people. Parts of the forest were burnt and destroyed by Helamakt when the Thunder Brothers were ambushed by the elf allies of the Enchanter, perhaps forming the grass covered plains of lowland Ralios. Odayla was rewarded with the land of Sylila for finding the trail. 359 This is the name their enemies called them. Their people knew them as the Snake Masters, Cowled Vipers, High Ones, Great Lords, Holy Ones and other terms of respect. The slur is the basis of the widespread belief among Westerners that the Hsunchen of Ralios included people who had reptile totems, when it probably derives from their veneration of Korgatsu the World Dragon, sometimes said to be a serpent, and Nagi-Mer, the snake daughter of Hykim and Mikyh, their: shaman guide and psychopomp. However, one Arkat texts records that the Hero rescued his troll ally Kwaratch Kang from the Great River Dragon Man at Inti Pardo, and there are legends of the bloodthirsty and cold-hearted Pardo warriors who lived

118

RALIOS They fought in warbands, armed with stone-tipped and fire hardened weapons, using leather and fur as armor, and carrying their leather conical tents from camp to camp. The shamans of the Serpent Beasts knew potent magics, which were used in the wars with the Horse People and the encroaching Westerners and Theyalans. All the inhabitants wore animal skins, sometimes decorated with ornaments of bone and feathers, though the Enerali nobility wore items of cold-worked gold, panned from the rivers flowing from the distant mountains360. The Horse Peoples lived a semi-nomadic life accompanying their herds of horses and other animals, living as hunter-gatherers and practicing simple horticulture, though they had autumnal gathering places, either hill-forts (some with cyclopean architecture and tunnels walled by megalithic stones), or temple complexes. Dangk was ruled by a king elected by the tribes of the Dangan Confederation. Their tribes hunted birds and fish among the marshes and shallow waters and reed banks of Lake Ehilmka361, and around the gradually growing Lake Felster362. On the shores of the sacred Lake Helby363 peaceful meetings with the Serpent Beast Hsunchen peoples could be arranged. Hrelar Amali was a religious center at the Dawn, inhabited by the Temple Keepers, the priest-judges of the tribes of the Dangan Confederacy364. When the Theyalan missionaries came to Ralios this was the only place with a glimmering of civilization, which had helped the nearby people to again see the sunlight after what might have been centuries of timeless Darkness and then the long grey gloom that preceded the Dawn. The Vustri refused to join the Dangan Confederacy and allied instead with the various Serpent Beast peoples and their shamans365.

The Korioni also maintained their independence, with their lands centered about the Upper Tanier River, until they were ruled by the Second Dari Alliance after 350 ST366. The chiefs and their household warriors fought from their chariots, using them as skirmishing missileplatforms, or as battle taxis, shooting arrows and throwing javelins. Before they learned metalworking from the Theyalans, they made arrow and spearheads from worked stone and bone. The Horse People had intermittently warred with the Pendali Lion Men of the Seshnelan peninsula and Tanisor in the west, and now came into conflict with the Malkioni when they expanded into their grasslands, fighting numerous wars against the Silver Empire. Many of the Pendali had refused to adopt Western agriculture and their refusal to adopt the Seshnelan ways was passed onward to their distant kin in Ralios. Theyalan Lightbringers entered the region from the south, and in the north over Kartolin Pass. These missionaries brought the ‘light of the new age’, truly liberating spiritual insights that made peoples’ lives easier to live. When the Theyalan missionaries came in 132 ST, the Vustri recognized Orlanth as Erulat367 and Ernalda as the Green Lady. They eagerly learned from the Theyalans, and used their new gods and arts to fight the Dangans. The Enerali bands recognized at least a stanza or two of the missionaries’ songs, often the verses about transforming into animals in order to survive, or about the last tree standing. It is also possible that those who knew of Erulat remembered that their ancestors had once directed their prayers to Mount Visku to the north, so tall it was claimed this great mountain could be seen from southern Ralios when the skies were clear as a great

along the Tanier River raiding passing barges and ships. The legend says that Arkat destroyed them when they took his friend captive. Crocodiles are still found in the Lower Tanier River and the Sodal Marshes. 360 Some claim that the waters of Lake Ehilmka once glinted gold because of the wealth of nuggets lying on its bed, now long sunk into the muddy depths of the Sodal Marshes. 361 So named because it was the first to reflect Ehilm’s visage when he returned at the Dawn, proving to gods and mortals alike that the Darkness had ended. Much of the lake has vanished, leaving only the Sodal Marshes. Lake Bakan is a remnant of the original lake, still famed for the healing properties of its waters. The marshes are full of crocodiles, snakes and frogs. 362 Some dubious sources describe a very large lake further north feeding the Upper Tanier River, called, perhaps, Nralar, Nradar or Nador, which was destroyed or drained by the dwarves of Nida early in the First Age, resulting in the expansion of Lake Felster. There are also references to Nador’s Marsh, used as a garbage dump by the dwarves. However, there is a lack of geologic or hydrologic evidence for the lake ever existing. 363 This lake was extremely rich in fish prior to the wars against the Bright Empire and is the home of the goddess Tagar, a fertility goddess and mother of fish. The fishing was once so plentiful that no one needed to hunt, and humans and beasts long maintained their friendship. 364 The priests of the Dangan Confederacy served as judges for all disputes between the clans and tribes, although the tribes themselves were governed by their chiefs. The Dangan Temple Keepers performed an annual horse sacrifice at Hrelar Amali, with horse races, a chosen scapegoat who was driven out of their lands, dancing and singing, and an elaborate feast joined by all the gods and goddesses. 365 There is a sacred rock relief carved into a cliff near Lartuli depicting Galana battling against the dragon ruler of the Underworld, which may be Korgatsu the World Dragon. Lartuli lies within the ancient territory of the Vustri before they were forced into the hills of the north and east. 366 There is a very apparent division among the Enerali tribes, between those who followed the Sun God and those who followed the Storm God in the Gods War. The Dangan Confederation and the first Dari Alliance were predominantly comprised of the two Solar tribes. 367 Among the Enerali, the Solar tribes of the Fornaoli and Utoni knew the Storm God as Humat, conflating the agency of Death with its wielder, whilst the Storm tribes of the Vustri and Korioni more accurately knew the Storm God as Erulat.

119

MEN OF THE WEST mass looming into the heavens, with brilliant white glaciers and snowfields on its flanks. The Theyalan cult of Humakt368 arrived even before the missionaries, brought by wandering mercenary swordsmen. None linked it with the Storm King Humat369 at this time. Although the Dangan kings opposed the Unity Council when first approached in 132 ST, by 180 ST they had embraced the teachings of the Theyalan missionaries who showed that many of their gods and goddesses were known to the Theyalans by other names370. More importantly, the Theyalans showed them secrets about their own gods that they did not previously know371. The Enerali were shocked when the Theyalans showed how their own fragmentary legends fitted into a larger story. However, the Enerali did not become Heortlings and kept their own secrets of surviving the Darkness372. The Horse Tribes mostly embraced the Theyalan gods and offered sacrifice to them; sometimes in tandem with the older cults, sometimes even replacing them. The Galanini aristocratic clans held to the cult of their Sun Horse ancestor and many of the people retained their native shamanic or theistic beliefs even as they adopted Lightbringer religions, choosing which parts to use. Those gods that facilitated farming were widely worshipped. Barntar the Plow God proved a very important import: the ox-driven plow enabled the population around Lake Felster and the river valleys to increase dramatically. Theyalan technology, rituals and practices

for agriculture were the first to be introduced to Ralios; Seshnegi agriculture was not established there until much later, and by then the Westerners were a relentless enemy whose ways and religion were shunned. The existing urban centers expanded and new ones settled. Many would be the foundations of the great cities of later ages. The cult of Lhankor Mhy transmitted literacy; that of Issaries facilitated trade373. The cult of Orlanth was later the most important for the Korioni and Vustri peoples with their comparative proximity to Orlanth’s holy mountain named as Visku. For the Fornaoli and Utoni west and south of Lake Felster, Orlanth was a distant god and largely unconcerned with their affairs, although several of his sons had important cults. Ehilm the Good Light continued to be a more significant cult for them374. Ernalda was embraced by all four tribes, and often worshipped in conjunction with or replacing Mata375 the Green Lady. Whilst the Enerali maintained their horse herds they increasingly became largely sedentary, abandoning their old semi-nomadic ways. After the Dangans joined the Theyalan Council, the Vustri fought the Theyalans who had settled the flanks of the upper Doskior River as fiercely as they fought the Dangans. Circa 200 ST, the Silver Empire attacked the Dangan Confederacy, taking much land from the Fornaoli and even some from the Utoni. These campaigns continued over generations, as the Seshnegi

368

Humakt is not really a Storm God as he severed his kinship and lost his Air powers, but he can be called a Wind God, and since Death comes from the north he is sometimes called the North Wind in the same way he is called the Dead Wind and occasionally the Wind of Below. The Pentans know Humakt as the North War Wind. 369 In the First Age, in many places Orlanth was worshipped or known as Orlanth the Death Bringer, the wielder of the sword of Death, which had its own subcult so the combination of Orlanth and Humakt was not unusual (and Humakt is often called the Sword God). In addition, in the Solar Enerali pantheon, Humat was the son of Gata and Zrenthus, and so perhaps the severance of Earth and Sky by the birth of a Storm God took on connotations of Humakt as the god of severing. As the Solar Enerali had forgotten or never knew many of the myths of their gods, the division of Earth and Sky by the birth of Umath, and Humakt’s severing of his connections with his kin were amalgamated. The name Humat has clear similarities to both Umath and Humakt. 370 Some Theyalans seem to have recognised the High God Humat as the Storm King and identified him as Orlanth. However, the syncretic association of Orlanth and the local Storm Gods did not happen immediately, and in many places the cults remained separate for a long time. 371 When the Dangan Confederacy embraced the Theyalan religions they still divided their myth of the Storm God killing the Sun (as Humat’s contests with Ehilm over Mata the Green Lady) from the myth of Orlanth's feud with the Evil Emperor (whom the Ralians identified with Seras the Enchanter, the Maker of the Mostali, also identified by them with Malkion the god of the Westerners). 372 However, the Theyalan missionaries did tell them of the events of the Storm Age, which had been largely lost to them. The Storm Gods were active in Ralios during the Storm Age; the Heortlings associate this with the stories of Adoren, the peninsula of Selus, and Sevid (a general name for the lands of the West); the Malkioni associate this period with the Kachisti who were corrupted by Worlath and became Winkoti. 373 In the East Wilds, the River Goddess Doska remains the Goddess of Trade, as most commerce there is by boat. In the urban centers, she is worshipped as Issaries’ wife. 374 Their stories told that their ancestors had lived in the Great Forest until Ehilm was killed by Humat and dragged into the Underworld by the Death Hounds. Nakala’s cruel son Zaval then cut down Flamal bringing the Great Darkness. Chaos entered the world and an army of filth scourged the world and destroyed the forest. Eurmal killed Galanin because he was hungry, but had no fire to cook the meat. He gathered up the last embers of Ehilm’s fire from the Underworld and went to Hrelar Amali to use the body of Flamal as fuel to feed the flames. To Eurmal’s surprise, the flame flared up and produced the resurrected Ehilm, who rose with the other revived gods and spirits in his wake. Light and life returned to the world. The other gods drove Eurmal away and restored the world. In 180 ST one of the Theyalan missionaries entered the Hrelar Amali rites and proved that Orlanth was Eurmal’s master and that he had resurrected Ehilm in the Underworld. 375 Also named Matara.

120

RALIOS pushed deeper into Ralios, drawn by the lure of the fertile lowlands and by the desire to expunge a number of heretical Malkioni sects which had found safety in Ralios376. Soon after, more Orlanthi colonists from Dragon Pass settled the East Wilds. Settlers came over Kartolin Pass into lands that were mostly uninhabited, and began farming in the river valleys. They were frequently raided by the natives, whether Enerali or Hsunchen, and the armies of Kartolin were finally sent to defend them, including dragonewts from the Dragon’s Eye in Dragon Pass. The dragonewts established a nest in the northeast of Ralios in 210 ST which kept close ties to Dragon Pass until its rulers and its magical roads were destroyed by Alakoring Dragonbreaker in the late Second Age. In response to the increasing use of heavy cavalry by the Seshnegi, the Horse People also adapted to fighting from horseback to defend themselves. Their chariot archers became horse archers instead; where a chariot required a driver and warrior, when each were mounted, the number of fighters was effectively doubled. Instead of being secured to the side of a chariot, their cylindrical quivers were slung from the saddle behind the right leg to be convenient for the right hand, meaning that the archer could loose arrows in quick succession. When not in use, a horseman would carry his strung self-bow around his neck or shoulder377 to free both hands to hold the reins. Whilst they could not match the armored Seshnegi in hand-tohand combat (the Westerners at this time were not yet armed and

armored as full cataphracti), they could harass the Hrestoli horse riders to exhaustion, riding in to shoot and then riding away faster than the Men-of-All could pursue. Although there were relatively few gaps in their armor, out of the sheer number of arrows, some would eventually hit home to kill or wound either the rider or their mount. The Seshnelan cavalry countered this by wearing increasingly heavy armor, wearing bronze facemasks and adding eye-protectors to their mount’s chamfrons, but the extra weight further only served to reduce their mobility. The Enerali also had the advantage of their special rapport with their horses through their veneration of the Sun Horse. Several Seshnelan War Societies now used bows, afoot or mounted, and others adopted crossbows in an effort to hold off the Ralian horse archers. Despite the ongoing series of wars with the Seshnegi, Dangan mercenaries sought service with the Second Council. Many of the Enerali led their horses over the pass into Dorastor, and then fought for the Council in many engagements, culminating in the Battle of Argentium Thri’ile in 230 ST where they fought alongside

376

Between 200 ST and 326 ST, several small sects declared heretical by the rulers of Seshnela founded émigré communities in Ralios. Ralios swiftly gained a repute as a place of safety for unorthodox Malkioni, a reputation it retains into the Third Age. The Seekers of Wisdom were perhaps the best known, travelling from market to market under the protection of the Dangan and later the Dari kings, debating with everyone (including each other) and seeking the Ultimate Truth; the Orgethites were also present, though their Air magics were less popular with the Solar tribes of the Enerali. 377 Unlike the Pentans, the Enerali did not use a combined bow and arrow case gorytos, or the compound bow.

121

MEN OF THE WEST the Praxian mercenaries. In the four days of battle the Horse Lords of Peloria were defeated, and driven out into the grasslands of Pent. The Dangans did not associate the nomads’ Yu-Kargzant with their own Solar God Ehilm the son of Lodik. The Hero Dari was also more than willing to use the weapons of his enemies against them; another school of Western sorcery378 was established in Dangk. In 265 ST, the Seshnelans destroyed Hrelar Amali; in retaliation, the Hero unified all the lowland Horse People into the Dari Alliance and led his armies of chariotry, cavalry and foot warriors to conquer Tanisor and to strike deep into Seshnela. Seshnegi records name his alliance as the Dari Empire, though it was never an empire in of itself. Fragmentary records suggest that Dari divided his cavalry into four Banners. This defeat was one of several factors leading to the eventual collapse of the Silver Empire in 286 ST. With no immediate military or magic to stop the attacks, the Seshnegi resorted to other methods and had Dari assassinated in 307 ST. With his death, his alliance crumbled, only to be resurrected by his heirs with a Second Dari Alliance in 350 ST. There are indications that the Alliance often hired inhuman mercenaries in emulation of the Council over the mountains in Dorastor, who never failed to daunt its Seshnelan foes. Hrelar Amali was rebuilt, using the new technologies introduced by the Theyalans. For more than a century, the Orlanthi colonists fought the upland Hsunchen and the Vustri who had adopted much Orlanthi culture and religion, but saw the settlers as invaders, until the Theyalans had complete victory at the Battle of Zebrawood 379 in 320 ST. Many of the lesser Hsunchen peoples were subsequently assimilated into the population of the Orlanthi settlers380 over a few generations or were driven to extinction. 378

A few years after the Sunstop in 375 ST, Holy Estorex381 brought Nysalor’s382 wisdom and magic to the restored temple complex at Hrelar Amali from distant Dorastor and fatefully the Second Dari Alliance joined or were closely aligned with his Bright Empire383. The sacred site became the Bright Empire’s headquarters in Ralios. Many worshippers of the High God Humat the Storm King subsequently acknowledged Lokomayadon’s High Storm Tarumath. When the armies of the Broken Council and the rebels met in the Battle of Night and Day not far from Kero Fin Mountain in 379 ST, the warbands of Dorastor included many fighters drawn from Ralios, including cavalry of the Second Alliance led by Durumath the Traveler, a prince among his people384, and Orlanthi settlers from Karia. The rebel Heortlings, Uz and their allies were completely crushed. Where the early Theyalan missionaries had taught and shared their knowledge with the people who had survived the Great Darkness, the Nysalorean missionaries sought to proselytize their god’s cult even to those who did not share the same gods. Where earlier missionaries had identified and shared their knowledge of commonly held deities, these brought entirely new and often abstract teachings, both unsettling and liberating, which crossed cultural and religious divides385. The Bright Empire not only brought light but also hidden darkness. Certain prophets of Nysalor were tempted by the powers of their Illumination and fell prey to the deceptive and dark side of the cult, which said that the Illuminated need care only for themselves and their desires386. Some turned to Chaos. One group secretly constructed a cult complex dedicated to the evil head-taker Than underneath the marshes around Lake Ehilmka which was the site of horrific rituals and evil ceremonies.

A henotheist heresy that subsequently perpetuated the traditions of the Serpent Beasts. The Orgethites were already established there.

379

There are no records of Zebra Hsunchen or zebra riders in Ralios. The name might be derived from the stripes of the Seredae horses introduced from Peloria. Further research is required. 380 The Bemuri aurochs folk took to farming even earlier, and began worshipping Urox and Uralda (the bull and cow deities of the Orlanthi) as their gods. No aurochs has now been seen in Maniria or Ralios for centuries. The Keanos tribe of the East Wilds are still semi-nomadic cattle herders. 381 A Dara Happan lord of Yuthuppa, the City of the Star Towers, and a priest of Dayzatar, the Pure Light, who impressed the Ralians of his deep knowledge of their High God Zrenthus, which far surpassed their own. Dari legend suggests that Estorex was preceded by Dastango, who posed strange questions, and who cleared the land of the bronze herons (perhaps dwarven constructs) which had preyed upon the people in the lake lands. Another of the missionaries to Hrelar Amali was Gaalth, a Nysalorian priest of the Illuminating Light. Later he was summoned to Seshnela by King Gwaloring, where he built a small shrine to Nybie in Frowal and cured the Queen of the plague. Gwaloring then sent for more of the priests, and soon they were setting up shrines in all of his cities, and Gaalth stood at Gwaloring’s elbow as his chief advisor. Gaalth was killed in 408 ST by Arkat. 382 Nysalor was known to the people of Hrelar Amali as Nieby. 383

By the end of the reign of the Dara Happan Emperor Khorzanelm in 405 ST, the Bright Empire consisted of Dara Happa in the north, Talsardia, Somarin, the Hykimi Alliance and many of the Enjoreli tribes in the northwest, Saird, Kerofinela, the Elder Wilds and Prax in the east, Karia and Slontos in the south, with Dorastor in the center. 384 He led a Dari warband of a hundred warriors riding upon their dark, big-headed pony brothers. 385

The teachings of Nysalor unified and fused together the Storm and the Solar religions, in the doctrines of a mystically oriented demigod.

386

This is known as Occlusion. Too many of those Illuminated by the teachings of Nysalor were Occluded, and they thought nothing of committing unspeakable atrocities in his name; it is debatable whether the god foresaw or intended this.

122

RALIOS Tanisor, heavily populated and a rival to Seshnela, was a part of the Bright Empire. The two lands had warred constantly. The king and his household had willingly offered their souls to Vivamort for aid against Seshnela, and sent to Dorastor for help against the forces now arrayed against them. People from all over Ralios sent aid at various times including dragonewts, dwarves and elves. In Seshnela the Nysalor prophets used the powers of the Disease Mistress Mallia to further their seeking of converts, spreading an awful plague the Malkioni healers could not treat or halt.

missionaries, the Hero led his army further into Ralios, where he found that many barbarian nations and nonhumans had embraced their evil cult. Since non-humans were uncommon in Seshnela and Brithos, the invaders called the forces arrayed against them now the League of Monsters, using the word krjalki to describe their nonhuman enemies as a single group. In their ignorance, much of the Western army thought that the krjalki were mutated monsters who had long sold themselves to Chaos. The elves of Tarinwood, who revered Nysalor, and had been allies of the Unity Council since 130 ST, revealed The Light in Darkness, whose worshippers were all women revering the Star Huntress who lived in their forest. A cult of unicorn riding virgins served this goddess387 and they defended Hrelar Amali against Arkat and his army of sorcerers. He crushed their defenses, razed Hrelar Amali (though the ruins still glow with Ehilm’s light), and scattered the cult. This destruction also broke the power of the noble Solar Galanini clans. Arkat led his forces north and east, and at this time his foes could not rally against him. The Greatwood of the elves was divided in the wars, its trees felled in the hill lands, reducing it to the Ballid in the north and the Tarinwood in the south, and scattered lesser woodland. By this time, Arkat’s armies still included some Brithini, many Seshnegi, and now Orlanthi388 of the Ralian hill lands. After being crowned, King Grimnos had continued to allow his knights and soldiers to follow the Hero. Despite the forces389 arrayed against him, Arkat defeated the Dorastoran general Deringogus, routing the Second Dari Alliance and waded through gore until he reached the fortress Kartolin, but was unable to breach its defenses. Then, in 418 ST, Arkat was slain himself by Nysalor’s lieutenant, Palangio the Iron Vrok390. The armies of the Bright Empire launched a counter offensive, through Kartolin Pass.

The Coming of Arkat After cleansing Seshnela and Tanisor of the evil works of Nysalor’s 387

The goddess now known as Yelorna in Peloria and Saird. It is possible that this goddess is an aspect of Galana the Sun Mare. The name Yelorna was probably introduced into Ralios in the Second Age by the Yelmalion mercenaries of the EWF, though it may be associated with Mount Selon, a piece of the Sky Dome that was torn down by the Storm Gods during the Gods War, which sits above Wonderwood, where unicorns are found. Ancient texts of unknown provenance mention Selona, who might be identified with Yelorna. The cult of the unicorn-riders in Ralios and Saird was shattered and scattered during the victories of Arkat. The Dark Empire that followed Arkat claimed to have extinguished the Yelornan cult everywhere west of the Rockwoods. Despite his efforts, the cult endured to greet the Sun Dome Templar mercenaries of the EWF in the Second Age. One fragmentary text declares that the Star Women lived among the Enerali before this, though most claimed no descent from Eneral’s four sons. In Ralios the unicorn goddess was anciently associated with the Pole Star, and legend claimed that when she returned to the Sky World after the Great Darkness she found her place had been usurped by a male god. 388 Galanini, Enerali, and Orlanthi are not mutually exclusive terms at this time. Many Enerali, especially the descendants of the Korioni and Vustri, had adopted the trappings and religions of the newcomers, worshipping a Storm God they named as Erulat, Tarumath or Orlanth, and so fought on both sides in the wars. Even the aristocratic Solar Galanini had accepted a veneer of Theyalan ways. Arkat was entirely aware of the differences between those who worshipped the old gods in the old ways, and those who had adopted the new and corrupting mystical teachings of Nysalor. 389 The armies of the Bright Empire included Dara Happan regiments sent by the Emperor Radaidavu and later Emperor Anirestyu. Before ascending the throne in 406 ST, as a young man Radaidavu had fought in Ralios; his son, Anirestyu, was not a warrior, but his generals and armies battled Arkat in Ralios. Dara Happan armies are very conservative, the regiments of this time would mostly have fought as hoplite phalanxes, though it is unclear if any of the elite Stonewall Phalanxes would have been sent to fight in Ralios. Details of the Dara Happan military are given in The Armies and Enemies of Dragon Pass. 390 So named for the flying iron vrok hawk he obtained in the Mislari Mountains in 423 ST. Another legend says he was given the iron vrok by Nysalor as a reward for killing Arkat.

123

MEN OF THE WEST For four years, in his absence, the armies of Nysalor rampaged through Ralios391. Many of the settlements in Safelster were barely able to withstand the onslaught and their warriors fought many desperate battles. The Hero Harmast Barefoot392, one of the Old Ways Orlanthi oppressed by Nysalor’s empire in Dragon Pass, set out on his god’s path and undertook the first human Lightbringers’ Quest393, and returned from the Underworld with Arkat394, reappearing amidst the rubble of Hrelar Amali395 in 422 ST. Harmast spearheaded the Lightning Revolt of the Enerali and upland Orlanthi tribes against the Bright Empire, whilst Arkat rallied his allies in the west. In 424 ST, the Orlanthi, led by King Alongor Lightning of Surkorion396 and Harmast, held off the Dorastoran army at Vanganth Hill until Arkat returned with a force of Seshnegi cavalry. The Battle of Vanganth Hill at the confluence of the Doskior and Allspring rivers proved to be a decisive victory, followed by a very effective pursuit. Afterwards most of the Seshnegi departed and the forces of Nysalor rallied. The city of Kasda in Delela was besieged by the army of the Bright Empire in 425 ST397. Under the Bright Empire, Chalana Arroy398 healers were widely distrusted by those Orlanthi who fought against Lokamayadon399. The pacifist Chalana Arroy

healers opposed Arkat and his rampage of war; Arkat’s Humakti bodyguard Makla Mann ritually murdered a band of them shocking the Hero400. Arkat and Harmast showed the Solar Enerali that their High God Humat was not the High Storm Tarumath of the Bright Empire, but Humakt, after Orlanth’s theft of Death and that Death is not solely the agent of Storm. This prevented the cult of Humat from further falling under the influence of the false god of the High Storm. Arkat and Harmast stayed in Ralios for several years. The old man taught the Ralian Orlanthi the secrets of his Lightbringers’ Quest401. Harmast stayed at Eionval in Sukorion for some years and sired a local dynasty still celebrated there in song and story. Arkat cast aside the tripart triangle of the Invisible God and joined the Orlanthi Cult of Death402. Many Westerners were appalled at this, and most of his remaining Seshnegi allies returned to Seshnela despairing at his fall into pagan ways. Arkat lingered in Ralios to learn from Harmast and broke entirely with the Hrestoli Way. These acts endeared him to the people of Ralios. Under his renewed leadership, one by one the strongholds of the Bright Empire in Ralios fell. Even an elf warlord of Ballid forest brought his troops out to aid Arkat the Liberator. In 428 ST Arkat led his army of Orlanthi and few

391

And possibly into Arolanit; the texts are confused, mentioning Srotolin, but this may be a confusion with a Second Age kingdom in Ralios. If the latter, it indicates that the northerners assaulted the lands of Otkorion, the lands of the West Korioni. 392 Harmast casts a large figure in Orlanthi histories (he was tattooed as a member of the Royal House of Vingkot, the Kodigvari), but in most of the West is accounted as little more than the humble outland retainer and companion of Arkat, and then of Talor. In Azilos, the Arkati grimoire the Book of Return is structured around conversations between Arkat and Harmast concerning the Gbaji Wars. The Orlanthi of Ralios were the first to embrace Harmast as an important figure after his Lightbringers’ Quest returned from the Underworld with Arkat. 393 The Lightbringers’ Quest is about restoring the cosmic order. The quest releases what needs to be released, not necessarily what the quester wants. 394

Harmast did not perform his quest to specifically return Arkat (or later Talor) from the Underworld - he quested to bring about an end to the Gbaji Wars. The Lightbringers’ Quest is intended to bring forth a new Dawn, a new Age, where the wounded cosmos has been restored. 395 Hrelar Amali is the place where several Heroes and gods have returned from the Underworld, perhaps because it is the site where the resurrected god Flamal lived, died, and lived again. 396 Named for a region of the Western Korioni tribe. 397

It is not clear when Kasda was destroyed. Future excavations at the site may resolve this question. Broken alabaster panels retrieved from the ruins depict characteristic Dara Happan wheeled siege towers which incorporated rams. Such war engines would have been previously unknown to the inhabitants of Ralios. These engines must have been constructed in Ralios, or carried over the pass as prefabricated parts. 398 The name ‘Cha-lana’ is a title, possibly Dara Happan in origin, meaning ‘White Lady’; the goddess is almost identical to Erissa, known as the White Goddess and the White Healer. ‘Arroy’ is related to the name of her healer son, Arroin. 399 For the Orlanthi after Harmast, Lokamayadon’s heretical Tarumath cult is joined together with Nysalor’s which is categorized as Chaos. The era of Lokamayadon and Harmast was a defining period for the cults of Orlanth. 400 Modern Orlanthi do not believe in ‘bad healers’ and this act seems an atrocity; this was, however, in the context of a war in which Illuminated Orlanthi, Tarumathi, Humakti and Chalana Arroy cultists and others fought against each other, ignoring cult and cultural restrictions whenever it proved expedient. Some claim that Makla Mann’s actions were related to the heroquest of Lead Crosses, followed by those Humakti who perform that ritual to destroy those who pervert Death, which not only includes those who raise undead but also those who resurrect the dead. 401 Harmast's Lightbringers’ Quest did not strictly follow Orlanth’s path, as he had to fill the gaps in his knowledge with conjecture and select a specific mythical story to follow. He was the first person to perform extended sequential heroquesting, piecing together pieces from known (though sometimes fragmentary or secret) stories of other gods to create a humanly-discernible sequential path to achieve long-term and powerful consequences. 402 Arkat was first initiated into the cult of Orlanth the Death Bringer in 426 ST, after four years of instruction by Harmast, approximately the length of time it normally takes to teach outsiders enough about the god to undergo and survive initiation. He joined the cult of Humakt later. Afterwards, Arkat joined other cults to further the purpose of his war against Nysalor, but he never appeared to significantly change any that he joined.

124

RALIOS remaining Seshnegi to Kartolin Pass. In a terrible battle at Kartolin, Arkat was sorely wounded and forced to retreat only to assault and escalade the fortifications again and again trying to force his way through the Pass. The Hero was now accompanied by Companions403, and each of them were served by a band of the Guards of Arkat. All knew Arkat’s secrets and were pledged to his service. After two more years spent in the fruitless siege and assaults, and after storming the City of Wolves, Arkat left an army before Kartolin (which steadfastly maintained the siege for twenty years) and sought a new approach to the strongholds of Nysalor. In 430 ST, Arkat and his army left Ralios and moved downriver to the sea and went to Slontos, where his foe Palangio was oppressing the people. Ralios was relatively quiet after that, and for centuries after Arkat returned and organized the Empire of Peace.

scales, raised gorgets, greaves and vambraces, and bronze helmets, once only the prerogatives of chiefs and champions. Some of these pieces were copies made by the local redsmiths serving Arkat’s army, others were purchased from Western merchants, and others stripped from the fallen. The Ralian warriors added ram or bull horns to the helmets to signify their Storm Gods, for by now the cult of Urox was widely known in Ralios, and his berserkers were prized as known Chaos fighters. As the fighting at Kartolin on the narrow pass high in the mountains became intense, and increasingly desperate, the armor was modified. Vulnerable to rocks and missiles dropped from above, the helmets were enhanced with ridges added to protect the skull, cheekpieces enlarged, nasal or spectacle eye-guards added, with engraved stylized eyebrows, or even protected nearly the entire head with slits for the eyes and mouth, and holes for the ears. Plates were added to the hauberks, and pauldrons and other shoulder-guards added. These styles were subsequently transmitted to their homelands, though the helmet with a nasal strip or a spectacle guard, which protects the face from lateral cuts, became distinctively Ralian. Despite this heavier equipment, Arkat’s army could not force its way through. Only later, holding the Keys of Kartolin, did Talor the Laughing Warrior, overcome the defenses. When Arkat left Ralios he was accompanied by Orlanthi, lowland horsemen404, and a very few Westerners. Few would ever live to see their homelands again.

The Armies of Arkat When he entered Ralios, Arkat led a combined force of Brithini horali and Seshnegi Hrestoli horsemen. Over time, as the campaign wore on, many of these brave soldiers were killed, wounded or left his army, some being disillusioned by their commander. Afterwards, his army was increasingly formed of Orlanthi warriors, Ralian Horse People who had adopted their ways, and a number of Hsunchen. Though many Hsunchen and Enerali had been willing allies of the Bright Empire, many others had stood apart and then joined their hereditary foes to fight the far worse enemy in the northeast. It is said that even the wolf men of the Telmori, who numbered among Nysalor’s most fanatical followers in Ralios, included clans suspicious of the new god who either did not fight for him, or joined Arkat’s armies as scouts and skirmishers. Nysalor had blessed the Telmori that served him so that their hides in wolf shape could not be cut by bronze or bone, crushed by stone or wood, or mangled by flesh or claw. Their Chaos taint could be detected by the other wolf men, later known as the Pure Ones, who sensed their wrongness. The Orlanthi were initially armed and armored in their traditional manner, with bronze weapons and leather or cuir boilli armor. Following the example of the Westerners, many adopted heavier hauberks of bronze

The Rise of the Autarchy Two decades after leaving Ralios to seek a new route to confront his enemy, and after defeating Nysalor, Arkat travelled over Kartolin Pass and retired to the quiet lands in Ralios which he had admired in his younger days. There he cleared an unpretentious farmstead and lived a simple, ascetic life, farming and teaching and keeping the area around it under his watchful eye for his remaining 50 years in the mortal world. He settled many of the trolls who had faithfully accompanied him through the wars in Guhan. Arkat, a friend to the Darkness, made sure the trolls received friendship and equality during his rule, and so did his son and grandson. Despite many petitioners, he never interfered in local affairs, leaving the

403

His Mace-Bearer, Shield-Bearer, Singer, Stone-Bearer, Grey Sister, Spy-Master, and Prayer-Maker. Some deeds attributed to Arkat may have been performed by one or more of his Companions. 404 Many Ralians fought for Arkat throughout the gruelling campaign up through Dragon Pass and into Peloria. A Seventh Wane Lunar painting in the Temple of Mysteries at Ganbarri depicts his allies, including a horse-riding Ralian wielding a bow, their saddle decorated with skulls. The skulls may be a device by the Pelorian artist to portray Arkat’s allies as savage barbarians, though there is evidence that head-taking was a custom of the Korioni and Vustri at this time.

125

MEN OF THE WEST ways and traditions of his people unchanged. Some Orlanthi of Ralios were suspicious, if not hostile, to his rule because of Arkat's betrayal405 and his theft of the Unbreakable Sword (which had subsequently disappeared), but were left unmolested unless they threatened Arkat’s Peace. Others embraced the opportunities the Autarchy406 provided. His Companions, now called Archons, served as the intermediaries between him and the mundane world. Many sought him out for advice or to reconcile disputes. Established from a league of the Safelstran townships (growing to become cities) he had liberated decades before, in the lands of the old Dari Alliance, Arkat called this the Autarchy or the Empire of Peace; its people called it the Kingdom of Arkat. Its foes called it the Stygian Empire or Arkat’s Dark Empire. Though benevolent when untroubled, the Autarchy was cruel when provoked. It conquered with quick success or used horrible magics to subdue, punish, and destroy. Under the benevolent rule of the Autarchy, the population recovered after the steep decline caused in the wars against Nysalor. The city-states surrounding Lake Felster flourished, growing in size and wealth. The cities and many of the tribes of Ralios were united by the Arkati Archons. The cities of Safelster teemed with diverse cults and philosophical schools exploring Arkat’s insights into the cosmos. The Autarchy consisted of almost all of lowland Ralios save for the allied troll enclaves and the tribal lands of Delela407. The uplands were left to the scattered clans and tribes, though many warriors came to serve as mercenaries in the armies of the Autarchy. Many worshipped Arkat as a god and, after his apotheosis in 500 ST, he was

widely venerated and offered sacrifices. In many places, the cult of Arkat was led by one of the Archons or their successors. After Arkat’s apotheosis, the kingdom of Seshnela repeatedly attacked the peoples of the Autarchy, and all looked to the Archons to defend them as Arkat had. The Archons became military and religious figures, assuming more and more power. Eventually the Autarchy became a true empire of the united cities and tribes, its people the descendants of Westerners, Hsunchen, Enerali, and many Orlanthi, all united under its rule. The Archons preserved Arkat’s secrets and knowledge, especially his art of deliberate heroquesting408, making use of the magics he had obtained in the war with the Bright Empire, though some were so dangerous they placed them in wards and put guardians in place to prevent their use. One was The Book of Secrets, said to be the Red Book of Zzabur. The Seshnegi attack in 640 ST was halted at Asgolan Fields by an Archon simply displaying this terrible grimoire to their lords and wizards. Around 720 ST, the Seshnelans directed the newly arrived Pithdarans, who had come from Pamaltela to fight the Bright Empire, to attack the Autarchy. After a time, they discovered they had been exploited and mislead, and settled in Pithdaros. Arkat is represented in many different forms. Western manuscripts describe him as a huge burly red haired man and clothe him in fifth-century armor and fashions, including his coat of arms: a black shield with two gold crowns. Orlanthi barbarians depict the same man but carrying two swords and wearing barbarian clothing.

The Armies of the Autarchy The Middle Sea Empire destroyed most of the records of the Autarchy, but the armies of the Autarchy appear to have drawn upon all the peoples of Ralios who fought and were equipped in their own traditional ways; there was no unifying Autarchy military costume or culture. Lightly armed skirmishers were recruited from the upland tribes; heavy infantry from among the Orlanthi, and cavalry from the peoples of the open hills and cities surrounding Lake Felster. Each city fielded at

405

Arkat had abandoned the Triangle of the Invisible God, first for the cult of Orlanth, then that of Humakt, and then most unforgivably for the Orlanthi, joined the dark and violent cult of Zorak Zoran. Many subsequently viewed him as the Betrayer. 406 Meaning ‘self-rule’. 407

In the records of the Second Age, sometimes rendered as Deleta. The East Wilds Orlanthi were particularly hostile to the Arkati, for the trolls of Hakiliv were their relentless enemies. 408 Arkat had made many incursions into the spirit world to gain magical tools and allies in his struggle against Nysalor. Sometimes he failed and suffered greatly from these quests, such as when a poisoned magical spear was turned in its flight and struck him in the foot. This wound plagued him long after. However, he did not make alterations to the ancient myths, but invented the way that people could interact with them; he did not substitute deities, alter results, or create new events. When the God Learners stole his secrets, they were not so circumspect in their actions, wilfully manipulating and changing myths to their own ends.

126

RALIOS least a regiment of cavalry and of foot, most armed and organized in their traditional way although in practice the cavalry looked increasingly like Seshnelan cataphracti, and the foot were increasingly skirmishers who used bows, slings, and javelins. Troll war gangs armed and armored in lead also fought for the Autarchy, recruited from Guhan, who particularly revered Dark Arkat, and from Halikiv. They were especially feared by the enemies of the Autarchy for their habit of eating their defeated foes. When Arkat had become a troll in distant Dragon Pass, most of his Lightbringer and Humakti allies had been aghast and abandoned him. One Sword of Humakt did not; Makla Mann409 defied his cult to accompany Arkat throughout the war. He proved through his actions that he was not wrong because his sword never broke, despite his cult condemning him. Cursed by his own cult hierarchy and hunted by Nysalor’s evil assassins, he always remained faithful to his lord, maintaining his oath of loyalty; when Arkat emerged from the final battle as a man again, Makla accompanied him to Ralios, where his cult of swordsmen fought in the armies of the Autarchy. His Hero cult is still active in Ralios.

sorcerers and powerful soldiers, including regiments of cataphracti. In contrast, the Autarchy sorcerers refused to tamper with the balance of arcane forces, faithful to Arkat’s decrees, and their armies fought as they always had. Against an enemy with no such constraints, their defense, whilst brave and unrelenting, was doomed. The Autarchy was destroyed by the Army of Rightness in 740 ST, after more than two centuries of war. The cults of Arkat were ruthlessly hunted down by fanatical God Learner sorcerer-monks, their records destroyed, and their holy places razed. Most decisively for the future of Ralios, the Seshnelan warlord Nisaro the Great Purifier bore the Firesword to destroy the place of Arkat’s apotheosis. Powerful sorcery sealed off all known magical pathways to Arkat and all contact with the demigod was lost. The unity of Ralios was destroyed. Overlords were created and given Seshnegi titles. Many Orlanthi battled to defend the Autarchy, and after its fall successfully fought off any northwards incursion by imperial forces, meaning that its rule was restricted to the lowlands. For many Ralians in the Third Age the Autarchy is viewed as the Golden Age of Ralios when the cities and most of the tribes were united in peace. The memory of the Empire of Peace survived in the of city-states strung along the fertile rivers and lake shores, and they still revere Arkat’s name and worship him. Archon Paslac was the last true emperor of Arkat’s Dark Empire. He fought staunchly against the God Learner heresy and was finally made a martyr through treachery, being killed in 740 ST. In his realm, all men were treated fairly and with honor. Seshnelan manuscripts depict Paslac as a monstrous being, perhaps a half-troll. Ralian manuscripts remember him as a handsome, stern ruler with curly blond hair. His shield bore a gold lion on a checkered red and black background. Rebellions continued in Safelster for another century, with the Seshnelans claiming, falsely, to have eradicated the last strongholds of the Arkati cults. In reality, they went underground, sometimes literally.

The Second Age The Fall of the Autarchy Arkat’s Dark Empire was anathema to the Middle Sea Empire, and the target of sustained military and magical assaults and campaigns. In the early Eighth Century the Seshnelans invaded, supported by new combat magics, reaching as far as the Sodal Marshes, seizing cities and citadels. This was followed by more fanatical campaigns and the Archons realized they faced certain defeat. Circa 715 ST they attempted to destroy all their texts in the Great Fire of Clarity but much of their knowledge and heroquesting techniques nonetheless fell into the grasping hands of the God Learners. The Jrusteli-Seshnelans had not yet achieved the technological and magical heights that would occur during the reign of the Middle Sea Empire, but their armies already included potent combat-

The Rule of the Middle Sea Empire The cities of Safelster were occupied and subjugated by the Seshnegi, but seethed with sedition. The unity of Ralios was lost. At its greatest extent, the Middle Sea Empire ruled all of Safelster, controlling the lands of the lower portions of the Upper Tanier River and the Doskior, and the lands about Lake Helby. The Safelstran cities were annexed, conquered, or paid tribute. The Orlanthi in the hill lands resisted, and the conquest of their lands was not considered profitable. A large army was required to keep the cities of

409

The Hero Cult of Makla Mann is found in Ralios, Maniria, and western Peloria. His name has become synonymous with the virtue of loyalty for many Humakti. One source claims he was a king, or perhaps a member of the royal house, of one of the Korioni tribes.

127

MEN OF THE WEST Safelster docile. In Ralios and Seshnela, schools of Illumination such as the Riddlers, Lords of True Destiny, Chaos Monks, New Liberation, Bright Beginnings, and in Ralios the True Arkat Revival had broad popularity, and sometimes even the support of the God Learners or of their enemies. In their wake came evil cults such as Thanatar, Krarsht, and Vivamort. In the Ninth Century, Slontos and Ralios were troubled by raids by the mysterious blue-skinned Loper People. They were defeated in Slontos in 805 ST by the armies and wizards serving Emperor Svagad.

native Old Ways Orlanthi, and a great leader would arise among them.

Alakoring Dragonbreaker The Hero Alakoring was born somewhere in Surkorion, of Korioni descent. He followed the traditional Orlanthi customs, worshipping Orlanth the Law Maker, hating those who adopted draconic ways, having a long and bitter feud with the EWF. He rose through the cult becoming a Wind Lord, and then quested with a small Orlanth Dragonbreaker412 cult. Alakoring took part in the heroquest in which Orlanth slays the Stone Dragon who attempted to mate with Kero Fin, emerging with the god’s dragon slaying powers. These are implicit in the Dragon Head413, the bright green draconic star that is part of Orlanth’s Ring. When a band of dragonewts attacked him, he slew their entire nest including their eggs. Alakoring achieved wide fame circa 880 ST by fighting against the draconic forces; his first victory was at the ford at Red Badger on the Lanskt River. By 890 ST he was engaged in leading a growing rebellion, and shortly afterwards the territories in Ralios seceded from the EWF. He slew the Inhuman King of Ormsland. When the Two Year Winter414 struck Dragon Pass in 907 ST because of how the EWF had offended the gods it also afflicted eastern Ralios. Defeating the EWF in his homeland, the Hero and his companions flew over the Western Rockwood Mountains into Talastar in 910 ST. He united the Orlanthi of the East Wilds and Vestmonstran (and later Brolia, Talastar and much of Southern Peloria) into a huge short-lived Old Way Traditionalist confederation (with him as king, high priest, and warlord). Ten years later he killed Drang the Diamond Storm Dragon, was acclaimed as the Great King by his followers and the peoples of Saird supported him with tribute and warriors. Over the next 15 years, he led the Orlanthi traditionalists in relentless

The Empire of the Wyrms Friends After the fall of the Autarchy, the Empire of the Wyrms Friends colonized eastern Ralios, planting a Sun Dome temple near its borders in Karia to protect their colonists from the trolls of Halikiv and the hostile tribes410 of the northern and western uplands. Several EWF strongholds were built, among them Vindorhall, from where the mighty dragons Ingolf411 and Voranstagos warred against the trolls who ravaged Delela and the hill lands. Despite the impassable mountains, the EWF used draconic and conventional Orlanthi flying magics to maintain communication and trade with its Ralian territories. The EWF were resisted actively by the Old Ways Orlanthi in Ralios, who rejected their vision of Orlanth as a dragon, yet the presence of the EWF kept the God Learners from being able to take any significant aggressive actions against any of the Ralian Orlanthi. It is likely that some groups of Heortling traditionalists also sought refuge in Ralios.

The Armies of the Empire of the Wyrms Friends The colonists settled in eastern Ralios were protected by EWF forces, in addition to the dragons and Sun Dome Templars. Dragonewts were used as mercenaries, supplemented by war dinosaurs, wyverns, and wyrm riders. As well as trolls, the EWF was confronted by the 410

Histories refer to these people as Alakoringites for their famous hero Alakoring Dragonbreaker, who later freed Ralios from the dragons and then crossed over the mountains to fight the EWF in Saird and for the changes he introduced to the structure of their tribes. These people are of mixed Orlanthi, Enerali, and Hsunchen descent. They differ from the ancient Heortlings in forming smaller tribes and in their kingship magic and rites. The Orlanth cult in Ralios has some different subcults to those in Dragon Pass: Vingkot is less important, Siglolf Cloudcrusher, Alakoring, Alongor Lightning, and other heroes are more important. For them Orlanth's Seat is at Mount Visku (Top of the World Mountain), not Kero Fin, the mountainous home of the Storm Gods. Alongor Lightning helped defeat a Dorastoran army in the First Age: his feats probably include casting powerful scintillating lightning bolts. The feats of Siglolf Cloudcrusher probably include dropping large hail stones from the clouds to bombard or even crush enemies. Visku itself is also the focus of worship, as the World Spike and the home of the gods. 411 Ingolf was born in Dragon Pass and became enmeshed in the draconic movement. He learned dragon magics but was viewed as a failed mystic who succumbed to the temptations of the world when he used his powers to aid his people. After Ingolf left Delela, his Seven Sages remained until they were exterminated by dragonewts and Blue Moon Assassins in 1042 ST. 412 Orlanth Dragonkiller is named as Orvanshagor. 413

The EWF believed that the Dragon Head proved Orlanth was a dragon; Alakoring proved that Orlanth had the Dragon Head because he cut it off Sh’arkazeel when he killed the Cosmic Dragon. 414 Though not recognized as such at the time, this marked the doom of the EWF.

128

RALIOS rebellion against the EWF, including deep into Dragon Pass itself. Alakoring never killed a True Dragon, but he slew several powerful EWF draconic beings, and most significant being the Diamond Storm Dragon, the most powerful member of the Eternal Dragon Ring. Alakoring seized control of much of Dragon Pass and established the cult of Orlanth Rex which balanced the priests and lords, the spiritual and temporal powers of Orlanthi society. His social reforms significantly altered Orlanthi society, curbing the powers of the priesthood, which many blamed for the excesses of the EWF. He taught the local kings how to obtain the blessings of Orlanth Rex so that they could no longer be betrayed by the priests and he built temples throughout Talastar and Saird to house the Rex statutes. Alakoring and his supporters destroyed the Tharkantus Sun Dome Temples of Aggar and Talastar. In 925 ST the Ice Summer struck Ralios. No crops were planted or harvested, and the famine was widespread and lethal. Despite the defeat of the EWF in Ralios by Alakoring and his followers, the Sun Dome temple in the haunted hills of Karia somehow endured. Around 940-944 ST415, Alakoring was slain by an elf named Tobosta Greenbow. The elf performed a great ritual then shot an arrow that corrected a slight that had been put upon the elves to avenge an insult that Alakoring did not know he had given. Alakoring’s body was burnt atop Thunder Mountain, the highest peak of the Tobros Mountains. Upon the death of the Great King, his companion Henjark was recognized as Warlord and King; a powerful magician and an excellent warleader in his own right he had accompanied Alakoring from Ralios. Henjark fought heroically against the huge EWF army but was killed by the Dragon Lord of Hovarmand at the Gates of Hell416. The Old Ways Traditionalist confederation collapsed upon his death in 947 ST though for thirteen years their warbands still fought against the empire. Afterwards, the Orlanthi returned to fighting each other and their neighbors.

revenge upon their oppressors. The largest kingdom was led by the Dangkae417 kings who led a confederation of tribes around Lake Felster called the Vetagi Alliance, or even the Kingdom of Ralios, which flourished for a time. To the north of the lake the tribal kingdom of Srotolin also prospered for a century until it collapsed. The wizard Halwal had rebelled against Seshnela and united the cities of Ralios against Seshnela and sought to find the True Arkat, but was thwarted by his rival the Pindaran sorcerer Yomili. Around 1026 ST, the armies of Ralios and Seshnela each led by these powerful wizards, met outside the city of Basmol and inflicted terrible slaughter upon each other. Both armies numbered armored cataphracti and infantry in their ranks. The Seshnelan army included knights and regiments of the War Societies; the Ralian army of roughly equal size, included cataphracti, horse archers, and infantry drawn from several city-states and tribes. Finally, the wizards dueled, casting massive spells of destruction, destroying Basmol and killing thousands. When the smoke cleared and the earth stopped moving, neither wizard was to be seen. Both armies had been decimated, the troops so shocked and stunned by the slaughter that the survivors fled the field of battle, many grievously wounded. A generation later, the abrupt destruction of Seshnela in 1049 ST began a major power struggle among the principalities and tribes of Ralios. The city-states of southern Ralios united under the leadership of Jorst of Tarasdal and formed the kingdom of Jorstland. With the assistance of the trolls of Guhan, Tanisor itself was made into a recalcitrant province. But later, provoked by Uz raiding of Tanisor, Jorstland declared war upon Guhan, prompting the trolls to ally with the wizards of Arolanit, the knights of Pasos and even the raided province of Tanisor. The war ended with Tanisor achieving its independence and the reputation and realm of Jorstland diminished. To the north lay the tribal lands and the independent kingdom of Surkorion, heir to the lands of the West Korioni.

After the Fall of the Middle Sea Empire

The Third Age

When the Closing dismembered the Middle Sea Empire, the cities of Safelster rebelled in 980 ST when the occupying armies were withdrawn to suppress the revolt in Frontem in the north. From 980-1000 ST, rival Ralian warlords pillaged Tanisor and wreaked

Rebellion and War The Third Age is a time of political and religious fragmentation and rebellion in Ralios. Various schools and cults claiming to be the heirs

415

One chronicle says 940 ST. Such were the tumultuous events that errors in chronology are not surprising. Few records survived the Dragonkill and the confusion that followed. 416 The culmination of a EWF counterattack, which reached the gates of Alkoth, but could not breach them. The fighting under the jade walls of Alkoth was intense, and many heroes and champions of both sides died there. 417 Dangk has been continuously occupied since the days of the Enerali. It was the site of the stone-walled town and principal temple of the Dangan Confederacy.

129

MEN OF THE WEST of Arkat’s secrets fought against those they accused of being Nysalorean in origin. Those that admitted Nysalorean origins were destroyed, as were those revealed to be fronts for evil cults such as Krarsht, Thanatar, and Vivamort. The Arkati groups eventually turned on each other, each claiming to possess the true secrets of the demigod, producing the kaleidoscope of vindictive cults and secret societies that has plagued Ralios throughout the Third Age. The city-states squabbled, fought the hill barbarians and krjalki, or temporarily united against Tanisor. Taking advantage of this, trolls infiltrated and destroyed the city of Yod, just northeast of the Sodal Marsh, in 1112 ST. The Orlanthi of the East Wilds and Vesmonstran were isolated from their South Pelorian and Dragon Pass brethren by the Dragonkill in 1120 ST418. From about 1120 ST to 1240 ST, Jorstland still dominated Safelster and most of eastern Seshnela (with the brief interlude of the Tanisor Alliance from 1180 ST to 1190 ST), aided by its sometime alliance with the trolls of Guhan. The kingdom of Jorstland lasted until 1240 ST after being rocked by rebellions and wars with the trolls of Halikiv. Surkorion splintered into separate tribes around the same time. A league of Safelstran city-states then formed the New Dangim Alliance (primarily consisting of henotheist Malkioni, with some Abiding Book sects and various Orlanthi Old Way believers), dominated by the rulers of Dangk, who bestowed the title of King of Sodal on themselves, and governed Safelster and Tanisor for a generation. In 1325 ST, the island city of Nedurant rebelled against the Sodal kings and established its own short-lived hegemony, which was in turn replaced by a league ruled by the city of Estali. The Estali dominance of Safelster lasted until 1400 ST, when the Sodal kings defeated Estali and re-established their old hegemony. Following his successes in Seshnela, Balifies the Hammer

besieged a number of cities in Safelster and exacted tribute from others in 1413 ST. He then cemented his reign in Seshnela, leaving Safelster to its usual internecine intrigues. King Ulianus III of Seshnela subsequently conquered everything from the mouth of the Tanier and west of Lake Felster, including Dangk, in 1455 ST, but his empire also proved short-lived, his Safelstran possessions being lost 56 years later in the profligate reign of King Vikard. In 1552 ST, King Lofting III of Seshnela led an army against the trolls of Guhan. After a number of victories, thousands of trolls emerged from beneath the earth, overwhelmed the Seshnelan army, and devoured the king. In Peloria, the emissaries of the Lunar Empire concluded negotiations with Ralzakark, the broo king of Dorastor, in 1580 ST, permitting the passage of an annual trade caravan between Peloria and Ralios. The caravan consists of hundreds of wagons, risking firstly the rigors and perils of Dorastor and then the tortuous climb and descent, with the caravan dissolving into many smaller caravans after it descends from Kartolin Pass into the uplands of Ralios. These must muster to make the return before the winter snows close the pass. Among their trade goods, in addition to exotic luxuries such as silks from Kralorela, are high quality examples of arms and armor of Pelorian manufacture.

418

Cut off from subsequent events in Dragon Pass, they developed their own distinctive and dynamic identity that has preserved and built upon lore and customs that are now lost to the Orlanthi of Dragon Pass and southern Peloria.

130

RALIOS Among the goods carried back are quantities of iron from Seshnela, Tanisorian wines, dried kafl leaf and translucent linen from Safelster and other high value items. Naskorion419 now dominates the lower valley of the Doskior River, with the Queendom of Tara its tributary. The loosely organized Kingdom of Delela further up the Doskior maintains a loose confederacy of a dozen Orlanthi tribes. Similar but smaller tribal confederations are found in Keanos and Saug. To the north, Lankst and Otkorion420 in the valley of the Upper Tanier River are other tribal confederacies, with the former also known as Jofrain, and the latter steadily rising in power and influence. The other human political entity of any size is isolationist Holut, situated between the Tanier valley and Guhan. Lake Felster is surrounded by a dazzling array of small states and rich cities. Sentanos is the largest, but its prestige has declined since its army was defeated by Lankst and Otkorion. Kustria is a rising power following the acquisition of Galin, by marriage, in 1621 ST. Helby lies to the east, Borin lies north of Sentanos, Tinaros north of Kustria, Daran south of Tarasdal, Azilos, Tiskos, and Estali. The Estali League lying on the southeastern shore of the lake includes Estali and Galin421. Tarasdal, Tiskos, and Uton422 are smaller, little more than city-states. The many states of Ralios, great and small, continue their fierce independence despite the looming threat of a united Seshnela to their west, forming a variety of shifting alliances. Their common attributes are a culture of plots, conspiracies and intrigue. In 1620 ST, the Seshnegi conquered the Dangim March; when the great caravan of trolls crossed Ralios, two years later, King Guilmarn took advantage of the ensuing turmoil for a full-scale invasion of Safelster, his intent to exterminate the sects of the abominable Arkati and to impose Rokarism upon the heretical Malkioni cults. The Arkati sects will fight a long and brutal campaign of resistance, both mundane and magical, penetrating the heart of the Rokari High Watcher’s power. When a new king of Seshnela 423 is crowned, and leads his wizards and soldiers to victory, the outnumbered Arkati must flee to the north where another king awaits.

Religious Diversity In the Third Age, Ralios contains an assortment of religious movements. Since the Dawn heretic Malkioni have sought shelter in Ralios and many have survived, openly or in the shadows. There are varieties of Hrestolism and more recently even Rokarism, both of the Seshnelan mainstream and variants. The Safelstrans worship a diverse array of gods and most are henotheists, believing that above the gods there is one Supreme Deity, the Invisible God who is the God of the Gods. Ancient cults tracing their history back to the Enerali and Hsunchen mix with Storm Gods brought by the Theyalans, and restless Arkat cults which preserve some portion of the insights of the Hero and the Autarchy. These all exist in both distinct and merged forms. There are many henotheistic sects, merging the worship of the Invisible God with pagan deities. Questions regarding nature of the Invisible God, what gods are worthy of worship, and how the gods are to be worshipped, are debated by the various henotheist schools and sects. Some henotheist sects combine sacrifice to the local Orlanthi pantheon with philosophical henotheism; others venerate the gods as intelligible manifestations of the Powers and Forms created by the Invisible God. These deliberations are sometimes held in learned symposiums, and sometimes expressed by riots and civil unrest in the streets. The Borists424, Galvosti425, and many other Malkioni heresies present in Ralios exist within the context of the widespread henotheism. Some reject divine sacrifices, others tolerate it. Ehilm, Galanin and Galana are worshipped mainly in Galin, Estali, Helby, and Tiskos, maintaining many of the traditions of the ancient Enerali. This region was originally the territory of the Vustri but was later occupied by the Dangans. The only organized rival to Safelstran henotheism is Rokarism, which rejects divine sacrifice and venerates the Invisible God alone. Rokarism and its caste structure is quite popular with the urban poor and the rural peasantry; the Rokari give them their own castes and their own rights. However, few city rulers are Rokari (although Rokari communities can be found in every city). Many Safelstrans ignore the philosophical trappings of henotheism and worship gods and spirits without

419

The name of this region records the East Korioni tribe.

420

Named for a region of the West Korioni tribe.

421

This city is built on the site of an ancient hill-fort and temple complex of the Vustri.

422

This city is built on the site of an ancient hill-fort and holy well of the Utoni, not far from the marshy remnants of Lake Ehilmka.

423

One text, describing a set of ancient petroglyphs, suggests that the new king is an aspect or avatar of Arkat the Savior, based on his attributes of axe and shield, who marries the goddess Seshna! 424 The Borists believe that the Law of Malkion does not apply to Chaotic beings and that it is their sacred duty to freely Tap Chaotic things. 425

Fervent believers in reincarnation, the white-robed Galvosti permit the Tapping of non-Malkioni.

131

MEN OF THE WEST reference to the Invisible God. Many of these cults function as secret societies, holding ceremonies apart from the rest of their communities. Arkat is everywhere in Safelster. Arkat is the focus of many cults, in many aspects. Some promote peace, others truth, liberation, destruction, deception, the eradication of Chaos, and yet other aims more obscure. Every city has its Arkat cults; usually two or more with mutually inconsistent claims. Some hold Arkat to be a god and offer him divine sacrifices; others venerate him as a teacher; others contemplate his life and seek release from the sufferings of the world; and still others propitiate him as a demon. In some cities, an Arkat cult enjoys the patronage of the rulers. It is entirely normal for a wealthy Safelstran citizen to venerate the Invisible God, study smatterings of Malkioni materialist philosophy, offer sacrifices to the divine gods of the city, and have a cursory membership within a secret society (which might be animist, divine, sorcerous, or political in nature). Naskorion is allied with the trolls of Halikiv, and Arkat as the Chaos-Killer is widely venerated. The Chariot of Lightning426 founded by Surantyr the Non-Heretic in 1605 ST is one of the most widespread sects, in which Arkat’s insights have created a synthesis of traditional Orlanthi religion with Malkioni philosophical materialism. This movement

has been spread by missionaries and warriors, and is central to the formation of the modern Otkorion confederation, and is spreading among the Safelstran cities. In the Battle of the Lightning Stones Otkorion with its Lankstite allies crushed the army of Sentanos in 1619 ST. It is also the dominant ‘Malkioni’ sect in Tinaros and Sentanos. In the hill lands of the north and east Orlanth and variants of the Theyalan pantheon dominate. This religious and cultural diversity of Ralios has thwarted all attempts to unite against the potent threat from Seshnela.

Safelster This is one of the most urbanized areas of Glorantha, wealthy, hedonistic, diverse, with more than a dozen small states and city-states jostling for power and dominion, with the great kingdom of Seshnela lurking to the west, Orlanthi tribes and troll queendoms to the northwest and east, and elves to the south. The population is heterogenous, a diverse mixture of ancient Enerali and Hsunchen, Theyalans, Westerners and others. Centuries of war and trade have washed over the lowlands, leaving their mark in the culture and ancestry of the inhabitants. Unlike Dara Happa or Esrolia, Safelster has no

426

The Chariot of Lightning sect was founded by Surantyr after he made a pilgrimage to Top of the World Mountain. Within three years, he made himself master of the city of Valantia and by 1611 ST he conquered Fiesive with his Lankstite allies. In 1619 ST, the sect destroyed the armies of Sentanos, triggering another round of Safelstran alliances and opportunistic wars. As of 1621 ST, the sect is one of the most widespread and powerful religious movements in Safelster. The sect is often described as Henotheistic Malkionism, but it might be even more accurately described as Henotheistic Orlanthism. The sect’s sorcerer-priests hold that Orlanth is the Supreme Being, the creator, preserver, destroyer, revealer, and concealer of all that is. Other deities are important and deserve worship, but they are manifestations of the Supreme Orlanth. Even the other Lightbringers are treated as manifestations of Orlanth: Orlanth Goodvoice, Orlanth Lawspeaker, Orlanth the Healer, Orlanth the Trickster, Orlanth the Man, and the Unknown Orlanth. The Chariot of Lightning claim that this Supreme God is the same abstract entity the Malkioni know as the Invisible God, but the Supreme God has revealed his identity and true nature to Surantyr, and he is Orlanth. Its sorcery utilizes a combination of breath, magical speech, sacrifice, and creation to Command the Elements and Powers.

132

RALIOS predominant city or league of cities, a cause and symptom of its constant political disunion. There are sixteen significant city states427 in Safelster, each dominating numerous other cities, towns and villages. Some cities have federations with these lesser settlements, other cities appoint lords to rule their realms. Nearly three million people live within 145km of the lake shore. The rich and fertile plains around Lake Felster support intensive agriculture, with the primary crops being wheat, rice, grapes, beans, fruits (particularly apples and peaches), and kafl leaf. An oxdriven scratch plow is used by most farmers. Cattle are raised mainly for dairy; sheep for wool and meat. Safelstran cities do not have a caste system, (though Rokari communities living there may follow caste laws by their own volition) with the population divided into the wealthy (nobles, important priests, rich merchants), ordinary citizens (merchants, minor priests, artisans,

427

workers, laborers, beggars), slaves and the rural peasants. Urban disorder is a common problem throughout Safelster, with riots, uprisings, inter-cult violence, and palace revolutions not uncommon. In some, there is an uneasy balance of power between the nobility, the wealthy merchant houses, the artisan guilds, and the priesthoods. Slavery is common, primarily as agricultural workers (the cultivation of rice is particularly labor intensive), but also as domestic and temple servants. There is a heady perfume of intrigue and mystery, of subterfuge and conspiracies old and new. In the shadows of the night, many still dream of the serenity and stability of Arkat’s Empire of Peace. In the open, many rulers assert their descent from Arkat, making real or spurious claims to his legacy of a united Ralios. In Safelstran society the primary social division is that of the enfranchised citizens of a city and everyone else. The markets and emporia are filled with goods: spices, incense, perfumes, rich woods, glass, carpets, ivory, leather, pottery, wines, oils, dried kafl leaves, trained slaves, exotic pets, and other luxury goods, filling the air with exotic scents. The bright luster of silver and gold, and the dark shadows of secrets and pleasures, draw mercenaries, scholars, and sorcerers from across much of the world. With the Opening of the seas, and the decline of the overland trade route through Maniria many mercenaries who served the Trader Princes428, and some of the sons of the Trader Princes themselves, have sought employment in Ralios.

The exact number varies with the tides of conquest, alliance, and rebellion.

428

The Trader Princes of the Manirian Road mostly originated in Safelster more than four hundred years ago, but have long since departed from their Safelstran roots.

133

MEN OF THE WEST indecisive strife between the states of lowland Ralios offers constant employment and the opportunity for booty. Elsewhere, mercenary service often ends before winter, being recruited again in spring for the new campaigning season. In Safelster, with the constant internal warfare, and the threat of Seshnela in the west, the kingdoms of Vesmonstran in the north, the less powerful kingdoms of the East Wilds in the east, the service of mercenaries is retained throughout the year. Safelster is also wealthy, heavily populated, and able to afford the costs of mercenary troops. Most Safelstran nobles are proud to display their prowess in tournaments, and are proficient in combat, and in wartime they form the cadre of senior officers, not always as competent as the mercenary Captains they presume to command. Safelstran concepts of chivalry stem from ancient Galanini customs. Nobles do not share the Seshnelan talari distain for the bow. Archery is considered a noble calling, used in hunting (especially the waterfowl of Lake Felster) and in war.

Armies The Safelstran cities each muster a small army of mixed heavy cavalry and infantry, most armed and organized in ‘the old way,’ although in practice the cavalry (composed of nobles and prosperous guildsmen and merchants) look increasingly like the knights and mounted soldiers of Seshnela, with their arms, armor and styles of fighting often broadly similar (though many carry a self-bow). The footmen are more and more skirmishers who use bows, slings, and throwing spears. However, the quality of Safelstran city soldiers and militias is usually mediocre, and when a real war is waged, bands of professional mercenaries are hired. In contrast, their navies employ local oarsmen and sailors; the marines are often mercenaries. Militia and mercenary regiments are ideally organized into companies of a hundred divided into cells or files of ten. Infantry regiments ideally consist of ten companies, and cavalry into five, usually called troops. The fervent political, religious and economic life of the cities means they are prone to factionalism, and the militia and locally raised troops can often be riven by district and religious strife. This can make their loyalty and reliability suspect in the eyes of their rulers and the nobility. The wealthy cities are able to finance the mercenaries and indulge in military campaigns without disturbing their own populace, though the raising of taxes to pay them can cause unrest. Each of the Safelstran cities requires a significant bureaucracy to exact a regular and substantial flow of taxes from their population, augmented by gate tolls and other levies. Employing mercenaries is a practical solution, so long as the mercenaries are not embroiled in the civil disputes and internal rivalries. Rulers want troops who will be uncompromising loyal to their paymaster, immune from local sympathies and able to act against not only their external enemies but also internal rivals and foes of high status. The horsemen of Holut are lighter armed and armored than the noble cavalry of the Safelstran cities. They carry quivers of javelins and fight as javelineers, some purely unarmored skirmishers, whilst others wearing body armor close with the enemy after throwing their javelins and fight as swordsmen. The latter use a light round shield grasped by a central handgrip held horizontally, with one or two javelins held in the left hand. One is used as a missile, and the other as a throwing or stabbing weapon, as needed. This style of fighting is more suitable for their regularly raiding into the surrounding territories for plunder and sport. For the mercenaries, the near constant and usually

Titles The civil and military titles used in the lands around Lake Felster all reflect its complex history, and can be drawn from the time of the Autarchy or the subsequent domination by the Middle Sea Empire and periods of occupation by the Kingdom of Seshnela. Mercenary commanders are usually styled as Captains, with the most senior commonly known as Captain-Generals. They have to be strong and effective leaders, and be successful in battle to keep their positions. Many form a dynasty of hereditary Captains. The inheritance of wealth and titles in Safelster is complex. Marriage customs are derived from the old traditions held by the tribes who joined together into the Dangan Confederacy and Dari Alliance, due to the union of patriarchal and matriarchal tribes with divergent marital customs429.

Horses Lowland Ralios has a very long tradition of horse raising and riding, and distinctive horse furniture and harness. Snaffle bits with smooth mouthpieces are widely used instead of the severe curb bits used by Seshnelan cavalry. The tack of wealthy riders includes bridle straps decorated with gilded plaques and roundels covering junctions and the center of the brow band, or a decorated silver headstall. Roundels, whether of gold or cheaper burnished bronze, are formed as Solar disks or Runes, as has been

429

When the Enerali tribes were unified by Dari in the first Dari Alliance, for example, the Utoni practiced patriarchal inheritance with strict marriage laws, whilst the Vustri practiced matriarchal inheritance but recognized no marital laws.

134

RALIOS the Galanini tradition since the days when the horses only pulled chariots. Other shapes are not uncommon, including triangles and circular serpents. The full panoply of the horse of a noble or cavalryman presents a dazzling sight in the sunlight. The hardy Galana is the classic Ralian horse, with several breeds. There are the smaller ponies of the East Wilds, with larger breeds in Safelster and the north, in part due to the introduction of the larger Daron destrier during the reign of the Middle Sea Empire. The Ralian lowland Galana horse has small ears, a fine muzzle, a flat nose, open nostrils, a flexible neck, small belly, straight legs, and small hooves, and is suited to rough and stony ground. The mane and tail are long and wavy. The Safelstran breeds have a smaller head than those raised in the hills, with a well-proportioned body. Most Galana breeds are dun to brown, usually with tails and manes darker than their coat. Their hooves are tough and resilient, less susceptible to cracks than those of horses with a lighter coat. They have an equable temperament though spirited, and are reasonably intelligent. This makes them ideal for cavalry duties as a disobedient horse can cost their rider their life. Horse and rider are trained in pursuit, retreat, forming and reforming into formation, charging, and travelling over mixed terrain to teach surefootedness. One breed has a white coat, mane, and tail, and is prized by nobles and Solar priests, though is less suited to being ridden in the rockier hills. The small city of Nislan is famed for its herd of golden horses, sacred to Galana the Sun Goddess. The horses are bred for riding and as packhorses. Horseracing 430

and chariot racing are popular, and draw large crowds. Chariots are also used in some religious festivals but are no longer employed in war. The fertile lakeshore and hills around Lake Felster have been ideal horse country since before the Dawn, providing high quality grazing and fodder for stock raising. The herds of cities and nobles are driven to the hills in Fire Season to utilize the pastures there and to preserve the grazing by the lake for later in the year. The drier soil of the hills also serves to toughen the horses’ hooves, when the damper lowland environment can lead to a softened spongy hoof. Safelstrans claim, accurately, that their horses are superior in strength and stamina to those bred in Seshnela. Most Safelstran cities maintain a stud to breed horses for their nobles and cavalry, augmented by private studs. The richest mercenary cavalry regiments also maintain their own herds. Horse markets are busy places, well attended by the nobility, mercenary captains, and outland traders. Especially among the aristocrats of the Estali League, the pedigree of stallions and mares is recorded and studied, even more so than their own lineages, in part because in their genealogies fathers may not be known when a child was conceived during one of the religious orgiastic festivals. In some of these festivals, the celebrants wear horse masks with their hair styled as manes, much like those adopted by the priests and priestesses of Galanin and Galana430. The Galana bred in the north of Ralios is more heavyset with a shaggier coat, whilst that of the East Wilds is smaller but strong and sturdy. To the south, around the Mislari Mountains, a smaller breed is found in wild herds, too diminutive to be ridden by humans, but hunted for meat.

Militia The militia of Safelstran cities and towns are organized by district, with some centered on a temple, guild or wealthy merchant house. They are liable to become involved in internal disputes between city quarters. Their service is usually defensive, with the responsibility to defend particular sections of wall, and in the field they can rarely be called upon for more than a week. The militia are mostly infantry, as only wealthy guildsmen, nobles, and priests can afford a horse. If unable to supply their own arms and armor, they are given spears and shields from their district’s arsenal. They are poorly drilled, and lack much training. Members of the mason and smithing guilds serve as engineers, with some specializing in the arts of siege warfare. They are better equipped than the rest of the militia and some are retained by the city rulers, working to maintain and enhance their own city defenses, and

The priestly masks are gilded or covered in gold leaf. In ceremonies, the priesthood wear a leather harness with gold roundels and a horse hair tail.

135

MEN OF THE WEST serving on campaign. The cavalry is better quality than the infantry. A noble or mounted guildsman is usually accompanied by a manservant or groom, who may also fight beside their master or mistress.

opportunities.

Mercenary Regiments In Safelster these almost form a military caste, equivalent to the horali War Societies of Seshnela (and some may have originated as War Society regiments when Seshnela and the Middle Sea Empire controlled the region), and the Humakti Battalions, professional, apolitical, mostly lacking any ideological or cultic affiliations431, fulfilling formal contracts with their employers. However, as a result of the long history of wars with Seshnela, and the more recent voluntary or imposed exile of deposed nobles and their followers as a result of the expansionist policies of the ruthless House of Bailifes, many mercenaries have inherited an abhorrence of their neighbor to the west. When King Guilmarn launches his campaign to impose his rule in Ralios many mercenary regiments will flock to the banners of those opposing him. Permanent mercenary companies of infantry and cavalry served the Dukes and Counts of the Middle Sea Empire, and in Safelster the custom survived the fall of the empire. The Second Age mercenary contracts stipulated the food and sustenance, adequate shelter, security, and legal protection to be provided by the employer. The modern mercenary contracts are complex legal documents, detailing the terms of service, such as the pay and rations due, the ownership of plunder taken on campaign, bonuses, and payments for those killed or wounded, penalties to be paid if a regiment is deficient in numbers, horses and equipment. These are also intended to prevent an employer attempting to demobilize their mercenaries due to their cost, with clauses detailing how pay can be reduced in peacetime, and how a contract can be terminated prematurely. A mercenary regiment on campaign will be accompanied by Commissioners appointed by their patron, to ensure adherence to the contract. Employing mercenary regiments is not cheap, and was an indication of the great wealth of the Middle Sea Empire. Most of the great cities of Safelster are also comparatively rich, and their energetic mercantile and economic power are more than sufficient to support a large number of mercenaries. Though an expensive way of waging war, the professionalism of the mercenary regiments and companies makes them a necessary burden. It is ironic that most mercenaries are paid in Seshnelan Silver Imperials. Though a number of Safelstran cities and temples mint their own coins (temples may melt down gold and silver items given to them as dedications), they tend to have the same weight. Sometimes coins are specifically struck to pay

Mercenaries Mercenaries find service, either as individuals, serving as bodyguards to wealthy individuals, as members of tribal warbands hired for a campaign, or by enrolling in one of the many mercenary regiments. A Safelstran army in the field might consist of the city nobility, equipped not unlike Seshnelan knights (and some will be Seshnelan lances-for-hire), professional mercenary infantry and cavalry regiments, javelineers from Holut, Pralori elk-riders, Orlanthi warbands (heavily armed cavalry and infantry from Vesmonstran, and skirmishers from the East Wilds), Humakti Battalions, Lalian light infantry, Safelstran siege engineers, the city militia, and perhaps even Sun Dome Templars from Karia, trolls, and dwarven sappers hired at great cost from Nida. Orlanthi warbands (from Vesmonstran and the East Wilds) and troll mercenaries (from Guhan and Halikiv) are notorious for switching sides. The dark trolls serving as mercenaries in Naskorion are more reliable, because of that dukedom’s friendly relations with the trolls of Hakiliv. Employers make no attempt to impose any uniformity on their mercenary units. A capable general is aware of the different and distinctive ways of fighting of their armies, which varies by their geographical origins and their use of their traditional weapons. Such armies provide a colorful sight with a wide variety of arms and armor, and diverse martial capabilities. Foreigners dressed in a distinctive way serve as bodyguards, enhancing the prestige and power of their noble or priestly employer.

Mercenary Guilds The Safelstran cities are hierarchical, divided into the nobility, wealthy merchants, artisan guilds, the nonguilded (which include crafters, common mercenaries, laborers, and beggars), and slaves. In some places, mercenaries have banded together to create their own guilds, to enhance their own status, if recognized by the local authorities. They attempt to enforce their own hiring halls and act as a market of mercenaries. These are also often shrines or temples to a War God. At times, unemployed mercenaries may congregate in large numbers whilst awaiting offers of work. Intervals of peace in Safelster are extremely short, and recruiters are likely to offer them ample 431

Some Safelstran mercenary regiments venerate a Martial Beast. This is apparent in their standards, shield designs, oaths of service, and their rituals. The most common are Horse regiments, followed by Lion regiments. Both creatures are seen as Solar animals. Marines may venerate fish or water snake spirits or deities. Bull and Boar regiments are less common.

136

RALIOS mercenaries for their service. The contract often defines the pay rates when in barracks and on campaign, and circumstances under which additional remuneration is due. The normal convention is that all loot gathered on campaign belongs to the employer though this is rarely fully enforceable. Indeed, the taking of plunder is a major incentive for most mercenaries. When cities are looted all the goods are supposed to be given up; permission is sometimes granted otherwise, commonly called ‘free plunder.’ When plundering is permitted, the division of the spoils is a matter for the Captain, and a variety of methods are used. Captains from Vesmonstran tend to use the Orlanthi Method, where they retain three times their enlisted share as the minimum amount, with the rest allocated to the rank and file, according to how they performed, in their estimation. Often a captain will allocate a pile of loot to each company recognizing their performance, with the responsibility of dividing this delegated to the company commander. Many non-Orlanthi Captains in Safelster have also adopted this practice. War booty includes war captives, livestock, as well as precious items, especially of silver and gold. It is rare for a well defended town or city to be captured; war booty often consists almost entirely of agricultural produce and workers, many of whom are already slaves, and the unfortunate residents of villas and villages. Two and foot-footed booty will be herded and escorted back to the victorious city, and either ransomed, sold or set to work. Captured mercenary soldiers are often ransomed back to their regiments; several levels of ransom are recognized, the cheapest being where the prisoner is set free without their arms and armor. The recruits are drawn from the tribal regions of Ralios, especially in the north and east, from the cities of Safelster themselves, or from further abroad. Adventurers seeking coin from Fronela, Maniria, Seshnela and even more distant lands are not unknown. The upbringing of the sons of nobles in many cultures includes training in arms, and if unlikely to inherit their father’s titles they may at least own weapons, armor, and frequently a riding and war horse. Becoming a soldier of fortune offers wealth and the chance of winning lands for themselves. Although not common, some mercenary regiments are Humakti Battalions432, founded and associated with temples of Humakt in Vesmonstran. These are more reliable than the ordinary Orlanthi warbands, unlikely to swap sides or decamp but correspondingly much more expensive. Some regiments are so prestigious that entry to their ranks requires a substantial payment in silver, and

even then, the candidate may not pass the selection process, instead being offered work as one of the servants until such a time that they are successful. The earnings of accepted recruits are such that this does not deter aspiring newcomers. For others, the ruler of a city-state may offer petty criminals and beggars to a mercenary Captain as recruits in lieu of part-payment; for the lawbreakers and vagabonds this offers an opportunity instead of other more severe punishments, but they will then find that regimental discipline is also strict and that they have enrolled for a full term. They will be despised and exploited, and treated as expendable, until they prove themselves. Terms of service vary between regiments, with enrollment commonly for five, ten, or twenty years. For those indentured into a regiment their term is set by the local magistrates. For the rulers of the Safelster states, professional mercenaries are an economical source of reliable and experienced fighters, responsible for their own training and equipment, including mounts. The employment of mercenaries is never without risk, as there is always the suspicion that they will abandon a losing side, betray their employer for bribes, or swap sides at a critical juncture of a battle or siege. However, in Safelster at least, such events rarely occur because of their impact upon their reputation and its effect on their opportunities for future employment. Many of these regiments have existed for centuries, and have their own traditions and

432

See The Armies and Enemies of Dragon Pass for details about the history and organization of the Humakti Battalions. Those in Ralios have broadly the same structure, though are famed for having an even greater dedication to fulfilling their contractual oaths.

137

MEN OF THE WEST rivalries. Some are friendly and will fight to a draw, effectively cancelling each other out, and some have longstanding grudges and will fight until one routs. These attributes are well known to their employers and their generals, and will be utilized in battle, if possible. Elsewhere most mercenary ‘regiments’ are collections of smaller bands under the often short-term leadership of a warlord, petty king, chief, or other figure. In Safelster, mercenary regiments are more permanent, with a closely guarded reputation. These mercenaries hire out to various employers. They constantly recruit to replace losses from casualties or retirement. The mercenary regiments of Ralios seek to be ideally numbered in units of 500 cavalry, or 1,000 infantry, plus all the support they require, servants, artisans, healers, barbers, grooms and others. A notable regiment will have Malkioni combat sorcerers in its service; some have priests and shamans. The best employ their own healers. The entourage of many include the wives, concubines, slaves and children of those under arms; a regiment becomes its own community, keeping distinct from the nation or city it is serving. Children are often reared to join the regiment on maturity. When a mercenary regiment goes out on campaign it is rarely accompanied by these camp followers; they are tacit hostages for the regiment’s loyalty, though an employer who seizes the families of the mercenaries may find they have created an implacable enemy, and other Safeslstran companies may decline their service. The walled barracks of a regiment becomes a community within a larger municipality. An open square may front the main gate of the compound, used as a parade ground and the site of a market where local vendors, artisans and entertainers433 can offer their wares to the mercenaries and their families, and mercenaries can sell their plunder to merchants and slave traders. Whilst some regiments include sappers and siege engineers in their ranks, mercenary captains prefer not to engage in direct assaults on a besieged city or fortress unless the walls have been breached by sorcery434; siege towers may be rolled forward and

fortress barges rowed into position to provide vantages for missiles and magic, but rarely for storming the walls. These can be expensive in soldiers and equipment, and for a mercenary regiment both represent a major investment. Instead, open battles are preferred, with cities besieged until their defenders open the gates either to surrender or sally forth to fight. If an employer demands their mercenaries assault fixed defenses they must either pay an exorbitant bonus, or find themselves directed to clauses in the contract specifically prohibiting such actions. Mercenary regiments have their own standards, and may favor the same shield decoration. These designs are simple so that they can be recognized at a distance. A century ago, one of the most famous was the White Horse Troop435 of Sir Ethilrist436, a Hrestoli ridderan437, the descendant of a long line of mercenary Captains in Ralios. After a series of defeats, he led his Troop of cataphracti beyond the great northern mountains, avoiding the Syndics Ban by guiding his troops through the Underworld, through the entrance of Strombos, emerging on the western borders of the Lunar Empire. Whilst his adventurers are atypical, the organization of his regiment was not. The White Horse Troop consisted of five companies438 each of a hundred heavy cavalry, and regiments of auxiliaries serving as footmen as a ready source to replenish the ranks of the riders. Infantry companies are divided into smaller cells or files; cavalry companies are called Banners, a usage derived, it is said, from the mounted forces of the ancient Enerali. A Banner consists of a number of Lances (even when the riders are equipped with kontos, bows or other weapons), which consist of between three and five riders. Recruits to a mercenary regiment are equipped with arms and armor, trained in weapon use and drill, which included marching in time, following commands, and formation changes, and the usual military disciplines. Auxiliaries can hope for promotion to the ranks of the ridderan in a cavalry regiment. Standards and banners are used to convey orders, along with bells and drums. The formation of new mercenary regiments is rare,

433

Musicians, acrobats, dancers, performers, and prostitutes, some lay members of Tilnta’s cult, others, courtesan-priestesses who accept contracts with mercenary officers. 434 Artillery appears to be rare in Safelster in the early Hero Wars. Siege engines are limited to siege towers, rams, and ladders. Explosive devices and other items can be procured from the dwarves of Nida, but cost a duke’s ransom. Fortifications are both strengthened and assaulted using sorcery, though such magical attacks take time to perform. A sorcerer may have to gain knowledge of the spells and spirits woven into the walls before they can circumvent them. Protective spells may be ancient and powerful, augmented over decades and centuries. 435 This name is suggestive of a Martial Beast in the form of a Sun Horse. It may not be coincidence that in Ethrilist’s sortie into Hell he returned with demonic Black Horses stolen from the herds which had accompanied the Sun into the Underworld. In some parts of Safelster white horses are revered as the children of the horses that draw the chariot of the Sun God Ehilm through the sky. 436 A Hrestoli heroquester, Ethilrist is said to have encountered Hrestol himself in the middle of Hrestol's own quest. Ethilrist’s followers claim he is an incarnation of Hrestol. Others say he is Hrestol’s dark shadow. 437 A Ralian term denoting a warrior, specifically a cavalryman. 438

Ethilrist grandiosely labels these companies as regiments.

138

RALIOS as it takes time to gain sufficient standing to be trusted and earn the usual fee, and they must fulfill the ceremonies to create a new standard. Newcomers are more likely to seek to join the ranks of an existing regiment. When a new regiment does form, it consists of mercenaries banding together, either under a soldier of renown or an elected Captain. The permanence of a new regiment very much depends upon how it fulfills its first contracts and its success in battle. Retired mercenaries may stay with their regiments, as after a term of twenty or more years, the regiment has become their home. They may continue to serve, training recruits in fighting, foraging, tactics, and other skills. In death, the spirits of regimental champions may volunteer to inhabit one of its standards, and the most senior standards may be powerful. The mercenaries, being a mixture of horali, Hrestoli Men-of-All of several different sects, Orlanthi, and others, are united in their veneration of these standards, despite their religious differences.

New recruits swear to follow the standard, and the rites are not unlike an adoption ceremony. A senior soldier will act as their sponsor, to introduce them to the standard’s spirit. The rites are often secret, being the first regimental mystery the recruit will experience; most regiments have several ranks of initiation. The spirit of the standard becomes their adopted ancestor, a form of worship tolerated even by Rokari - in Seshnela, nobles and soldiers honor their ancestors. The loss of the regimental standard can cause the dissolution of a mercenary regiment, unless one of the company standards can be promoted. The standardbearers are guarded by longstanding members of the regiment, who form an elite. If a mercenary leaves the regiment after the end of their contracted term, a rite of honorable discharge is

139

MEN OF THE WEST performed, and they are provided with a final bonus. Indentured mercenaries are provided with a small bronze plaque recording their release from service.

A professional bodyguard will cost at least 90 Silvers a year; a Humakti of the Makla Mann subcult two to five times that amount, subject to their age, experience, and reputation.

Discipline Arms and Armor

Discipline in the professional mercenary regiments is severe, similar to that of the Seshnelan War Societies. Punishments range from a flogging in front of the assembled regiment, and a loss in rank, to execution. The mercenary regiments are very sensitive of matters that may impinge their reputation and standing with their employers. A soldier who acts in any way that damages this reputation will be chastised; if they flee regimental justice their comrades will be assigned to hunt them down and bring them back, dead or alive.

Safelstran armor for heavy infantry and cavalry tends to be of scale (sewn horizontally to a backing) or lamellar (the plates laced together horizontally and vertically) hardened leather or bronze, with sleeves to protect the upper arms, extending to the knees. Leather or linen padding is worn under the armor. The scale hauberk of a Safelstran cataphracti is split at the waist to form two flaps, long enough to cover the thighs and knees, or include pieces wrapped around the legs and fastened above the knee, and short sleeves to permit sufficient movement to wield a sword or mace; this may be supplemented by pauldrons, vambraces, thigh-guards, and greaves, or scale leg armor, Seshnelan style hooped articulated plates, or a mixture of all these elements. Noble armor, especially helmets, vambraces, and greaves, may feature silver-gilt decorations, highlighted with gold gilding. A common ornament is the mask of a deity on the knees of full greaves. Their helmets are usually in the Ralian style with brow-bands and a nasal or spectacle eye-guard. Mercenaries from further afield may favor their own traditional styles. Mounts are outfitted with armor, usually scale barding. Cataphracti use the two-handed kontos, carrying bronze Western straight or Orlanthi leaf-shaped swords, or axes or maces for close combat. Even when not armored as cataphracti mounts, horses often wear a chamfron to protect the animal’s head, incorporating a semi-circular transverse crest of yellow-painted leather, brass or gilded bronze. This is surrounded by red or yellow feathers. The crest recalls the kinship of horses with the Sun, but is popular even with those who do not worship the Sun Horse. Nobles wear armor that is of high quality, often ornamented or inlaid with gold or silver decoration. Tournament armor can be relatively plain, or overelaborate to such a degree that may undermine its practical use unless it is made of impregnable iron or dwarven steel. Heavy infantry find articulated arm and leg armor too heavy to be practical, and wear scale armor, helmets, greaves and sometimes vambraces. Shields of different shapes and sizes are favored by different regiments. Lighter infantry and cavalry wear at most cuir boilli scale, and a bronze helmet. Helmets carry feathers or horsehair crests, dyed in the regimental colors. Marines tend to wear leather or linen armor at most, and a bronze or cuir boilli helmet. Their shields

Mercenary Pay There is no set rate of payment of mercenaries. The cost is reliant upon many factors, including whether they are foot or mounted, their equipment, their style of fighting, the availability of mercenaries for hire, the season, the terms of the contact (including if food and fodder is provided) and not least, their reputation. Cavalry receive the highest pay, followed by heavy infantry. Barbarian mercenaries are often classed as light infantry, fighting as skirmishers, and are paid at a lower rate. A single mercenary hired as a bodyguard is likely to demand more than a professional soldier, and a Humakti of the subcult of Makla Mann, bound by his strict oaths of loyalty, will command a higher sum than one who is not. Trolls, bands of trollkin, and Orlanthi warbands may be cheaper than a mercenary regiment, but they will often be less reliable, but trolls are also employed to fight underground in sieges. Mercenary Regiments Rank Captain-General Captain Company Captain/ Troop Captain File-Leader/ Section-Leader ‘Double-pay’ soldier/trooper Half-file Leader/ Rear SectionLeader Soldier/Trooper

Infantry Cavalry 250-500 150-200 250 100-120 140-160 90

130

80

120

60

90

40

60

All monetary sums are in Seshnelan Silver Imperials. These prices are only indicative and represent an annual fee. As can be seen, hiring an entire regiment for a year is extremely expensive.

140

RALIOS may be of wood or woven from reeds, with both sorts faced with leather. Most are spearmen (also equipped with javelins) or archers, with swords or axes as their secondary weapons. They rake the decks of enemy ships with missiles and also repel and engage in boarding actions. Jumping from one vessel to another is hazardous, as a misjudgment in timing or slipping from a wet deck can result in plunging into the water. Grappling hooks are thrown to catch on rails or rigging to bring merchant ships close enough to be boarded.

pieces attached to the thick soles, secured across the instep by thongs passing through rings attached to the heel pieces. In winter woven socks are worn. When not wearing helmets, soldiers wear headbands dyed in the colors of their regiment. The fillets of officers are set with jewels (real or made of paste or glass). Given the presence of recruits from numerous other lands, the styles worn vary significantly. Recruits from the Castle Coast can rub soldiers with warriors from Heortland and soldier-scholars from Nochet.

Mercenary Heraldry Safelstran Heraldry

Mercenary regiments have their own favored designs; city soldiers commonly display the blazon of their city, often depicting the patron god or goddess; the AllSeeing Eye of the Invisible God is popular with both Rokari and Hrestoli. As in Seshnela, shields may also display text in the Western script, taken from the books of whichever Malkioni or henotheist sect the bearer follows, or simply giving the name of their regiment or its war cry.

Nobles and noble houses have their own unique designs carried on their shields, often denoting their city and religious loyalties. Images of the patron deity of their house or city are common. The different sects of Arkat favor different background colors.

Pastimes Hunting and fishing is popular in the marshes and lake lands. Some of the fish in the blue-green waters of Lake Felster grow to a relatively large size. Nobles and soldiers both enjoy these sports, whilst for the rural poor these are useful supplements to their diet. Riskier is the hunting of the larger of the freshwater plesiosaurs inhabiting the lake. Regular boxing matches, archery, and athletic contests may be held between different companies of a regiment to entertain the troops and maintain standards when in barracks. With the permission of their officers, soldiers may partake in the tournaments. Horse racing is also popular, with participants and spectators, with a history going back to the Dangan Confederacy in the First Age. The races still retain a religious aspect, with the contestants being blessed by a priest or priestess of Ehilm or a horse deity before the race. Games are also played between teams of horsemen, sometimes matching mercenaries against noblemen, equipped with long-hafted mallets to propel a leather ball though a goal439. Triaconters and penteconters are also raced on the lakes as both a sport and to keep the crews fit and ready for war. Gambling between comrades is discouraged, for the trouble it can cause in the ranks. The members of mercenary regiments rarely participate in the exuberant religious festivities held by the temples; their contracts often require them to keep order. Several hold their own private events later within the confines of their walled compounds.

Clothing Clothing styles are a mixture of Seshnelan and Orlanthi. Soldiers favor red tunics of linen, cotton, or, wool, despite there being no caste restrictions. Some famed mercenary regiments have their own colors. Linen is more a luxury item, worn by officers and nobles, often featuring patterns and tapestry weaves. The quality of linen various from a coarse canvas, used for tents and sails, to a much finer weave, with the very finest a translucent gauze, favored by noblewomen and priestesses, which is considered scandalous by the Rokari (unless worn by a talar’s concubines or his dancers). This gauze is also used by the wealthy to cover windows and the walls of pavilions in summer, letting in sunlight and the breeze, but keeping out noisome insects. The abundance of cotton means that it is used for everyday dress and worn by common soldiers with wool favored more in the uplands and in the cooler seasons. Common colors are the natural off-whites, browns and black of the wool itself. Vegetable dyes of reds, blues, purples and yellow are widely utilized to dye wool before weaving. Tunics are worn when not in armor, with an ornate waistband or belt, with a round neckline, opening down the left side of the neck. Embroidery is used to decorate the hems. In summer knee-length or short mid-thigh long kilts or knee-length garments which partially cover the chest going over one shoulder may be adopted. In winter, tunics with sleeves are preferred. Cavalry soldiers wear pairs of trousers with their tunics. Footwear consists of long-laced sandals with long 439

The game is similar, but apparently unrelated, to the polo played by Pentans.

141

MEN OF THE WEST

Tournaments

Tactics

Tournaments and martial games are popular with the nobility, mercenaries, and foreigners. The custom derives from Seshnela, dating at least as far back to King Vikard of the Games and his Most Grand Tournament of All History held in Kustria in 1511 ST. Kustria has remained the center of Ralian tournaments, which were instituted by King Ulianus III. He built a fortress and huge arena there, and founded a principality whose sole purpose was to sponsor the annual event. Its original charter states its purpose to be ‘a proving ground for the nobles of Seshnela440, wherein to settle differences in a civilized manner according to the Rules of Horal, whereby the helpless farmers of this land may be saved from needless pain and fear.’ The ruler of Kustria is styled the Tournament King. Tournaments are held elsewhere in Safelster, but none outdo those of Kustria in scale, pageantry or prizes. These are gaudy spectacles spiced with danger, part sport, and part preparation for war. As events where nobles, wizards, warriors, and priests congregate; often these are venues for intrigue, espionage, and assassination.

The array of a Safelstran army on the battlefield is defined primarily by the mixture of mercenaries the city or state employs. Urban militias are generally of poor quality, and if present are located at the center, where they are mostly shielded from combat by the professionals. Disciplined mercenary infantry is expected to stand firm in the face of cavalry, and light infantry are used not only as skirmishers but also to actively support cavalry, attacking the enemy’s horses with missiles. Noble cavalry has a reputation as being better disciplined than their Seshnelan equivalents, and those of eastern Safelster claiming descent from the Galanini draw upon a long tradition of mounted combat. Most do not share the distain of the bow of the Seshnelan

440

This wording is now usually modified to name Ralios, not Seshnela.

142

RALIOS knights. Their horse-archery is either employed with the mount stationary to permit greater accuracy, or when wheeling aside after riding towards the foe, a tactic derided by Seshnelan knights as cowardly. The widespread employment of mercenaries affects the way in which battles between Safelstran armies are fought. Defeat is often acknowledged when a side is tactically outmaneuvered, resulting in relatively light casualties as the fighting rarely continues to the bitter end (though claims of bloodless battles are exaggerated), and long sieges without assaults, decided when another state breaks the balance, or the city’s inhabitants force a surrender, or the ruler asks for terms and pays a fee or offers tribute. Much of a mercenary Captain’s wealth and status is invested in their troops, and so they are unwilling to lose their soldiers to a lost cause. Wars with external enemies take on a different character, as the foe poses a threat to their paymaster. Combat against the Seshnelans and Orlanthi is more bloody. Safelstran heavy cavalry is able to go head-to-head with Seshnelan cataphracti.

by the filler, some through the thickness of the wall, fastened with bronze clamps. Construction using stone is reliant upon quarries, especially the shallow river gorges of south and eastern Ralios, or stone boated downriver from the distant mountains. Walls built by the banks of a river or lake must also be able to withstand the floods of spring when meltwater flows from the mountains. The lakes of Ralios are not affected by the tides, but the annual floods of Sea Season can cause water levels to rise by several meters. The level of Lake Felster is particularly affected as the waters of the Tanier, Doskior, and Syrron rivers combine, until the lake drains over several weeks to the west (which in turn causes the boundaries of the Sodal Marshes to expand). This means that walls bordering the waters are often built of particularly large blocks of stone impervious to water, with very deep foundations, and are maintained annually, both to repair any erosion and to apply water-repelling sorcery. Other than anything more than a narrow ledge, the walls often rise from the footings, to prevent an enemy setting ladders against them. The flooding of the shore lands lays down deposits of mud carried from the uplands, increasing the fertility of the land. It is also the time when fishermen casting their nets into the teeming waters of Lake Felster gain a netful of carp and other fish grown fat browsing among the reeds and submerged weeds of the shallows in the previous Fire Season. A wealthy city can boast impressive defenses, with tall walls and towers. The decline of a city in prestige and power can be manifested by the deterioration of its walls and the decoration upon them. Square, rectangular or semi-circular towers are built to protect corners and gates, with more spaced along the curtain wall. Towers are often pieces of imposing architecture in their own right. The lower levels are infilled with earth or rubble to prevent undermining and are surmounted by a fighting platform, sometimes with a roof to protect soldiers and magicians, and crowned with galleries, often with ornate overhanging balconies, with intricate carvings on the pillars and roof, which may take the form of a dome-shaped elevated pavilion. The upper stories may have a honeycombed structure of perforated stone ornamental patterned screens, permitting the passage of breezes through small windows, where those inside can look out without being seen themselves. The larger slits can be used by archers. Sometimes the filigree patterns are constructed so that at a distance they have the appearance of stippled representations of deities, Runes, or abstract shapes. Similar screens are used to decorate the upper walls of temples and palaces, allowing priests and rulers to

Fortifications Safelstran cites rely upon their walls as their final line of defense. Given their constant wars between each other, and Seshnela to the west, most major cities boast extensive fortifications, including inner and outer walls, double gates, and other defenses, including magical guardians and powerful spells of protection. These can be bolstered by the terrain. Danket once sat on a series of small islands in the Sodal Marshes, and the marshes and the network of drainage canals still form part of its defenses. Several small settlements of Lake Felster are small floating islands made out of reeds. Some cities are set upon hilltops. The cheapest walls are built of stone with the space between the inner and outer masonry filled with earth and rubble, or of fired mud brick. If the outer face is built of boulders, these are dressed, and the spaces between them filled with smaller stones. Some display their history: the crude stonework of the early Dawn Age, the precisely shaped blocks of the Autarchy, the cheaper stone and brick after its fall, and more recent work. During Time, cities have grown, shrunk, been abandoned, or founded. Old walls may be demolished when a city expanded, and the blocks reused in the new walls. The lakeside and river walls may remain in place throughout a city’s history, unless a river shifts its course, or the lake shore moves inland or recedes. However, a ruler concerned with their prestige will invest in walls built of hewn blocks, coursed or uncoursed, or else have them plastered (and then often covered in colorful murals). Coursed masonry has a more impressive and aesthetic appearance than rough stone, with regular ashlar or trapezoidal stones laid in rows, with headers extending into the space occupied

143

MEN OF THE WEST observe the streets and squares without being seen themselves. The temple and palace complexes within the walls are even more complex and splendid than the gate towers, with open courtyards hidden behind the baroque exteriors. The temples are lavishly, sometimes decadently ornate, often including multiple towers, domes, cupolas, and shrines housing images of lesser divinities. A temple complex includes shrines, sanctuaries, libraries, and quarters for the priesthood and their servants and slaves. Some palaces and temples are semi-fortified and are built with thick walls and strong gateways, usually disguised by sumptuous decoration. Storerooms, arsenals, and passages may be concealed within the walls. The parapets of a city wall are capped with merlons; the Malkioni favor them to be triangular in shape. In addition to the upper wall-walk, a gallery may be set below it to accommodate archers shooting through arrow slits. The walls, especially near gateways, and the gates themselves, are filled with crowded and colorful basreliefs or mosaic drawing upon the crowded and diverse mythology of Safelster. Filled with a sensual vitality, these depict seductively sinuous Snake Goddesses441, bounteous and beautiful Ralia and her divine children, wrathful and warlike Storm Gods, horse-headed golden-maned Sun Gods and Goddesses, sensuous fish-tailed442 or green-skirted Safa the Goddess of the Lake, blue-skinned River Goddesses, Heroes such as Hrestol as a Man-of-All, and Arkat (of several varieties443), the prophet Malkion (as Law Giver, Prophet, Founder, and Martyr), and many others. Panels illustrate the deeds of these entities, all vividly painted. Others commemorate victorious battles against rival cities and the Seshnelans. Prancing horses, leaping lions, winged griffins, and coiling snakes are common decorations. Entrances feature figures of cheerful gods, youthful and handsome, smiling goddesses, nubile and beautiful,

and grotesque beast-headed protective demons, grim and terrifying, making dire gestures to ward off evil. Large statues of deities and heroes may stand either at the flanks of gateways, concealing the gate jambs (the figures are often made of plaster over a stone core of multiple blocks) or guarding the approach. As such embellishments might provide an easy means of scaling the walls, they are surmounted by projecting parapets, with ports to permit missiles and boiling oil or water to be poured down on the heads of anyone climbing up. These statues are not always merely decorative; the main gate of the city of Drom is protected by a horseheaded statue which kills attackers with its glance. All are anathema to the fundamentalist Rokari, whose sacred architecture is plain and geometrical. The main gateways may compromise two or three arched entrances, with the largest one in the center, with a set of double gates creating a kill box. If a city is situated by water, deeper foundations are required, set on a socle, to prevent the walls slumping, though over time ancient foundations may sink and settle. Some settlements are built on the site of ancient hill-forts, and sit at an elevation above the water table. These foundations can be very deep; many Safelstran cities are a thousand or more years old, and new defenses may be built atop older foundations. Some sites date back to the Dawn, others boast defenses built during the Gbaji War or to Arkat’s Autarchy. This makes undermining walls and towers difficult, especially as newly excavated tunnels will fill with lake and river water

441

Some are well known Earth Goddesses, others are more obscure Likitae. In Third Age Ralios, and in Seshnela in the First Age, their cults are sensuous and orgiastic. Some lesser Likitae are known as the Snake Daughters who guard the temples of Earth Goddesses, often worshipped as subcults of the goddess. In Ralios, the Likitae are also associated with the Hsunchen shaman-priesthoods, still found in the city of Walim, and in Slontos as the Serpent Beast sorcerers of the Pralori. 442 Temples of Safa are found in nearly every city on Lake Felster. The largest is at the island city of Sroket, where she is depicted as having the head and body of a beautiful woman, the tail of a fish, and carrying wheat and flowers, not unlike a Ludoch or Zabdamar mer-woman in appearance. There are no records of any mer-people or aquatic Blue People living in the lake. 443 Seven Aspects of Arkat are widely recognized:  The Peacemaker as the bringer of peace between species, commemorating the friendships he forged between humans, elves, and trolls, one hand is outstretched with open palm forward in a gesture of fearless peace.  The Chaosbane, the Chaos-killer, he who destroys Chaos in all its manifestations; he carries a long leaf-shaped sword and a three-pronged thunderbolt.  The Savior, the bringer of Truth against the lies of Gbaji; he carries a small bronze axe and a round shield.  Great Arkat, the founder of a great kingdom after the defeat of Gbaji, who carries a serpent-headed sceptre and a rod and ring  The Liberator, the Western sorcerer-warrior who liberated the land from Gbaji, who carries a spear and a golden Law Rune wreathed in flames.  The Destroyer, the monstrous troll-headed three-eyed incarnation of Destruction, who carries a flanged mace and a black ball symbolizing Darkness.  The Deceiver, the taloned and fanged demonic Gbaji who carries a flaming spear.

144

RALIOS unless wizards Command Elementals to hold the water back. Ditches are dug in front of the walls; where cities are set on the shores of lakes these will be linked to the waters to form moats. These are intended to deter siege engines and towers approaching the walls. Tunnels, catacombs, and aqueducts, old and new, run under many Safelstran cities. Some date back to the Autarchy, and provided the trolls in the service of the Archons a means to move about comfortably even in daytime; these dank dark tunnels were lined with tar or treated with sorcery to keep them waterproof. Even so, some have since been partially or fully flooded. The locations of many have since been forgotten, or are now kept secret and used as clandestine meeting places by secret societies. In addition, many cities boast storm drains and sewers. Newer tunnels augment the city defenses with sally ports leading to hidden posterns, rigged to collapse, so that if an attacker gains entry to them they can be turned into a deadly trap. Others provide rulers and nobles with escape tunnels in the event of a coup. It is doubtful if the modern occupants of palaces know every secret of their domicile; maps of these secret passages are prized secrets of the various noble houses. Many are protected by dire wards and traps. When a new dynasty seizes power, often their sages must locate as many passages as possible, blocking some, altering or trapping others. The only way of securing a palace with certainty is to rip out the interior or demolish it completely. It is unlikely that anyone has a complete map of all the tunnels and underground chambers lying beneath any Safelstran city.

To overcome the issues of defense, important harbors are enclosed with walled moles constructed of stone extending out to deeper water. The entrance is narrowed between the moles so that it can be closed with heavy bronze chains. These moles support towers, so that defenders can shoot down on any vessels attempting to force their way in. Cheaper varieties are built using a wooden frame, filled with rubble, but as the wood rots over time last only a few decades. A stone breakwater may be built, reaching out into the lake to restrict the movement of incoming ships. The most extensive fortified harbors may have a system of double water gates connected by a constricted channel overlooked by walls and towers. The enclosed harbor not only provides a safe place for merchant vessels to load and unload, but also military harbors which consist of long narrow slipways, roofed in pairs of well ventilated ship sheds, where warships can be dragged out of the water stern-first on wooden rollers, for maintenance, and to protect them from winter weather, to extend the effective life of the ship. Even with this practice, a ship rarely lasts fit for service for more than twenty-five years. Drying-out is necessary because the softwood hull absorbs water and the bilge fills with water over time which cannot be easily bailed out. This reduces the lifespan of the ship, and most importantly for a warship, reduces its speed, stability, and agility. It may also weaken the hull. Even when defended by walled moles, the harbor areas may sit outside the main city walls, so that if attackers successfully storm the port area, they are still confronted by thick walls and heavily defended gates. The great harbors of the wealthiest cities are often built as a double harbor; the outer harbor is used for commercial traffic, the inner for military ships, the two divided by a wall. The entrance of the inner harbor can also be protected by a chain, or, in the most elaborate examples be protected by a bronze portcullis that can be dropped to shut it entirely. A military harbor can have sufficient slipways for a hundred or more galleys. A commercial harbor usually consists of long wharves where ships lying lengthwise are loaded and unloaded. Military vessels when in the water are moored at a dock with the crew embarking and disembarking from the stern; this permits the oars to be extended permitting the warship to row out of the harbor without the assistance of longboats. A large city set on a small peninsular or promontory can have several harbors with entrances facing in different directions, sometimes serving warehouses holding different types of goods, designated as mercantile or military, or providing access to the quays in

Harbors Most of the major cities of Safelster sit upon rivers or the lakes. Their harbors, essential to the trade which are their lifeblood, are a potential weakness in their fortifications, easily attacked by hostile ships, and offering a convenient place for soldiers to disembark. Lesser ports have wharves extending out into the water, but important ports, especially situated on the lakes, boast more extensive facilities.

145

MEN OF THE WEST different prevailing winds. The simplest military harbors are lozenge shaped, but others are zigzag shaped like a Water Rune w, or circular, with an island in the center. Both the island and harbor are lined with ship sheds, with the admiralty headquarters at the center. The military installation must also include an arsenal and facilities to hold supplies of naval tackle ready to build new vessels and repair existing ones. Very few cities on the coasts of Genertela can boast such mercantile and military facilities, as they would have fallen into disrepair during the long decades of the Closing. Both river and lake ports are susceptible to silting up due to the seasonal flow of sediment every spring. This means that they must be periodically dredged or else the harbor becomes useless. This is achieved either using teams of slaves and oxen, or by employing Elementals. The harbors of towns are less impressive, often consisting of one or more piers reaching out into the water, and places where vessels can be pushed ashore and beached.

relatively light construction, which allows a faster speed, and for them to be manhandled in and out of the water easily, but sufficiently sturdy to be used in naval battles on the lakes and rivers. The hulls are made more robust by using deep mortises and large pegs. Most vessels are slender with a low gunwale, as these craft do not have to contest with the rougher conditions at sea, but often have side screens of wicker or leather to protect the crew. The steersman is always in an exposed position, requiring good visibility to navigate and to see approaching threats. Not all have a mast, relying upon oars for propulsion, and rarely, sorcery. Sails, masts, and rigging are lowered before combat because these are vulnerable to being grappled. Smaller boats have a single steering oar, whilst a large ship may have two, one each side, and have raised scant decks surrounded by bulwarks fore for the lookout and a few marines, and a larger one aft for the captain, steersman and perhaps a shield-bearer tasked to protect them. The oars are worked against wooden thole-pins, not the oarlocks used in some seagoing ships; each oar has a leather strap looped about the pin. The rowers’ gear is stowed under the decks and thwarts. If a ship has to stay out on the water at night, the oarsmen doze on their benches. When not is use oars are laid across the gunwale. Oars are commonly fashioned of polished spruce or fir. Decking, if present, is rarely all nailed in place to provide easy access for bailing. Stone anchors may be carried, especially by merchant vessels, but warships often rely upon being beached or in port at night. These anchors are a simple cut stone with a drilled hole through which the cable is secured and are deployed in pairs, reliant upon their weight to hold the ship fast. As Lake Felster is very deep, anchors are only useful in the shallows close to shore. The fleets are often painted in their city’s colors to allow the identification of friends and foes because even if a fleet deploys in ordered formations initially, in the confusion of battle, the opposing forces will be intermingled together. A brightly colored banner or pennant may be flown at the stern to further identify a vessel. Shields may be displayed as well, to protect the crew and to identify them. In addition to the warships, fire ships may be employed to float into the midst of an enemy fleet, either as simple rafts or barges carrying bundles of wood and dry reeds. Whilst the oarsmen and officers are recruited locally, the marines fighting aboard these vessels are often mercenaries. Warships as large as sea-going

Navies There is a long tradition of boats and sailing craft on the rivers and lakes of Ralios. In the early First Age, the largest were war canoes paddled by no more than sixteen warriors. From this beginning, larger water craft were built. The cities on Lake Felster and some river ports maintain small navies of patrol boats, fast galleys, and colossal, multistory fortress barges, usually doublehulled, for assaulting fortifications which are only practical on the calm waters of the lake. Whilst most warships belong to a city, being expensive to build, maintain, and crew, some are mercenary vessels, owned by a mercenary regiment or by privateers who will take service with a city for pay, especially as commerce raiders. Important cities are almost all set upon rivers or lakes, and an effective siege requires a blockade. Most ports have at least a few warships to protect their nearby waters and approaches. Naval warfare is expensive, a standing fleet requires a busy shipyard building and repairing vessels, and paying sailors and oarsmen. The skills of boat- and shipbuilding were not lost during the Closing that scoured the distant coastlines of shipping. Fleets remained in service on the lakes and wider rivers. Safelstran vessels are of carvel construction444, using the pegged mortise and tenon joint method, with the tenons slotted into the mortises and pegged together. Compared with sea-going ships they are of 444

The hull is built up from the keel and stem- and stern-posts, with the internal ribbing then fitted to this hull to bind and reinforce it, resulting in a fairly flexible hull, able to cope with the roughest waves that can develop on the usually calm waters of Lake Felster.

146

RALIOS triremes are rare. The majority may have only thirty to fifty rowers, all sitting at the same level. Warships fight by either ramming or boarding enemy vessels. In some cases, the oarsmen may carry weapons to support the marines. Ships may not ram directly, avoiding a direct collision, to sweep off the oars of their target, rendering it immobile. Merchant ships on the lakes are more reliant upon oars than sea-going merchantmen because the distances from port to port are relatively small; there is no need to carry several day’s food and water for the crew. More modest lake craft are simple canoes, of wood or leather, or made of bundles of papyrus gathered in the reed banks, the curled-up ends tied off with linen or leather bands; these have been used on Lake Felster since before the Dawn. They are paddled, with only the largest reed boats mounting sails. Reed boats are still used by fishermen and hunters, but also now by soldiers and assassins to sneak ashore. In the shallower lakes and rivers, vessels may be poled instead of rowed as a more effective means of propulsion.

use on the inland waterways, save in seasons when there are storms; the waters of the lakes can become squally when the Storm Gods are abroad, and before setting out most captains have their vessels not only blessed by a priestess of the waters, but also a priest of the Air Gods. The spirit of the ship is also offered a libation of wine. Penteconters are divided into those that have only scant decks fore and aft, and those that have a deck which covers most but not all of the ship. Both types are used as fighting platforms for marines but the longer deck provides more protection for the rowers; a gap is left between the gunwale and the deck, covered with lattice panels, providing ventilation and a means of escape if the vessel is holed. A decked penteconter is heavier than one without, so there is a tradeoff between protection and speed. A scant decked vessel may instead use brightly dyed awnings to shelter the oarsmen from the sun when not at war; in combat they could too easily be set afire with thrown fire pots, arrows, or spells and so are removed, unless magically protected. A triaconter is slower than a penteconter but has better acceleration and turning rate, making it more able to avoid being rammed. These vessels are used for scouting, patrolling, and carrying messages, but also have a role in battle, able to ram crippled warships or to rake the oars of another vessel. Their smaller crew complement makes boarding attacks more hazardous as a damaged or disabled penteconter will still often have an advantage in numbers. Triaconters are also used by aristocrats engaged in the sport of hunting the largest plesiosaurs, standing at the prow to throw barbed harpoons or shoot arrows at their quarry. Their maneuverability is an advantage in hunting this dangerous prey. These smaller craft can more easily lurk in the papyrus reed banks bordering Lake Felster, with the mast unshipped, to quickly intercept passing ships. A penteconter can drive its ram home with more force than a triaconter, causing more damage, with a greater probability that the target will be holed and sunk. The ships are constructed of three sets of long timbers, of poplar, or upland pine or fir for their lightness and strength, the largest forming the keel, the others the gunwales, joined by ribs of oak spaced along the hull. All three meet at the bow, to form the basis for the ram, and at the upcurved stern. Under-gird ropes are used to keep the hull rigid. The stern post curves over and may be carved to resemble an animal, or the head of a deity. The carven and painted heads of horses, boars, lions, griffins, plesiosaurs, sakkars, snakes, and the lake goddess green-eyed Safa and her divine progeny or Tagar, inlaid with metals, are commonly used as decoration. Those of a vanquished ship are chopped off, if there is time

The Safelstran Uniremes Safelstran galleys are either ranked according to the number of rowers, as tens, twenties, thirties, forties, fifties, or to the number of cells or files of oarsmen on each side. A half-file vessel has five oarsmen a side, a file has ten and so on. The two most common warships are the triaconter and penteconter. The triaconter and penteconter are propelled by a single bank of thirty or fifty oarsmen respectively, fifteen or twenty-five a side, who sit on benches in the hull. These vessels are long and slender to maximize their speed under oars, though this increases their turning circle. The steersman uses one or two steering oars. These vessels are all named, and involved as participants in the ceremonies to bless the ship and its crew. A ship can remain in service for up to twenty-five years, during which it will acquire a reputation and battle honors. A penteconter is the most common warship employed on the lakes. Their long hulls with their low freeboard would not be seaworthy, but are suitable for

147

MEN OF THE WEST and opportunity, and taken as trophies; these heads are widely believed to hold the spirit of the ship. Before battle a captain will anoint the figurehead with precious oils to awaken its spirit for war. When a ship is retired, the head is removed with great care so that its spirit can be stored until transferred to a new vessel. The steersman often serves as the priest of the vessel, though is rarely more than an initiate of a river or lake cult, and presides over the crew’s devotions. The bladed but blunt ram is of oak sheathed in bronze or aluminum, slotted into the prow at or below the waterline. It is intended to puncture an enemy hull, but not too far so that the oarsmen can back oars to pull away from their victim without the ram becoming stuck. Sometimes the ram presents the fanciful appearance of a ram’s head complete with curled horns to either side, a boar’s head with tusks, or a horned water serpent; the horns and tusks are intended to prevent the ram penetrating too far into an enemy ship. In addition to the ram, ships might carry archers, and when close to an enemy, a grapple might be thrown, either to pull them closer for boarding, or thrown into the rigging or rail, and then back water under oars to capsize them. If fighting close to shore, archers and slingers on land can attempt to pick off rowers and marines, especially if shooting from the elevation of a city’s walls or a temporary wooden tower erected for this purpose. In the press of battle, the intent is often to sink or render enemy vessels incapable of fighting by holing them or seizing their steering oars, as it is rarely feasible to capture sufficient rowers willing to serve their captors. Instead, captured vessels may be towed away, or holed to deny them to the enemy. When a warship is obviously lost, its oarsmen will jump ship, hoping to swim ashore or be picked up by a friendly vessel. Most marines wear bronze helmets, but rarely bronze body armor to avoid being drowned by the weight; linen or leather armor is most common, secured with ties or toggles so that it can be easily doffed in the water. The vessels carry a single mast and yard, and a linen sail, raised for cruising; they operate under oars when fighting. The mast is set into a socket sitting on the keel, supported by double stays fore and aft, and is unstepped by raising it from the footing to lay it on a crutch running the length of the vessel. Although Lake Felster has very deep waters in its center, these ships have a shallow draught to permit them to operate close to shore, in the reed banks, and on the rivers. Speeds are reduced when rowing upstream, increased when sailing or taking advantage of river currents. The sails are often only employed on the open

waters of a lake, save on the widest rivers, when they can be used to tack using the available breeze. Travel by sail on rivers is generally slower than travelling under oars because of the frequent need to tack from bank to bank, but is used when there is no hurry in transporting people or goods. It is also cheaper, because the crew of the smallest skiffs is limited to a steersman and lookout, who can also use a pole when possible to propel the craft. Neither a triaconter nor a penteconter has room for more than a few days’ provisions for the crew, stowed beneath their benches. Most carry only a few spare oars. At the beginning of the Hero Wars, no Safelstran shipwrights have built any warships with multiple banks of oars. In part this is due to their long unbroken tradition of shipbuilding, and in part because new designs must satisfy the goddesses of the lakes, and their cults. Sailors, whether at sea or on these large lakes are notoriously superstitious. Safelstran Triaconter Length Beam Draught Speed Sail: Sail and oars: Oars: Maximum Cruise

20m 3m 0.7m Knots 3-8 8-9.5 8 4

Duration Daylight 25 minutes 20 minutes 2 hours

Knots 3-8 9-10 9 4-5

Duration Daylight 22 minutes 18 minutes 2 hours

Safelstran Penteconter Length Beam Draught Speed Sail: Sail and oars: Oars: Maximum Cruise

36m 4m 0.76m

Triaconters and penteconters vary in length and beam; the dimensions given here are examples. Some may have more or less oars than usual, but as the length is increased, they become less robust, and as the beam is widened their maximum speed is decreased.

Safelstran Fortress Barges The fortress barges are exceptionally large, consisting of at least two broad beamed hulls lashed securely together to form a stable platform445, with the deck railings removed and a joint plank deck added. This is raised above the rowing benches to leave space for the oarsmen and to give room for them to row. Very long pine or fir planks are used in the

445

Some of the battle-barges of the Middle Sea Empire were also dual- or triple-hulled; it is unknown if the much smaller Safelstran fortress barges were inspired by these, or are a separate development.

148

RALIOS construction of the largest barges, sometimes joined together, imported from Vesmonstran. The lengthy hulls are often strengthened with four to six heavy ropes stretched from stem to stern and twisted using windlasses. Each of the wide hulls carries as many as ninety oarsmen, up to forty-five a side. The design is similar to the large cargo barges used on the lake; those rely more on their sails than their rowers, unless a cargo must be rapidly transported. A multi-story square or rectangular siege tower or turret shaped like a truncated pyramid is then erected, each story smaller than the one below. This has a timber frame, sometimes wooden walls, often clad in thick hide either kept wet or treated with sorcery to prevent it being set afire, or thin bronze plates, with the weight kept to a minimum so that the tower can be tall enough to assault defenses, by ramps dropped down on the battlements, and to permit missiles and magic to be cast into the interior of the fortification. Portholes permit crossbows and long spears to be deployed from inside. The towers are usually mounted in the center of the barge, meaning that if boarding ramps are fitted, they are arrayed at the sides so that the vessel must come alongside a wall to deploy them. The hinged gangways have hooks at the end to latch onto the defenses and hold the barge firm as the fighters disembark. The ramps are kept up when making the approach, acting as doors behind which the troops nervously waiting to immediately sally forth shelter. These tall structures can catch the wind, making steering difficult and threatening their stability; they are deployed in calm weather when winds are light. An enemy might utilize Air or Water Elementals to push them away or capsize them. Whilst these might seem ideal warships, able to bombard uniremes with massed volleys of arrows from the height of the tower, their slow movement and vulnerabilities deters their use in naval battles. When drawn up to assault a fortification, multiple heavy stone anchors are dropped to keep the barge in place, and to prevent the enemy pushing it away from the walls physically or magically. In turn, the defenders may send out swimmers to dive down and

cut the mooring cables. To prevent this, the anchors may be attached to heavy bronze chains. In addition to the tower, a fortress barge might deploy a long battering ram with a bronze or iron head used to pound the walls, or a borer inserted between the blocks to prize or pull them out. The coverings of the tower protect those manning the ram or borer from missiles. To work effectively, these require the barge to be securely anchored. Similar joined barges are used as floating pleasure-palaces and temples to Safa and Tagar, with the palace-marquee sitting on the platform instead of a siege tower. These joined vessels are slow and clumsy, and difficult to maneuver. Additional oarsmen are carried by supporting barges so that the rowers can be replaced to work in shifts. Their speed can be increased if towed or if a wizard Summons and controls a large Water Elemental to propel them. Safelstran Fortress Barge Length Beam Draught Speed Oars

60m 16m 2m Knots 1

Duration 1 hour

Sharp edged boulders or sharpened stakes, sometimes sheathed in bronze, are often placed just under the surface of the water before the walls and moles of a city to stop such attack vessels approaching too closely. This means that early spring, when the water levels on the lakes are high, is a good time to circumvent such defenses.

Other Vessels In addition to the large cargo barges, smaller merchant vessels of a variety of sizes are common on the lakes and rivers, carrying the trade between the cities, propelled by sails and a maximum of twenty or so oars or poles.

149

MEN OF THE WEST Save when the rivers are in flood, they can usually row or tack upriver against the current. These are used to carry precious or bulk cargoes, such as wine amphorae, lengths of timber, or blocks of stone. A canopy can be erected to provide shelter for paying passengers when the winds are not too strong. These merchanters can also be used in war, carrying a complement of archers, and as support ships. A number of these vessels can also be used to tow the large cargo barges.

holdings, striving against the draconic influence of the Empire of the Wyrms Friends in the Second Age and forming part of Alakoring’s Old Ways Traditionalist confederation. The Upper Tanier River region of flood plains and hills is home to the descendants of Korion, the eldest of the sons of Eneral, and all have adopted Orlanthi culture, living in clans and tribes, though keeping their ancient survival secrets and their own proud heritage. Many in the countryside still name Orlanth as Erulat and claim he freed them from bondage by cruel sorcerers and inhuman dwarves during the Gods War, still know Ernalda as Mata the Green Lady, some name Humakt as Humat, venerate the Tanier as Tana, the River Goddess, and honor Galanin the Sun Horse. The cult of Orlanth in Vesmonstran is extremely similar but not identical to that in Heortland and Sartar. In the early Fifth Century they adopted most of the cult practices taught to them by Harmast447. The cult of Humakt is also present, sponsoring a number of mercenary battalions, some of which seek service in Safelster. Makla Mann has an important Hero Cult here which is represented in most of the Humakti temples and shrines, and his followers are even more dedicated to his qualities of loyalty and dedication to an employer than other Humakti. The river valley is a broad, rich agricultural plain with cool, wet winters and warm, dry summers; the hills of the east are rugged and drier, and less suitable for agriculture or heavy cavalry. The

Safelstran Merchanter Length Beam Draught Speed Sail: Sail and oars: Oars: Maximum Cruise

17m 4-5m 1.5m Knots 3-5 6-8 6 2

Duration Daylight 25 minutes 20 minutes 2 hours

Various sizes of pleasure craft are also employed on the lakes, ranging from double-hulled pleasure-palaces to more modest craft, used for sport or entertainment. In one festival, initiates and priestesses of Safa clad only in green-dyed nets, row out onto the lake, accompanied by a flotilla of other boats carrying worshippers and onlookers. Out beyond the shallows, the high priestess throws offerings of gold and jade into the depths. Local youths and maidens chosen for their beauty are encouraged to dive to catch these items as they sink; those who succeed are considered blessed by the goddess; those who fail to surface are said to have been accepted as sacrifices, chosen by the goddess to joyfully serve forever in her submerged palace in the green-litten depths. Similar rites are held on Lake Helby for Tagar, a goddess of fertility and mother of fish, as her small cult prays for the return of the Fifty Lost Fish446. The offerings tossed into the water are figurines of silver fish with eyes of small emeralds or rubies, one for each of the Lost Fish.

Vesmonstran Originally named the ‘Western Monster Land’, this quarter of Ralios was covered by the vast Ballid Forest in the First Age, which was much reduced in the Second. The forest now covers only the uplands of the northwest. The portions as far upriver as lower Lankst were part of Arkat’s Autarchy but remained independent of the Middle Sea Empire’s Ralian 446

It is said that Nieby stole the Fifty Fish during the wars in Ralios.

447

They revere Alakoring and Harmast, but do not hold Vingkot or Heort to be particularly important. The initiation rites of the native Orlanthi in Ralios for adulthood are different to those of the Heortlings, save for those descended from Heortling settlers, reflecting how their ancestors survived the Darkness, such as Bull Rites for those of the lineage of the Bemuri, and Horse Rites for those descended from the Enerali.

150

RALIOS rulers of this region are tied to the cities of Lake Felster by centuries of alliance, war, trade, and common cults. The two major confederations dominating the area are Lankst (united with Sukorion to form the Confederation of Jofrain) and the newer confederation of Otkorion, both unified by the Orlanth Rex cult first founded by the Ralian Hero Alakoring Dragonbreaker in the Second Age. The wilds of Telmoria to the northeast are still the home of wolf Hsunchen, some of whom are cursed to transform into wolves every seven days. Their hunting packs torment the northern tribes every winter. Trolls are found in Guhan to the west of Otkorion, the land awarded to their ancestors by Arkat. In Lankst, the king is selected from the noble Hargovan clan, who claim descent from Erulat. An unruly House of Warriors must approve all royal policy. King Kocholang is married to the Hero Garundyer’s sister, and the priests have prophesied that his son Ardinyar448 will be even greater than the Hero of the Seven Storms. Otkorion was recently unified by High Priest Surantyr the Non-Heretic, founder of the Chariot of Lightning sect. He is the chief political and spiritual authority in the confederation. Despite the name of his sect, chariots are primarily used only for ceremonial purposes and to carry mobile shrines in war. Whilst the Orlanthi of Ralios are within the Barbarian Belt449 which runs from Fronela in the northwest to Dragon Pass in the east, the arms and armor favored in Lankst and Otkorion are heavily influenced by that of the Safelstrans to the south; heavy cavalrymen may even adopt Seshnegi face-masks, though with the masks fashioned to depict the fearsome visages of the Thunder Brothers or the grim War Gods. Western straight swords are as common as Orlanthi leaf-bladed swords. The Orlanthi of Vesmonstran initially hold back from the wars between the Safelstran states and Seshnela, although mercenaries serve on both sides of the conflict.

equipment is heavily influenced by the armories of Safelster, but decorated with curvilinear Orlanthi patterns, whilst equine designs echoing their ancient Enerali heritage are common450. The wealthy fight from horseback and wear bronze armor; a few nobles have high quality dwarf-forged weapons and armor, including plate and chainmail, acquired at Bad Deal in the Nidan Mountains for a horrendous price. The King of Lankst maintains a body of elite cavalry which he calls the Companions of the Lightning. They wield lightning bolts against their foes and are led by the Hero Garundyer of the Seven Storms. The hero also forged the Throne Kings Alliance between King Kocholang of Lankst and King Congern of Jonatela. As a result, a few of the Companions have adopted Pelorian kopis swords as ideal to use from horseback. In 1619 ST, Garundyer quested to release Siglolf Cloudcrusher451 from where he was imprisoned and used his magic to destroy the leaders and the army of Sentanos at the Battle of Falling Stones. The king maintains professional warbands in the east to protect Lankst from the predations of the Telmori and the wild dragonewts. The Companions of the Lightning wear a long scale hauberk reaching to or below the thigh, sleeved, the longer ones split at the waist, secured with a wide leather war belt. A pectoral may be worn on the chest, engraved with the face of Orlanth. Their thighs may be further protected by plate tassets or cuisses depending from the belt. Pauldrons of leather marked with bifurcated lightning patterns, or bronze scales are worn at the shoulders, the forearms protected by vambraces, and often the lower legs are guarded by kneeprotectors, sometimes with plain half greaves worn over long boots of soft supple leather. A variety of helmet styles are worn, with either fixed or hinged cheek-pieces, with or without neck guards. Helmets are domed or cone-shaped and crested with horsehair or feather wings, lined with leather or felt, or worn over a woolen cap. Reminiscent of those worn by Arkat’s army before Kartolin more than a thousand years ago in the First Age, helmets may have nose guards, spectacle eye-guards or even detachable full face-masks. Helmets, half-greaves, and armor

The Armies of Lankst and Otkorion The clan, tribal, and confederation armies are typically Orlanthi, with most of the militia armed with a spear and perhaps a sword, shield, a helmet, and some leather or cuir boilli body armor. The actual style of the 448

He is destined to emerge as a leading figure in the wars in Ralios, counting Orlanthi and Arkati among his retinue, becoming the Lord of the Seven Storms, and claiming the title King of Ralios. He performs the Quest of the Storm Dragon, returning to bring the dragon to aid Argrath of Sartar in his world-shattering war with the monstrous Lunar Empire. 449 The Barbarian Belt stretching across Genertela may have the richest bronze deposits in Genertela. 450

The horse-loving cult of Elmal is found in Vesmonstran, though he is widely named as Ehilm, Galanin or even Galana, and usually associated with a temple of Orlanth (the Elmal of Ralios is not the Elmal atop Kero Fin of Dragon Pass). The religious schism found in Dragon Pass between the cults of Elmal and Yelmalio is unknown in Ralios. The single Sun Dome temple in the East Wilds is distant, and whilst Ralian cultists of Elmal and Yelmalio will recognise each other as fellow Solar worshippers, there is no tension between them. 451 Said to be a son of Orlanth.

151

MEN OF THE WEST may be gilded or silvered, which helps hinder corrosion. Their mounts may be armored, though usually with leather or felt rather than the heavier barding favored by the heavy cavalry of Safelster and Seshnela. A Companion owns at least two horses, one for riding, and a well-trained war horse, and is accompanied by a mounted groom who cares for the horses and guards them in camp when the Companion is fighting. Most are armed and armored in bright shining bronze, decorated with golden images of gods and heroes; the most senior own iron swords gifted to them by the king for deeds of valor in battle. Sword hilts are popularly anthropomorphic in shape, representing the War God Humakt, the pommel in the form of a head (with the finest having red or black gems inset to form the eyes, bone or costly ivory for the teeth), arms upraised and legs spread to form the cross guard. Their leaf- or straight-bladed swords are longer than most Orlanthi swords to be more effectively employed from horseback. Life for a Companion is one of status and relative luxury and leisure; they train, feast, hunt and fight sideby-side with their comrades. When not called upon to fight they will engage in hunting expeditions, especially against predators that have been a threat to the herds of the kingdom. Hunting wolves is a particularly popular pastime, especially if those wolves are two- or fourlegged Telmori. A thick wolfskin cloak, with the head and tail intact, is prized as much as any plunder taken in war. Champions of both the Chariot of Lightning sect and the Companions of the Lightning may carry speartridents with three or five bladed spearheads452 as symbols of their power. These signify lightning, as the sacred weapon of Orlanth the Supreme Deity. Other members of the House of Warriors of Lankst aspire to own similar equipment (though are not eligible to carry the lightning tridents). They are proud and concerned with their prerogatives, social esteem, and appearance, prizing well-made weapons and armor. Should a member of the House of Warriors feel his honor453 or reputation has been impinged he rarely has any restraint in issuing challenges and demanding to settle the matter in a duel. The House of Warriors can be turbulent and boisterous, and the king’s councilors and champions strive behind the scenes to settle such disputes without bloodshed lest an enduring blood feud

ensue. Thanes have good armor and weapons, though not as fine as that of the Companions, and are wealthy enough to have a riding animal though they may not fight as cavalry. Rather than vambraces, a warrior might wear large bronze bracelets, in the old Korioni manner. Companions and thanes have their own retinues, including youths of nine to twelve years, learning to care for the armor, arms and equipment, a Spearthane, often of twelve to fifteen years, a Shieldthane, fifteen years old or more, who acts as a shield-bearer, and a Swordthane, an experienced fighter, often a Humakti sworn-man or mercenary. The Shieldthane and Swordthane of a Companion or wealthy mounted thane may fight with them in battle, but rarely in the front ranks of a cavalry formation; their Spearthane guards their retinue and horses. A young noble warrior will aspire to join a prestigious mounted warband, especially that of a king, and to be rewarded with the hospitality of their lord’s hall, feasts, fine weapons, and

452

The three-pronged spear in the hands of a skilled warrior is not as impractical as it first appears, although it is more difficult to use than an ordinary spear; the bladed tines can be used to catch or parry an enemy’s sword or spear, twisting them out of their hand. It can be used to snare and stab an opponent, then force them to the ground. The tines are rarely barbed, even though this would inflict more severe wounds, because of the risk of being caught in the foe’s body or their armor. The three tines usually run in parallel or are slightly flared. In some examples, all three tines are the same length, in others the central tine is longer. Those with rear-facing tines can be used to hook an enemy’s shield and push it aside, or, if used afoot, to pull a mounted foe out of the saddle. It is not a useful weapon when mounted as it may be too easily caught in the clothing, armor, or body of the target, but may be carried as a standard. 453 For the Orlanthi, their concept of honor requires that their word is their bond and that they demand respect. The Six Virtues of Orlanth are Honor, Justice, Generosity, Piety, Courage, and Wisdom. Orlanth respects anyone showing these, even a foe.

152

RALIOS treasure. Alternatively, they may seek to become a mercenary, either in a local warband, or to seek employment in the Safelstran mercenary regiments, or, in the past, further afield in the service of a Trader Prince as caravan guards on the Manirian Road. Those who return with weapons and wealth after a successful career in the south will be sought after as recruits to an elite and often royal warbands. Many members of the Companions of the Lightning have followed this path. Poorer thanes fight as infantry, in the front rank of a shield-wall, with their Shieldthane fighting on their left, their Swordthane to their right, and the Spearthane in the rank behind them. They wear a scale hauberk or a bronze breastplate, worn with a wide war belt with bronze belt hangings and a leather battle apron. The fyrd militia consists of non-professional fighters, all those eligible to fight in a clan or tribe. All able-bodied free men (and sometimes women) are required to show up for muster and basic training for the defense of their community. Most wear basic padded wool, or leather knee-length tunics decorated with bronze studs. Their basic arms are a bronze-tipped spear, bronze axe and a shield (though some have distinct preferred weapons), and a hard leather helmet or fox-skin cap, to which the wealthy might add a leaf-bladed or broadbladed straight bronze sword, and a bronze helmet and armor. Bows, javelins, and slings are common missile weapons. Shields are round or oval, made of pine planks reinforced with a central wooden spine and circular bronze boss, usually styled as the crude grinning face of a deity. The leather or wood of the shield face may also be left blank, or be painted with a design favored by its owner. Bronze strips, sometimes styled as wild beasts, may be nailed to the face of the shield to further reinforce it. The shields of the Companions of the Lightning feature some variant of forked lightning bolts and the spiral Air Rune g; those of members of the Chariot of Lightning sect are likely to have an All-Seeing Eye set within the center of an Air Rune or an Air Rune within a triangular Law Rune. A Shield-wall is a ‘wall of shields,’ a formation of locked shields and projecting spears and other weapons, formed by fighters standing shoulder to shoulder, holding their shields so that they abut or overlap. Each benefit from the protection of their neighbors’ shields as well as their own. It emphasizes protection and endurance over offense and individual skill. This suits inexperienced militias as it does not require extraordinary skill, being essentially a shoving and fencing match with weapons. Almost all tribal militias and fyrds use the shield-wall tactic. Most ranks of a shield-wall will be armed with spears; the long spears of the second rank protrude

forward to protect the front rank, who are mostly sword-and-shield fighters who prevent foes attempting to get in under the spears, with their shields providing some protection to the spearmen from javelins and sling bullets. Ranks behind the first two stand ready to replace any who fall or are wounded. Training a fyrd to fight in a shield-wall is a question of basic drill and then hoping the fighters remember it and have the courage to stand in it. They are taught to fight in line, column, and sometimes a Boar’s Head wedge. The first three ranks of the main wall of a tribal militia are often made up of weaponthanes and housecarls and their retinues, carrying heavier weapons and armor. These ranks are those having an ability to strike at the enemy; long-hafted axes in the second rank and spears in the second and third ranks might attack through the confined gaps between the fighters in the front rank. Often the least well-armed and armored, and most timid fighters are to be found in the rear ranks of a tribal or clan shield-wall. If the rear is attacked these fighters are rarely successful at turning and forming a shield-wall to face the new threat. If a shield-wall is flanked and cannot form a shield-fort it will dissolve into a rout. A tribal shield-wall battle array typically is split into a vanguard, center, and wings, with the warriors fighting in close formation under their own clan warleaders. Skirmishers will fight in front of the main formation, before retiring to the flanks and rear. The Orlanthi of Vesmonstran wear long-sleeved tunics and tight trousers of wool, flax, hemp, leather, or linen for the wealthy. The poorest wear clothes in their natural colors; the better off wear dyed and decorated clothes, and furs or feathers. Borders featuring repeating spiral or equine patterns are popular, either stitched, embroidered or dyed. Long cloaks of heavy wool, leather, or fur are worn in wet and cold weather, secured with thong ties or clasps. Boots of deer or fawnskin, laced at the front, cover the feet and lower leg. The clothing of the Companions of the Lightning display zigzag patterns mixed with the Runes of Orlanth highlighted with gold or silver thread. A few clans of both Lankst and Otkorion own a number of warships, usually triaconters or smaller, with twenty or thirty oarsmen, rowed on the Upper Tanier River, which can operate as far north as Tarvel. Most of these are either purchased from Safelstran shipwrights or are local imitations. These are mostly used for patrolling and exacting tolls from merchant barges.

The Hill Tribes The numerous independent tribes of the Vesmonstran hills are only loosely united. They are regarded as warlike, ferocious, and brave, but as mercenaries ill-

153

MEN OF THE WEST disciplined and sometimes unreliable, with a weakness for loot. Even so, they are greatly desired by the various Safelstran city-states, serving as skirmishers. Their cavalry is rarely numerous and consists primarily of armored nobles, who are famed for their wild charges. They wear bronze helmets and greaves, and a cuirass fashioned of square bronze plates or boiled leather. The other fighters form up for battle in a shieldwall. Their armor is leather, with deerskin cloaks, and spears are the most common weapon. Shield decoration is often a pattern made by bronze studs. The sheep-herding bandit clans of Lalia are known for their vicious blood feuds and their fierce mercenaries. The women who wear long wicked triangular daggers are particularly feared. The men are famed as slingers; the herdsmen become proficient in their use protecting their flocks and herds from raiders and predators, and in hunting small game. Some enroll as mercenaries as a husband and wife pair, the man using his sling to rain down bullets of stone, dried or fired clay, or lead (these having an increased range), whilst the woman is ready to fight with her long battle-dagger and shield them both with her large leather covered wicker shield. It is their custom that their long hair can only be cut after they have slain their first enemy.

curtain walls are laid with a slight slant towards the interior to increase stability, bedded down on deep foundations. The core is filled with river stone mixed with clay and earth, which may be reinforced with a grill of wooden beams nailed together with long bronze nails. Some walls display different masonry styles denoting that they were built over a long time, gradually being made taller (and thicker, though unless the new thickness is carefully integrated with the existing wall it will not contribute as much as might be expected to its strength). Often the lower courses are cruder than those above dating perhaps to the First or Second Age, with the higher blocks more finely fitted and joined together. Gateways are built to create kill boxes if an enemy succeeds in breaching the outer gates, with towers erected beside the entrance to provide a vantage over the approach and space between the gates. A removable wooden bridge may be placed over a ditch fronting an entrance. Some emulate the decorated walls of the Safelstran cities, boasting painted plaster, though in their own distinctive style. The Earth Rune gates are surmounted by a triangular stone forming a corbelled arch, featuring the figures of gods or heroes. Projecting bastions are built at the corners to overlook as much ground as possible. Larger settlements have towers at the gates and spaced along the wall. The White Tower of Tarvel is the most impressive. The walls are commonly faced with ramparts and ditches. Brambles and thorny bushes are allowed to grow in the ditches to hinder an enemy, but have to be uprooted every generation or so to excavate the ditch again. A royal citadel frequently lies within the city, preferably set upon a natural rocky outcrop. Smaller settlements rely upon earthen ramparts, banks, ditches, and palisades of sharpened logs, which may be buttressed and strengthened. The palisades can be three or four meters high in areas where the Telmori are a threat to deter them leaping over when in wolf form. Sharpened stakes may form lines behind the palisade to impale any that do succeed in getting over the outer defenses.

Fortifications Towns and the few cities boast walls constructed of stone, soil, brick and timber, triangular in cross-section and supported by interior buttresses. The exterior walls are vertical (though may be backed by interior bastions and stairways) but the courses of the outer face of the

Telmoria A huge but widely dispersed nation of the Telmori Wolf People lives in the forested wastes of northern Ralios where their ancestors fled after Arkat stormed and sacked the City of Wolves in 428 ST. They now live much as their ancient ancestors did before the Dawn, running and hunting in packs, and a threat to their neighbors, taking livestock and raiding settlements. They have lost much of the culture and crafts they had before Arkat scattered them, and no longer live in settlements of any size.

154

RALIOS Many use only basic tools and weapons of stone and wood, flint-tipped javelins, the heads glued with sticky sap or stripes of hide, which they can discard when transforming into wolves. Their primitive atlatl are simply made of hollowed branches. Their clothing consists of uncured hide, often discarded when hunting lest its smell warn their prey of their presence.

against or are the victims of raids by the trolls of Halikiv.

The Orlanthi of the East Wilds Delela is the most organized area, a kingdom consisting of a confederacy of a dozen tribes under the erratic guidance of the Voshfrei dynasty. More wealthy than their neighboring clans, their capital Kilwin is surrounded by well-built stone walls constructed by enterprising Safelstran engineers over two centuries ago. Other clans prefer to build their hill-forts and fortified villages on sheer and almost inaccessible sites, where there are springs and other water sources. Its tribal warriors carry bronze tipped spears with a hollow butt-rattle shaken to frighten foes, and bronze swords, slings, bronze or cuir boilli helmets, and large archaic lemniscate shields of layers of cowhide stretched and glued and stitched onto a wicker and wooden frame. These bilobate ‘figure-of-eight’ tower shields mitigate, to a degree, their lack of good body armor. Slings are the cheapest weapon, easy to make. Shepherds and other herders guarding their animals have ample time to practice and become proficient until its use becomes instinctive. Two types are used: a longer sling with a greater range, and a shorter sling which permits greater accuracy. Most slingers carry at least one of each type, choosing the one to use according to circumstance. Slingers deploy in a more dispersed line than other skirmishers to avoid them fouling each other’s slings. Wearing a boar’s tusk helmet including the large

East Wilds The East Wilds includes all the rough terrain of eastern Ralios. Naskorion is sometimes accounted as being a gateway to the East Wilds, as it dominates one of the trade routes, has the fealty of the small tributary queendom of Tara, and has acquired parts of southern Delela and northern Syran. The inhabitants are Orlanthi (descendants of the Vustri and the Heortling settlers who came here in the First Age), Hsunchen (including the Damali, Pralori, Falani, and Alekki), an isolated Sun Dome temple, trolls in desolate Halikiv, elves in an ancient Aldryami enchanted forest, and small immigrant bands of bestial Tusk Riders. The region has ancient ties to Dragon Pass dating back to the First Age when it was settled by Theyalans who brought their culture and their gods. These people were among the first to embrace Harmast when he returned from his Lightbringers’ Quest and they liberated themselves during the Lightning Revolts against the Bright Empire. Many Orlanthi of the East Wilds fought in the Army of Orlanth or later joined the army of Harmast and Talor the Laughing Warrior. In the Second Age, the East Wilds was part of the Kingdom of Orlanthland established between 580 and 587 ST. The Nardain Society of long-range fliers kept the Orlanthi of the East Wilds in contact with Dragon Pass. Two centuries later, the East Wilds were integrated into the Empire of Wyrms Friends and the old Sun Dome Temple that had been destroyed by Arkat was refounded. Between 880 and 940 ST the region was part of Alakoring’s Old Ways Traditionalist confederation. In the Dragonkill, they were almost isolated from other Orlanthi, with only limited contact with those of Vesmonstran. The Orlanthi of the East Wilds are powerfully built men and women, dark-complexioned, red- or brownhaired, with their hair worn long or short, sometimes gathered up into a topknot or pigtail, which signifies a warrior. Their helmets are often tall, to accommodate the topknot. Disputed Corolaland lies between Halikiv and the Orlanthi of the East Wilds, claimed by both, but ruled by neither. Retter the Stalker, a Hero of the Fourteenth Century, is worshipped as a troll-fighting Hero by the Orlanthi of the East Wilds. They often initiate raids

155

MEN OF THE WEST teeth from a Tusk Rider’s tusker denotes a great and brave hunter-warrior. They may also wear a boars’ tusk pectoral to protect their chest and to display their prowess. The wealthiest own bronze scale-clad hauberks and helmets sometimes decorated with embossed patterns of short curly hair. Most wear a wool kilt and cloak, the wool dyed before weaving, and then woven in checks, lozenges, zigzags and plaids, or simple hide clothing. The poorest wear a sheep- or deerskin wrapped around the waist. Cloaks of different lengths are worn in summer and winter; a summer cloak is wrapped around the neck or draped over a shoulder; the longer thicker winter cloak is worn over both shoulders, wrapped around the body Many go barefoot, save in winter when long boots of fawn skin are worn, laced at the front. They favor long flowing mustaches. The tribesmen and some women leave their upper torsos bare in warmer weather to proudly display their clan tattoos, made using the sap of local plants, and body paint, using various clays, with a blue clay being popular. Designs are often specific to a clan taking the form of birds, beasts454, snakes or fish, and are also used on the symbol-stones used to mark or claim a clan’s territory. Women also favor tattoos, often with dots, stripes and squares on their faces and arms. For both sexes, rich and brightly colored designs are a sign of high status. Some warriors revere particular beasts and will proudly display them on their body; predatory beasts are popular for their fierceness and strength; bulls for their vigor; deer for their fleetness and grace; goats for their surefootedness, snakes for their stealth and swift strikes. Wolves are never so used because even at this distance from their core territory, the Telmori are reviled; boar designs are less common than they were due to the presence of the hated Tusk Riders. Hunting and cattle and sheep-rustling are popular pastimes, and often a warrior is not considered an adult until they have participated in a raid. Skilled hunters proudly wear bearskin or lionskin cloaks as displaying their proficiency, worship their own hunting gods455, and keep packs of hunting dogs. The tribes of the Saug confederation are broadly similar to those of Delela, and are renowned for their hospitality to strangers. Guest gifts of bronze daggers or spearheads are particularly appreciated. The ruling clan of the Sandrya tribe of Basim use the lion as their beast displayed as tattoos and symbolstones, and include the Lion God Basmol among their Orlanthi gods. 454

The upland Orlanthi clan warriors are armed with spear, sword, shield, a helmet, and some body armor, at most hide or boiled leather. These clans are poor456; stone spear- and arrowheads of flint or obsidian are more common than bronze. They live in a society of hunter-warriors and herders with a very thin line between hunting and fighting. Spears are used in hunting and the defense of livestock. Both genders can be accomplished hunters; most fighters are male, but women can join warbands by enacting a ritual and wearing the same azurite body paint patterns worn by men. Bows are made of wood reinforced with deer horn and sinew (though not true composite bows), and slings are made of twisted animal hair, the bullets are of polished obsidian, smoothed limestone, unfired clay or stream bed pebbles. The clansmen and women would be astonished and envious of the array of wealth displayed by an ordinary fyrd of Dragon Pass. Swords are often in the form of klanths, inferior to those wielded by dragonewts, with a wooden haft and grip wound with leather, with sharp flint or obsidian blades embedded in the haft. Wooden clubs and cudgels are also common, being cheap and easy to make, used in war and hunting to kill hares. Straight and curved clubs are used, thicker at the end than the handle. Bronze swords are the mark of a great chief or champion, gained through trade, plunder, or by service as a mercenary in the lowlands, where they are likely to be recruited, at least, initially, as skirmishers. These swords are heirlooms, often named, with an oral history of those who have carried them and the great deeds they performed. The loss of an ancestor’s sword as booty in a duel or battle brings great shame, and the clan will exert every effort in its recovery. Like their richer Delelan neighbors, they use lemniscate tower shields, often with the face left as haired deer or moose hide, though rectangular stretched bark shields are not uncommon, and they wear kilts or trousers, and cloaks; their short wool tunics are rarely dyed being of woven brown or offwhite wool, and their cloaks are made of deer or sheepskin, which provides some protection from the weather and in war. Common motifs on their shields are snakes, and horse-heads and prancing ponies, reminders of their partial descent from the ancient Vustri. Bull-head designs are favored by the clans of the Keanos tribe. Bronze armor is also a sign of great prestige and wealth. Its wearer will be the subject of frequent challenges and duels. In battle, they form a shield-wall fronted with their

Horse tattoos are usually only displayed by initiates and priests of Mastakos.

455

Found Child and Brother Dog are popular. Neither Yinkin or Odayla are important gods in Ralios. Yinkin is too tied to the land about Kero Fin and has no connections to Mount Visku; Odayla is too attached to the hills and forests of Sylila. Both have small cults in Ralios. 456 Hunter and herder clans are generally poorer than farming clans.

156

RALIOS large figure-of-eight shields, with the spears of the front rank either pointed through the gaps between the shields or held overhand to stab downwards. Those in the next rank will throw javelins, and slingers on the flanks will run backwards and forwards to unleash their missiles. Champions will emerge from their line, riding in a chariot, bellowing insults and challenges, and bragging of their ancestry and prowess across the battle-lines. Often the clash of champions decides the outcome, with the losing side departing in shame, vowing vengeance. If the lines clash and the opposing side breaks then the victorious clan will pursue them, eager to take prisoners and booty. Enemy leaders may be ritually beheaded, and their preserved heads kept as prized trophies. Other prisoners may be ransomed or enslaved, sold to traders from Safelster. Slaves are often purchased for an amphora of Safelstran or Seshnelan wine of poor to middling quality. Head-hunting is still a custom of the east Ralian Orlanthi457. The head, preferably suspended by its topknot or pigtail is used to decorate the chariot rails of champions and warleaders. When not on display a head may be preserved in cedar-oil. Organization is familial and clan orientated. A clan will choose its own war leader who selects their warband. Everyone brings their own weapons. Horse warriors are rare, as the Galana ponies of the East Wilds are smaller than their cousins elsewhere, adapted to the rugged terrain and poorer fodder, but share much the same attributes: small ears, a fine muzzle, a flat nose, long neck and small hooves, suited to the rough and stony ground, and capable of being harnessed to the light chariots ridden by chiefs and champions. The design of the chariots reflects those ridden by the old Enerali, though the car is slimmer, and the ponies smaller than those used in ancient times on the grassy lowland plains. These chariots have a narrow car drawn by two feisty ponies; the warrior stands behind the driver, throwing javelins, and debarking to fight on foot. The wheels are the most substantial components of a chariot, carefully made of steam-bent wood, with rawhide tires bound to the wheel. Even so, the wheels last only a short time in the challenging terrain of the East Wilds, and it is not unusual for the car and wheels to be carried by slaves and only be put together close to a battlefield. The car is of such light construction that it can be carried on the shoulders of two men. Other slaves accompanying a clan warband will carry the spare wheels along with other supplies.

All the clan chiefs have young men or women of good breeding (many of whom claim descent from the ancient Vustri) as their charioteers, who are required to practice daily. They attain such proficiency that they can control their horses and vehicle even when descending steep slopes, and on the flat can turn in an instant. Charioteers show off by running out on the chariot pole to stand on the yoke, balancing on the shoulders of their ponies, and then swiftly retiring to the chariot car. A skilled charioteer is widely admired, and all are exempt from combat or capture, though of course they may be struck accidentally by missiles. To denote their status in war, they wear no armor save for a horse-headed helmet of carved hardwood or shaped leather, and are often clad only in a leather harness and blue woad or clay from head to foot, marking them as sacred to Mastakos the Mover, the Chariot God458. At all times, they wear their long hair in a distinctive single braid; most are tattooed with dragonflies or winged rams, and Mobility Runes. Orlanth’s charioteer Mastakos and the Horse Goddess Galana are revered by the brave and highly skilled charioteers of the East Wilds. Chariots are driven at the enemy battle-line, their warriors hurling javelins, the wheels making a roaring sound, said to be sufficient to throw their opponents’ ranks into disorder. Whilst several clans on the lower Doskior River own small warships of Safelstran design, upriver, boats are smaller, with a leather hull and a wooden or wicker frame. The Doskior is navigable by river rafts and large boats upriver to Istakax in Delela. Most of its tributaries flowing from the south are navigable by poled rafts for half their distance to the Mislari Mountains, while those from the north are generally unnavigable. The upper reaches of these rivers often flow through deep gorges, cut into the land when they flowed into the ancient Slarelos Sea, one of the children of the Hudaro Sea in the Early Storm Age.

The Sun Dome Temple of Karia The lone and lonely Sun Dome Temple on the Karian border was refounded in the Second Age around 800 ST (the First Age temple was destroyed by Arkat) to secure the east of Ralios for the EWF, somehow surviving the assaults of Alakoring, and the eventual fall of the empire. Known as the Sun Dome of the Karia March, the temple complex is surrounded by impressive walls of large monolithic white limestone blocks constructed in

457

The custom was once also found among the Korioni. It is possible that the custom was introduced to the Heortlings of Dragon Pass by the followers of Alakoring during the turbulent 10th and 11th centuries. Any connection with the head-taking cult of Than is unlikely as whilst evil, that cult has never had many adherents, though its presence in lowland Ralios is well documented. 458 Some initiates and all priests of Mastakos have performed the rites to meld their form into that of Galana ponies; it is a great honor to be hitched to a chariot-shrine of Mastakos or Orlanth to pull it around the congregation during ceremonies. Those capable of such a transformation display running horse tattoos.

157

MEN OF THE WEST the style of the EWF which still shine brightly in sunlight. The temple fields phalangite phalanxes of peasant-farmers, wearing linen or cuir boilli armor, leather or bronze helmets, and armed with bronzeheaded pikes, bowmen on the flanks, and bands of horse archers riding sure-footed Galana ponies. The foot archers mostly use self-bows, with their arrows having shaped stone heads; horse archers employ smaller but more powerful composite bows 459, their arrow heads having a bronze tri-lobed pyramidal tip with a long tang, capable of creating severe wounds and punching through armor. The more prosperous officers may wear bronze helmets, cuirasses and greaves; the richest may decorate their armor with golden phalerae, ornamented metal sun disks. The helmets may be decorated with embossed griffins or hawks to either side, their wings spread wide. Even ordinary phalangites may own helmets styled like a hawk’s head. Their tunics are dyed yellow-brown (the dye is derived from onions which the farmers grow) or yellow for officers (more expensively derived from dried saffron pistils, the dye is purchased from Safelstran traders) and their shields are decorated with Sun Runes, the All-Seeing Eye of the Sun, hawks, and circular serpentine Solar dragons biting their own tail. Isolated from Saird and Dragon Pass, the temple was untouched by the events of the Dragonkill; its rites are rumored to still preserve some aspects of the Draconic Sun. The temple may include a hidden shrine of the Sun Dragon460, and is suspected by outsiders to have dubious dealings with the wild dragonewts of Ormsland. Galana the Sun Horse also has a shrine, and some of the ways of this temple and its society now diverge significantly from those over the mountains. The god also retains the Second Age name of Tharkantus, though the modern name Yelmalio is now also used. Only the senior priests know that First Age relics of Daysenerus461 (hidden in the deepest vaults to preserve them from Arkat) were used to bless their temple when it was built, and some of these still exist in the most sacred inner sanctum. A small tribe of Yelorna-worshiping, unicorn- and horse-riding women live in the semi-arid pine forests, and is associated with the temple. Most own stone weapons, a few have bronze swords, their arrows have flaked flint heads, and they wear supple leather armor. many sport eight-pointed star tattoos on their cheeks or

foreheads and bear tattoos of Solar Beasts. Their leaders claim to be of the sacred lineage of Queen Nusa of the Vustri, even though she favored Erulat over Ehilm, and their high priestess carries her archaic deeply sacred cold-hammered silver-bladed double-headed axe. They had survived in the wilds462 with the aid of the elves since Arkat destroyed their cult at Hrelar Amali in the First Age, and were subsequently hunted and persecuted by his Dark Empire for centuries, until its fall. The few surviving worshippers of the Star Daughter rejoiced when the temple of their goddess’ half-brother, the Bright God, also an elffriend, was rebuilt in the hills. Unicorns are found in the greatest numbers in northern Ralios, in the forests nestled up against the Western Rockwood Mountains. Others are also found in the southern forests on the flanks of the Mislari Mountains. At times, if they can find no unicorn companion in the north, bands of these women may make a pilgrimage south. Since the fall of the Autarchy the number of Yelornans has gradually increased, recruiting from the villages of the Sun Dome temple, from worshippers of Galana in the south, and from further afield463. Their rites and rituals preserve in part those of the Light in Darkness as celebrated at Hrelar Amali before its final destruction by Arkat. They still detest and curse his name. When the Chaos horde erupts into Karia from Dorastor, these insular groups must urgently seek allies or risk being overwhelmed. I

459

The manufacture of composite bows is a closely guarded secret of the Sun Dome temple, retained from when their ancestors fought for the EWF against the Pentans. 460 The Sun Dragon was one of the deities worshipped during the EWF period, who had powers against the lowland Solar gods of Dara Happa; its representative sat upon the throne of Dara Happa as Emperor 878-910 ST. 461 Daysenerus as a mystical avatar of the Cold Sun was lost when Nysalor was slain, but some relics may retain his powers. 462

One source claims the cult was re-established by the unicorns, who recruited their riders from the small villages in Karia.

463

Unicorn riders must be celibate; some choose to retire, and to bear children fathered in the orgiastic rites of Galana. Boys are given up after being weaned to the Templars as sacred Children of the Sun, whilst daughters are reared to become Unicorn Women.

158

WESTERN SLONTOS

Western Slontos The lands of western Slontos lie between the Tarin Mountains and Pralorela in the north bordered by Tarinwood, and the shores of the Solkathi Sea in the south fringed by archipelagos and marshes, the remnants of lands drowned at the end of the Second Age.

Exchange is the First Principle, but most worship Issaries as the God of Trade and the divine patron of the Trader Princes. There are shrines to Goldentongue all along the Manirian Road. The Trader Princes had little contact with the Rokari until after the Opening (except during the brief periods when Seshnela ruled parts of Safelster), and are at least as heavily influenced by Esrolia and the Holy Country as they are by Ralios.

Climate and War The climate of Slontos is washed by the cool waters of the Solkathi Sea, a gentle current which stems from the Banthe Sea and washes from west to east. Mild weather and frequent rains would make this one of the more pleasant places in Genertela to live.

The History of Western Slontos In the early First Age this region was sparsely inhabited by humans other than by wandering Hsunchen in the dense woods, with the Pralori dominating the other peoples until they were liberated from their oppression in 115 ST by Lalmor of the Vathmai, a Theyalan tribe, who came from the east. It was only then that the knowledge of the Lightbringers was introduced to the cultures of the region. Malkioni from the Silver Empire likely came to Ramalia circa 145 ST in the entourage of Veakmal and his sorceress wife. By 200 ST, the western lands were ruled by the Kingdom of Herolal until it was torn apart by a civil war. Around 401 ST, the Bright Empire conquered parts of Slontos, and another campaign, led by Palangio, seized Herlalia. His army departed in 410 ST to fight Arkat in Ralios and many natives rebelled, until Palangio returned three years later. Arkat’s army, carried on Waertagi ships landed in Slontos and defeated Palangio’s forces in 432 ST. Arkat’s cleansing scourge went far and wide. Some Pralori, who were among the refugees of Kaxtorplose, agreed to help convert their people away from the evil god. They were aided by the remnants of the coastal population in this whose main gods were the Lightbringers, and had refused all contact with the gods of Light and of Chaos, and also the religion of Malkion in its Brithini and Seshnegi form. After Arkat left for Dragon Pass, Slontos degenerated into a number of small warring city-states and kingdoms. In the Second Age, Slontos was troubled by the fierce Loper People, and the city-states allied with the Middle Sea Empire in 758 ST. The land had few ports but a wealthy interior, and was a source of goods valued by the empire. The empire colonized the coastline and eventually took over much of the interior. Emperor Svagad incorporated Slontos into the Middle Sea Empire as the Archduchy of Slontos, with its eastern borders

Terrain and Mobility The terrain ranges from the forested hills of the Tarinwood to the extensive swamps of the coast and frequently flooded lowlands of the Noshain River. Several rivers drain the waters from the mountains and hill lands. In the west, the elf-ruled Tarinwood reaches south to the coastal marshes. Much of the ridges and hills between the rivers are forested. A major trade route runs from Ralios, through Pralorela, and eastward along the Manirian Road. Travel along the Road is supported by a chain of supply depots, many little more than small forts, markets and caravanserai, and small towns and cities. Every city along the Manirian Road has its temple-market to Issaries. Whilst some of the magical roads across Maniria still exist, many were broken by the disaster at the end of the Second Age.

Religion Pralorela is inhabited by the elk-riding Pralori people who keep to their ancient ways, worshipping Pralor the Elk God. To the south, Ramalia is dominated by an oppressive Malkioni sect; the oppressed peasantry worship Mralot, the Boar God, and a vicious demon of vengeance. To the east, the Manirian Road runs between Highwater where the Pralorelan Toll is collected and distant Staton. The Malkionism of the Trader Princes derives from Ralios, specifically eastern Safelster. They practice a henotheist variety that worships the Invisible God alongside the Orlanthi gods, including Issaries Goldentongue. Some philosophers posit that Equal

159

MEN OF THE WEST becoming a front in the long-running conflict with the Empire of the Wyrms Friends. It was divided into three provinces: Ramalia in the west, Maniria in the center, and the eastern peninsula of Wenelia. Ramalia had previously been comprised of the petty kingdoms of Sish464, Soster, Wesluk, and the island city of Veakmel. There was only one deep-water port on the mainland, the city of Annor, long contested between Sish and Soster. The northern areas were never fully assimilated, but were inhabited by a number of tribes, who served the Middle Sea Empire or the Empire of the Wyrms Friends, as the fortunes of their conflict dictated, and as the influence of the rival powers waxed and waned. Their lands were often battlegrounds and suffered accordingly. As the rule of the empire was afflicted by magical disasters, in 1050 ST the Land Goddess Slonta rolled over and the lowlands were drowned by the sea 465. With the seas Closed, trade between the west and central Genertela ended until adventurers from Ralios created the land trade route, the Manirian Road, just over four centuries ago. They became known as the Trader Princes for their wealth.

Mournsea, tin he south by the Soft Hills and Tarnin’s Forest, and the in west by Tarnin’s Forest. The Pralori live with their elk herds and their society follows that of their animals, having a herd structure and a large territory, with their young men living in bachelor herds or seeking employment abroad as mercenaries, until they can gain entry into an existing herd, or capture enough women to start their own. They live in small bands following the herds of elk from hill to lowland each year. They worship Pralor and Foundchild the Hunter God, and trust their shamans to keep them safe. They only eat elk meat in sacred rites, but use their beasts as mounts and drink their milk. If the herds are threatened they gather into a large tribe. Most predators in their territories, primarily lions and wolves, are relentlessly hunted down and killed. Under their armor, they wear tunics and trousers of leather or cloth obtained as tribute from merchants, and leather moccasins. Their dun-colored cloaks are made of elk-hide. The Pralori shave the front of their scalp and wear their hair in a top knot.

Ramalia The original populace, a Hsunchen Boar-folk, was overwhelmed by refugees fleeing from the sinking lands of Slontos who founded a new kingdom, a degenerate and brutal remnant of the Middle Sea Empire. The region was untouched by the disasters, and the refugees initially formed many small kingdoms, and their kings beggared themselves each year with expensive sacrifices to the terrifying ocean in the hope that they would be spared their ancestors’ fate. The elites

Alatan The wooded island of Alatan lies off the coast of Ramalia. Briefly a powerful pirate kingdom after the Opening, it is now the home of numerous small pirate communities, banded together in the so-called Kingdom of Smelch. The design of the larger pirate vessels are close copies of Kethaelan triremes, though the smaller piratical villages find it easier to build and crew short range sea-going penteconters to prey on passing merchant ships.

Pralorela The warlike Pralori have grown wealthy as mercenaries in the Third Age, wearing bronze armor, often banded, including decorated greaves, taken as plunder or as payment. Successful mercenaries use a bronze-tipped two-handed spear (3 to 5 meters long, not unlike a kontos), and carry bronze swords or long-hafted bronze axes suitable for use one-handed from elk-back. They work no metals themselves; if lacking bronze tools and weapons they fashion them instead from stone, bone, and wood. Their region is drained by the Noshain River and its tributaries. It is bounded in the north by the Elk Hills, in the east by the land of Wenelia and the 464

Unrelated to the ancient site of the same name in Fronela.

465

There are suggestions that this was caused when the wizards serving the Archduke of Slontos succeeded in overcoming the wards and guardians and unwisely opened the dreaded Book of Secrets, augmenting the destruction caused when the Luatha drove a huge adamant pillar deep into the ground.

160

WESTERN SLONTOS now live off the labor of their serfs, including the precious gems mined from the extensive crystal fields. The rulers are served by cruel sorcerers, who often Tap the serfs to keep them submissive and dull witted, and to power their spells. In Ramalia, the ancient religion of Hrestol and Malkion has become a tool of an oppressive regime which exploits its Mralot and Zorak Zoranworshipping466 peasantry under its greedy and sadistic rule. The Mraloti have probably known of the Darkness and Death god (whose troll ancestry is denied in favor of a human form) since at least the First Age. The soldiers serving the nobility are armed with swords, vicious long-hafted two-handed axes, and selfbows. They typically wear bronze helmets and bronze or cuir boilli scale armor. Their armor (and their shields, if they have them) may display the flaming sword symbol of the Middle Sea Empire. Some of them fight as cavalry, but few if any are equipped as Western cataphracti. The people of Ramalia still fear the sea, for the catastrophe at the close of the Second Age, and avoid the coastlands to the south and east, and the dreary New Fenlands to the north. Their enclave is almost entirely surrounded by sea and marsh, save for the corridor of Valekos connecting them to the thick and forbidding elven forests of Tarinwood. They build no ships, despite their extensive coastline, and few pirates strike far enough inland to raid their settlements. The impoverished villages of the serfs offer few pickings, save potential slaves, and the elite live within heavily fortified enclaves. Though a raid on the rich gem fields might offer

plunder, those unearthed are stored daily within the citadels of the nobility.

The Trader Princes The Trader Princes of the Manirian Road maintain small units of heavy cavalry, recruited from the elite of the neighboring Orlanthi clans, mercenaries from Safelster and beyond, or from the Pralori Elk People. Whilst many of their soldiers fight in their traditional ways, the Trader Princes introduced various military innovations, from Safelster such as crossbows and Western-style arms and armor, including cataphracti. The Trader Princes themselves are the descendants of adventurers from Ralios four centuries ago who sought a trade route to the east after the Closing ended all sea trade. The greatest of them was Castelain the Traveler. The culture of the Trader Princes is now a mixture of the Malkioni henotheists of Ralios and that of their subjects. The sect of Asharanism was founded by Castelain the Traveler in the 12th century, said to have been inspired by Ashara, the Voice of the Invisible God, to travel across the ruined lands of Maniria. One of several Recovery Sects that emerged out of the ruins of the Middle Sea Empire, Asharanism permits sacrifices to the local Orlanthi gods and spirits who are said to be emanations or masks of the Invisible God. The Trader Princes serve as a hereditary nobility of merchants, judges, and priests, and rule with the collaboration of the local chieftains. They remain henotheists, worshipping the Invisible God and other deities. The merchant god Issaries is especially important. Their troops are likely to be armed and armored in their native styles with the addition of Westerninfluenced equipment, especially crossbows. They tend to rely upon wizards taught in Safelster (or even Seshnela) for the more impressive feats of wizardry. Before the Opening of the Seas in 1580 ST they benefited from the wealth flowing along the Manirian Road in both directions, and so were likely to have equipment of better quality. Since the predations of the Wolf Pirates began, the overland trade has grown again, though not back up to the level enjoyed during the Closing. The Trader Princes themselves adopt the clothing styles of their neighbors, though more ornate and worn with lots of jewelry, favoring the styles of Safelster and Esrolia. Caravans travelling along the Road employ their own guards, usually recruited at the start of their journey, either in eastern Maniria at the trade center of Staton or in Safelster, especially at the city of Drom. I

466

Zorak Zoran was a widely-worshipped deity at the Dawning, having been embraced by many savage peoples during the terrors of the Great Darkness.

161

MEN OF THE WEST

Appendices Historical Maps These maps offer the approximate positions of places and peoples. Not all were conterminous.

At the Dawn This map shows the locations of the surviving Malkioni coastal settlements and the various Hsunchen and other groups that resisted their expansion at or within a century of the Dawn. The tribal names give a very approximate location of their territories, and concentrates upon groups mentioned in the text. Many other Hsunchen shared their territories. According to the texts of the Seshnegi the south was dominated by an extensive Basmoli Empire, but this was simply a network of tribal peoples. The elven Greatwood and many other lesser forests dominated the interior of the continent, with the lowlands mostly covered by grasslands.

The First Age The coastal Malkioni settlements continued their expansion into the interior, with native political, military, and magical groups rising to resist their encroachment. Theyalan missionaries and colonists are also

162

APPENDICES entering the western lands from the east, first from Dragon Pass and then from Dorastor, with the Bright Empire of Nysalor spreading its light (and shadow). An expedition from Brithos sails to the faithful colony Arolanit to defend it, and war erupts across the continent. One of the Brithini, Arkat, will lead a crusade into Ralios, and then east into Dragon Pass, on a crusade that will end at the City of Miracles in Dorastor. Atop the Tower of Dreams, Nysalor and Arkat wage their final battle and only one of them emerges alive. Arkat’s campaign leaves a trail of devastation across the continent.

The Second Age Two great imperial powers arise, one founded by Seshnelan exiles in the southern island-continent of Jrustela, which will grow to become the worldspanning Middle Sea Empire, and the mysterious Empire of the Wyrms Friends based in draconic mysticism. The Middle Sea Empire grows to dominate the mortal Middle World, save for the EWF, Peloria, and Pent. Arkat’s Autarchy is conquered by the Middle Sea Empire, which plunders its secrets to further its imperial and magical ambitions. Both empires end in disaster. The coasts of Seshnela, Slontos and northwestern Fronela are devastated as lands sink and cities are drowned. The heart of the EWF is depopulated as the dragons turn on the humans who would learn and misuse their secrets and devour them.

The Third Age In the south, the survivors of Seshnela lapse into centuries of turmoil and conflict until one dynasty becomes dominant. In the north, Fronela is dismembered by the

163

MEN OF THE WEST Syndics Ban, which permits Loskalm to strive for a utopian society, whilst other groups either prosper or die. The cities and tribes of Ralios lost all unity with the fall of Arkat’s Autarchy, and are now threatened by the imperial ambitions of the resurgent Kingdom of Seshnela. As the Ban lifts in Fronela empty cities, thriving peoples, and the terrifying Kingdom of War are revealed. Loskalm is confronted by its own dark shadow. To the east, the Lunar Empire centered on the Oslir River in Peloria extends eastwards into Fronela and south into Dragon Pass and Prax. Although the focus of the Hero Wars lies in Dragon Pass to the east, the lands of the west will also be the scene of titanic conflicts.

The Nine Great Gods Utiam Zrenthus

The Powers Enerali Title Name

Gata Humat/ Humath

Goddess of Earth Storm God, Son of Gata and Zrenthus

Lodik Nakala Sramak Tilnta

Master of Fire Goddess of Darkness Lord of Waters Goddess of Love and Fertility

God of Death God of Vengeance

Tilnta

Goddess of Love and Fertility, Mother of Hykim and Mata God of War, Brother of Uele Oline

Theyalan Name Humakt? Zorak Zoran? Uleria Kargan Tor

Some deities were classified as Elementals, each served by a race.

Theyalan and Western cultures are laid over a foundation of ancient native cultures in Ralios, sometimes sufficiently to conceal this, sometimes as a thin veneer. Even though Theyalan missionaries were able to identify the deities and tell their worshippers secrets they did not know, the old names and cults have often endured. When the Seshnegi came into conflict with the natives of the interior they too often used these names. The ancient Enerali culture of the First Age was not unsophisticated, though poorer in myth and materials and lacking many of the skills of the vibrant Theyalan culture. At Hrelar Amali they recognized Nine Great Gods as the Rulers of the Eight Worlds and the Keepers of Creation, not dissimilar to the pantheon of the High Gods of Pelanda. Each of the Enerali Nine Great Gods was the head of a family of gods. Note that the Solar western Enerali Tribes knew the Storm God as Humat, whilst the eastern tribes knew him as Erulat.

Sun God, Son of Lodik

Gether Mesor

Vamalm/ Torif Vamale

The Ancient Enerali Pantheon

Ehilm

Mostal Dayzatar/ Aether

The Enerali recognized a number of gods as great powers, including those listed here.

Ancient Pantheons

The Nine Great Gods Enerali Title Name

Lord of the Spike God of Sky

The Elementals Enerali Title Name Gata Himel Humat/ Erulat

Goddess of Earth God of Cold Storm God

Lodik Nakala Sramak Zrenthus

Master of Fire Goddess of Darkness Lord of Waters God of the Sky

Theyalan Name Gata Himile Umath/ Orlanth/ Humakt Lodril Nakala Sramak Dayzatar/ Aether

The Enerali had many other gods, some local, such as the River Goddesses and the tribal founders. The Gods Enerali Name Aldrya Anehilla

Theyalan Name Yelm/ Elmal Gata Orlanth/ Humakt/ Umath Lodril Nakala Sramak

Doska Eladra Eneral Erulat Eurmal

Uleria

164

Title

Theyalan Name

Forest Goddess Blue Moon Goddess, Daughter of Ehilm and Nakala River Goddess and mother of Vustr Self-Resurrecting Snake Goddess The Old, First Man and Founder, Son of Galanin The Storm God The Clever One, Firebringer and Trickster

Aldyra Annilla

Orlanth Eurmal

APPENDICES The Gods Enerali Name Flamal Fornaol Fralar Galana

Galanin Genner Hykim Korion /Korost Matara /Mata Nagi-Mer Nusa Rala Safa Seras Tagar Tana Tarin Uele Oline Uton the Hunter Vieltor Vustr Xentha Yomat Zaval /Korat Zolan

Title

Theyalan Name

God of Plants, Son of Sramak and Gata Son of Eneral, Tribal Founder God of Carnivores, son of Hykim and Mikyh Horse Goddess and Noble Ancestor. Daughter of Ehilm and Mata Horse God and Noble Ancestor Land God of Genertela Dragon Ancestor, God of Beasts, Son of Sramak and Gata Son of Eneral, Tribal Founder Earth Mother, the Great Green Lady Shaman guide and psychopomp, Daughter of Hykim and Mikyh Queen of the Vustri Land Goddess, Daughter of Gata and Genner Goddess of lakes and rain, Sister of Erulat God of Sorcery Goddess of Fertility and Mother of the Fish of Lake Helby River Goddess Earth Defender, the son of Ehilm and Aldrya. Healing Goddess of the Well and Spring, Sister of Torif Vamale Son of Eneral, Tribal Founder Smithing God, a Fire Elemental467 Son of Eneral, Tribal Founder Goddess of Night Friend of Men, Son of Eurmal and Sinjota The Darkness Killer

Flamal

Son of Ehilm and Nakala, God of Strife and Love

The Ancient Enjoreli Pantheon There are remnants of the Enjoreli pantheon still present in Fronela, especially in Junora and perhaps Jonatela. The name Drona or Oran is tantalizingly similar to that of Dronar, one of the sons of Malkion. This suggests that some exiles from Brithos, perhaps of the Worker caste from failed colonies unrecorded in the histories or even further back in the Gods War, perhaps remnants of the Kachasti (one of the six Original Peoples of Malkion) were assimilated or even formed the basis of the native population. The inclusion of Vorthan is conjecture. The Enjoreli doubtless had other gods in addition to those listed here.

Fralar

Yelmalio? Genert Hykim

Enjoreli Name

Title

Bakan

Boar God, Fertility God, Brother of Frona Moon Goddess

Ernalda Croesia/ Crosia Drona/ Oran Ehilm

Korgatsu

Ralia

Eurmal Framot Frona

Seravus

Himel Humat Hykim Chalana Arroy?

Ladaral Mintol Nakala

Gustbran?

Sramak Tawar Vorthan /Tol

Xentha

Husband of Frona, God of Sovereignty The Awakening Sun Friend of Man Forest God Land Goddess, Daughter of Gata Snow God Storm God God of Beasts, Father of Men Lord of Fire River God Goddess of Darkness, Goddess of the Underworld Lord of Water Bull God God of the Underworld

Theyalan Name

Annilla

Yelm/Elmal Eurmal Flamal Himile Umath/ Orlanth/ Humakt Hykim Lodril Nakala Sramak Jagrekriand

The Ancient Pendali Pantheon

Zorak Zoran Jagrekriand

When the Malkioni colonists in what would become Seshnela, came into contact, often conflict, with the Pendali, they seem to have adopted their names for the Eranaschula468. The Pendali doubtless had other gods in addition to those listed here.

467

Yet the Enerali, when contacted by the Theyalans, did not know the hot working of metal. He may be a late addition to their pantheon.

468

Or the Pendali and Brithini shared these names because of an earlier connection, perhaps the ancient Kachisti?

165

MEN OF THE WEST Pendali Name

Title

Theyalan Name

Basmol Ehilm

Lion God Sun God

Basmol Yelm/ Elmal

Ifttala Lodik Nakala

Daughter of Seshna Fire God Goddess of Darkness Sea God The Founder, Son of Basmol and Seshna Land Goddess, Daughter of Gata Goddess of Love and Fertility Storm God

Neliom Pendal Seshna Tilnta Worlath/ Aerlit? Zrenthus

God of the Sky

Armor The armor listed is that worn by the majority of troops in the unit. Commanders and other officers will often wear better armor (if the rank and file wear leather, officers are likely to have bronze or even iron armor). In a phalanx, the first rank often also has better armor: bronze cuirasses instead of leather or linothoraxes, for example.

Lodril Nakala

Armor Bronze Iron

Uleria Orlanth

Lacquered Leather/ Linen Lead

Dayzatar/ Aether

The Ancient Rathori Pantheon Rathori Name

Title

Theyalan Name

Elm Ermel Flam Frona

Sun God Fire Bringer God of Plants Land Goddess, Daughter of Gada Goddess of Earth God of Beasts God of Winter Black Bear God Grizzly Bear God Goddess of Darkness Blue Bear God The White Bear, Son of Frona Bear God Storm Bear God God of Water God of the Underworld

Yelm/Elmal Eurmal Flamal

Gada Hikin Him Irdagi Irgar Naka Orenri Rathor Redel Resant Samak Vorthan /Tol

Leather/ Linen Natural None

Scale hauberk or a bronze breastplate. Typically includes an open or full bronze helmet and greaves. Scale hauberk or an iron breastplate. Typically includes an open or full iron helmet and greaves. Linothorax or a lacquered leather cuir bouilli cuirass. Typically includes a conical or open bronze helmet. Scale hauberk or a lead breastplate. Typically includes an open or full lead helmet and greaves. Linothorax or a cuir bouilli lamellar or scale cuirass. Typically includes a conical or open bronze helmet. Only natural armor. Typically includes a leather or cuir bouilli cap or open bronze helmet.

Scouts and other members of a regiment may be more lightly armored, and carry lighter and possibly smaller shields. Some regiments are more uniformly equipped than others; in these cases, the most commonly worn armor is listed. Where only the material is given, gear will vary according to individual preference and wealth.

Gata Hykim Himile

Nakala

Style The style the unit fights in:  Open order is a skirmish formation.  Close order is a compact order.  Drill implies a practiced and regular action performed under battle conditions. Drilled troops have more articulation, being more maneuverable than undrilled troops.

Orlanth Sramak Jagrekriand

Army Lists Uniforms

The units listed here are examples and do not reflect the full strength or numbers of the forces available. Most Seshnelan War Societies, for example, consist of several regiments, which may differ in their size and capabilities. Similarly, as the War Against War proceeds, the Loskalmi must raise new Battalions and regiments. Safelstran mercenary regiments will also vary in quality and numbers.

In this period, even within a professional regiment, the colors, shades, and styles of tunics, helmets and shield decorations are rarely uniform. The lists identify where a regiment utilizes specific colors, though even in these cases, the shade of color varies within the ranks.

Morale Detailed in the Army Lists, it represents the comparative cohesion of the unit due to its training and

166

APPENDICES élan. A unit with Veteran Morale is likely to continue fighting against a superior foe, while a unit with a Militia’s morale is easily broken; Veterans will stand firm and obey the chain-of-command when their commander is killed, Militia in the same circumstance will often break and run – or rush the enemy in an attempt to avenge their fallen leader. A unit’s morale ranges from Immortal, Elite, Fanatic, Veteran, Regular, to Militia. A unit’s standard reinforces the morale of a unit – but the loss of a standard can have a dire effect on its troops. Most of the deaths in battle are caused when units break and run and the enemy cavalry and light infantry chase them down.

household or who owe them fealty.

Bear Regiment

Lion Regiment

Magic, Missile and Melee Factors

Seshnelan Army List Talar Cavalry Scale armor, greaves and vambraces or articulated limb armor Kontos, sword, mace Veteran 5 Rokari Malkionism Mount is heavily armored. Some have items of iron armor. Low 2 0 4

Weapons Morale Patron Deity Notes Magic Factor Missile Factor Melee Factor

Type

Heavy Cavalry

Armor

Leather/cuir boilli armor, greaves and vambraces Sword, shield, bow Elite 6 Pendal/Basmol Cataphracti Low 1 2 4

Weapons Morale Patron Deity Notes Magic Factor Missile Factor Melee Factor

These denote the relative strengths of units.

Heavy Cavalry

Bronze scale cuirass, greaves and vambraces Sword, shield, mace Veteran 5 Rathor Low 1 0 4

The regiments of the Bear War Society have fought as heavy infantry fighting in close formation, not unlike a shield-wall since their founding.

In addition to the weapons listed, troops will often carry daggers or other secondary weapons.

Armor

Heavy Infantry

Armor Weapons Morale Patron Deity Magic Factor Missile Factor Melee Factor

Weapons

Type

Type

The Lion War Society dates back to the First Age. Like the other horali of that time, they initially fought as infantry, but later, possibly during the Middle Sea Empire era of the Second Age, their regiments are mounted on horses, though they do not fight as cataphracti.

Talari knights variously armed and armored according to individual taste and purse. Wealthy knights will be accompanied by a retinue of other knights of their

Mammoth Regiment Type

Heavy Cavalry

Armor Weapons Morale

Scale armor, greaves and vambraces Sword, shield, crossbow, mace Veteran 5

Patron Deity Notes Magic Factor Missile Factor Melee Factor

Hogar Cataphracti Low 2 5

1

The Mammoth War Society fight as cataphracti. They ride either Daron horses capable of bearing the weight of the rider, their arms and armor, and their caparison, or Galana strengthened with sorcery.

167

MEN OF THE WEST

Wolf Regiment

Deer Regiment

Type

Light Infantry

Type

Light Cavalry

Armor Weapons Morale Patron Deity Magic Factor Missile Factor Melee Factor

Leather armor Sword, shield, bow Veteran 5 Telmor Low 1 2 2

Armor Weapons Morale Patron Deity Magic Factor Missile Factor Melee Factor

Leather armor Sword, shield, spear, bow Veteran 5 Damal Low 1 2 3

The soldiers of this War Society are adept at fighting in woodland and rough terrain; many are skilled scouts and rangers.

Capable of fighting as horse archers and hand-to-hand, the regiments of this War Society specialize in hit-andrun attacks, wheeling in feigned retreat to devastate any pursuers with flights of arrows. They are also employed to harry retreating enemies.

Snake Regiment Type

Light Infantry

Armor Weapons Morale Patron Deity Magic Factor Missile Factor Melee Factor

Leather armor Sword, shield, crossbow Veteran 5 Loronaga Low 1 2 1

Bull Regiment

Heavy Cavalry Scale armor, greaves and vambraces Sword, shield, spear Veteran 5 Galanin Cataphracti Low 1 0 5

Weapons Morale Patron Deity Notes Magic Factor Missile Factor Melee Factor

Scale armor, greaves and vambraces Sword, shield, crossbow, mace Veteran 5

Patron Deity Notes Magic Factor Missile Factor Melee Factor

Tawar? Cataphracti, mount is heavily armored Low 1 2 5

The horali of the Bull War Society are armed and armored as cataphracti, but for traditional reasons employ neither the lance nor kontos. Instead, they employ crossbows to strike their enemies, and then fight in melee. Officers may ride war horses, trained to fight.

Horse Regiment Armor

Heavy Cavalry

Armor Weapons Morale

This War Society is based at the ancient city of Laranessa, though regiments may serve elsewhere. There are more female horali in these regiments than in other War Societies. They favor armor styled as snakeskin, or thick crocodile hide obtained by hunting the beasts in the Sodal Marshes and the Lower Tanier River, its tributaries and creeks.

Type

Type

The regiments of the Horse War Society have always been cavalry and now fight as cataphracti. The Society is based at the city of Fornalor famed for its horses. Many of the riders might draw their descent from the ancient Fornaoli tribe and still worship the Sun Horse.

168

APPENDICES A Battalion has three such regiments divided into light and heavy infantry. The light infantry are less heavily armored than their heavy infantry comrades, these men and women carry smaller shields, lighter armor, and crossbows. They are used to either shoot volleys of bolts at an enemy en masse or to fight as skirmishers. They wear the same distinctive helmet as the heavy infantry. All Loskalmi troops are well drilled, capable of fighting in all seasons, including the depths of winter.

Dronar Militia Type

Light Infantry

Armor Weapons Morale Patron Deity Magic Factor Missile Factor Melee Factor

None Bow, spear Militia 2 Rokari Malkionism None 0 1 1

The members of the dronari caste are explicitly forbidden to fight by their caste laws, and no talari will order them to serve except in extraordinary circumstances.

Fronelan Army List Loskalm Army List

Men-of-All

Guardians Type

Heavy Infantry

Type

Heavy Cavalry

Armor

Leather with a bronze pectoral or bronze plates, vambraces, tower shield Throwing and thrusting spears, sword, and large shield Close order, drilled Veteran 5 New Hrestolism Low 3 1 3

Armor

Bronze hauberk, closed helmet, gorget, pauldrons, articulated limb armor, small shield Kontos, sword Close order, drilled Veteran 5 New Hrestolism Mount is heavily armored Medium 4 0 4

Weapons Style Morale Patron Deity Magic Factor Missile Factor Melee Factor

Weapons Style Morale Patron Deity Notes Magic Factor Missile Factor Melee Factor

A Battalion has three regiments divided into light and heavy infantry. The heavy infantry are highly trained to fight in close order, using their large tower shields to both protect themselves, to throw their javelins before contact, and to push back an enemy with coordinated and sustained efforts, shoving with their shields and stabbing with their spears. They also carry thrusting swords to use in the press of battle.

A Battalion has three such regiments. Superbly trained, and mounted on large Daron horses, each cataphracti is also a sorcerer, who usually has spells in force to supplement the fighting ability of themselves and their mounts. These warriors have satisfied the criteria to pass through the stages of Worker, Soldier, and Sorcerer. All are accomplished riders.

Guardians Type

Light Infantry

Armor

Leather with a bronze pectoral, vambraces, round shield crossbow, sword, axe or mace Open order, drilled Regular 4 New Hrestolism Low 3 2 2

Weapons Style Morale Patron Deity Magic Factor Missile Factor Melee Factor

169

MEN OF THE WEST the Kingdom of War.

First Brothers Type

Heavy Cavalry

Armor

Bronze hauberk, closed helmet, gorget, pauldrons, articulated limb armor, small shield Kontos, sword Close order, drilled Elite 6 New Hrestolism Mount is heavily armored High 6 0 5

Weapons Style Morale Patron Deity Notes Magic Factor Missile Factor Melee Factor

Tribal Levies

Rarely well equipped, the levies are mostly little more than militia, often employed only as garrison troops. A few are capable warriors, especially those who are Humakti, and may serve the more wealthy and powerful War Clans of the nobility as house guards. In battle, the levies may be employed to hold ground and support their noble lords, and will suffer the most casualties in a rout.

Noble Cavalry Heavy Cavalry Bronze cuirass, full helm, round shield Lance or kontos, kopis, bow Close order, drilled Veteran 5 Various Mount may be lightly armored; some carry bows Low 3 1 5

Weapons Style Morale Patron Deity Notes Magic Factor Missile Factor Melee Factor

Varies widely; usually at least a composite helmet and a leather chest piece. Spear, shield, bow, or axe Close order, undrilled Militia 2 Local war gods (Orlanth, Humakt, Babeester Gor, Storm Bull) Low 3 2 1

Magic Factor Missile Factor Melee Factor

Jonatling Army List

Armor

Light Infantry

Armor

Weapons Style Morale Patron Deity

Experienced Men-of-All, and experienced sorcerers, these men and women are capable in both force of arms and sorcery. The most powerful may distain the wearing armor, trusting in their spells and self-discipline for protection, though most still wear a helmet and carry a long sword.

Type

Type

Ralian Army List Safelstran Army List

City Noble Cavalry Type

Heavy Cavalry

Armor

Scale armor, greaves and vambraces or articulated limb armor Kontos, sword, mace Regular 4 Varies Mount is heavily armored Low 2 0 3

Weapons Morale Patron Deity Notes Magic Factor Missile Factor Melee Factor

Often fighting in their clan warbands, these warriors usually ride large Daron horses, though their horses are generally less heavily armored than those of Loskalm. They worship a variety of bloodthirsty War Gods and are famed for their courage and their cruelty. Seeking battle, some have enrolled in the ranks of

Most are more likely to favor fighting in a tournament

170

APPENDICES than in battle, but are well equipped, and many are capable cavalry. Their styles of arms and armor vary according to the personal preference. Tournament armor can be very ornate and not always practical on the battlefield, so many strive to own two different sets. Given the proximity and long shared history with Seshnela, the ‘knights’ of Safelster and Seshnela often wear very similar armor. However, Ralians prefer helmets with eye-guards instead of facemasks.

City Militia Type

Light Infantry

Armor Weapons

None Bows, slings, and throwing spears. Open order, undrilled Militia 2 Varies Low 1 1 1

Style Morale Patron Deity Magic Factor Missile Factor Melee Factor

colors favored by their company. Whether outlanders or native Safelstrans, the mounted mercenary regiments enjoy a good reputation and many are the equal of the Seshnelan War Societies, though rarely with such a long lineage. Mercenary regiments rarely have a religious affiliation, and are unlikely to be involved in the fractious political and religious turmoil in a Safelstran city-state. Most are not bound by the Codes of War of the Seshnelan horali, and are willing to fight enemies regardless of their caste or class. Wealthy mercenaries may wear gilded armor and helmets.

The city militia of most Safelstran cities do not have a good reputation in battle, and are more likely to be reliable if serving in support of the mercenary garrison of their home. Some may be experienced brawlers, being involved in the periodic riots and religious conflicts, but this does not make them reliable troops, as different factions may have to fight sideby-side in battle. For this and other reasons, the rulers of the Safelstran cities prefer to rely upon mercenaries, who can be expected to honor their contracts. Some may serve as oarsmen aboard ship, where the size of the crew makes it likely that their shipmates share their religion and politics, but most rowers are professionals.

Mercenary Regiment

Heavy Cavalry

Armor

Scale armor, greaves and vambraces Sword, shield, crossbow Veteran 5 Varies Cataphracti Low 1 2 5

Weapons Morale Patron Deity Notes Magic Factor Missile Factor Melee Factor

Light Cavalry

Armor Weapons Morale Patron Deity Magic Factor Missile Factor Melee Factor

Leather armor Sword, shield, spear, bow Veteran 5 Varies Low 1 2 3

Like the heavy cavalry mercenary regiments, the light cavalry is mostly of high repute. Where the heavy cavalry often fight as cataphracti, the light cavalry act as scouts, foragers, skirmishers, and pursuers when an enemy routs. Different regiments fight in distinctive styles; instead of bows some may carry quivers of javelins, especially those recruited from Holut. Some ‘regiments’ are Pralori warbands.

Mercenary Regiment Type

Type

The arms and armor of mercenaries can vary enormously, though most display the shield design and

171

MEN OF THE WEST The elite cavalry warband of the King of Lankst. Many are equipped and fight as cataphracti in the Malkioni fashion (though their horses carry lighter armor); they are adept at fighting in a looser formation, and each is a capable warrior in their own right. In addition to their mundane arms and armor, which is a mixture of Malkioni and Orlanthi styles, they can also wield lightning bolts against their foes. Some carry tridents symbolizing Orlanth’s lightning, but take up their lance or kontos to use in battle. An ornate trident serves as their standard, inhabited by the spirit of a great champion. The warband is led by the famed Hero, Garundyer of the Seven Storms.

Mercenary Regiment Type

Heavy Infantry

Armor

Bronze cuirass/scale hauberk, greaves, and vambraces, full helmet Spear, shield, sword Close order, drilled Regular 4 Varies Low 3 0 3

Weapons Style Morale Patron Deity Magic Factor Missile Factor Melee Factor

Like their mounted counterparts, Safelstran heavy and light infantry are highly professional, disciplined, wellarmed and trained. Most heavy infantry wear a bronze cuirass or scale hauberk, the former more likely worn by officers, the same being true in light infantry regiments.

Noble Cavalry Type

Heavy Cavalry

Mercenary Regiment

Armor

Type

Light Infantry

Weapons

Armor Weapons Morale Patron Deity Magic Factor Missile Factor Melee Factor

Leather armor Sword, shield, bow Veteran 5 Varies Low 1 2 2

Style Morale Patron Deity Magic Factor Missile Factor Melee Factor

Bronze cuirass, greaves, and vambraces, open helmet Broadsword, shield, composite bow or javelin Close order, undrilled Veteran 5 Orlanth Low 3 1 3

The other members of the House of Warriors aspire to own similar equipment to the members of the Companions of the Lightning (though are not eligible to carry the lightning tridents) but are not equipped as cataphracti. They are members of warbands of lesser status, but still highly effective.

Some light infantry mercenary regiments specialize in fighting as marines aboard Safelstran warships, but will also be able to fight ashore. In Safelster, most light infantry is recruited from the hill tribes, meaning that many are adept at scouting and tracking.

Lankst Army List

Tribal Levies

Companions of the Lightning Type

Heavy Cavalry

Armor

Bronze hauberk, scale shoulder flaps, plate tassets, pauldrons, vambraces, greaves, round shield Lance or kontos, sword Close order, drilled Veteran 5 Orlanth Mount may be lightly armored High 6 0 5

Weapons Style Morale Patron Deity Notes Magic Factor Missile Factor Melee Factor

Type

Light Cavalry

Armor

Varies widely; usually at least a composite helmet and a leather chest piece. Spear, shield, javelin, axe Open order, undrilled Militia 2 Local war gods (Orlanth, Humakt, Storm Bull) Low 3 1 3

Weapons Style Morale Patron Deity Magic Factor Missile Factor Melee Factor

Less well equipped than the noble warbands, these riders fight in a more typically Orlanthi fashion.

172

APPENDICES

Tribal Levies

Sun Dome Templars

Type

Light Infantry

Type

Heavy Infantry

Armor

Varies widely; usually at least a composite helmet and a leather chest piece. Spear, shield, bow, or axe Close order, undrilled Militia 2 Local war gods (Orlanth, Humakt, Storm Bull) Low 3 2 2

Armor

Linothorax or cuir boilli, bronze helmet Sarissa, small phalangite shield, short sword Close order, drilled Regular 4 Yelmalio Low 1 0 5

Weapons Style Morale Patron Deity Magic Factor Missile Factor Melee Factor

Weapons Style Morale Patron Deity Magic Factor Missile Factor Melee Factor

The isolated Sun Dome Temple still raises phalanxes of phalangites, fighting in a style unique in Ralios. The flanks of the phalanx are supported by archers afoot and mounted, and sometimes by the warband of the Unicorn Tribe. When on the march their long sarissa spears are carried in two pieces to make them easier to transport. In addition to the bronze spearhead and butt spike, the sarissa has a metal sleeve which allows the two parts to be joined together.

They prefer to fight in a shield-wall, with archers on the flanks.

East Wilds Army List

Tribal Chariots Type

Chariots

Armor

Bronze scale hauberk, open helmet, shield sword, javelins Drilled, open order Veteran 5 Orlanth low 3 2 3

Weapons Style Morale Patron Deity Magic Factor Missile Factor Melee Factor

Light chariots carrying a driver and chief or champion. The passenger may throw javelins when passing the enemy line but often alights to fight on foot. The bluepainted driver is exempt from combat.

Unicorn Tribe

Tribal Warriors Type

Light Infantry

Armor

Varies widely; usually at least a composite helmet and a leather chest piece, lemniscate tower shield Spear, or axe, sling Close or Open order, undrilled Militia 2 Local war gods (Orlanth, Humakt, Storm Bull) Low 3 2 2

Weapons Style Morale Patron Deity Magic Factor Missile Factor Melee Factor

Type

Light Cavalry

Armor Weapons

Leather Bow or lance, broadsword, small shield, sword Open order, drilled Regular 4 Yelorna Skirmishers, riding unicorns or horses Medium 5 2 3

Style Morale Patron Deity Notes Magic Factor Missile Factor Melee Factor

The warband of the Unicorn Tribe, mostly equipped with arms and armor of their own manufacture. Some carry swords obtained through trade, usually obtained from the redsmiths of the Sun Dome Temple. At times, they serve as auxiliaries of the Sun Dome phalanx. They combine the lance (and their unicorns’ horns) with a self-bow or lance. The link between rider and unicorn makes them a deadly foe. Both can cast magic, and unicorns use their horns as weapons and to heal themselves and their rider. They are expert scouts and trackers, who know the hills, ridges, and valleys of the dry pine forests better than anyone, permitting them to stage ambushes and elude pursuit. I

These warriors rely almost entirely on their large tower shields for protection; when fighting in a shield-wall their spears protrude between the gaps between the figure-eight shields or are wielded over them. Most prefer to fight as skirmishers. Champions will be better armored, often wearing Safelstran scale hauberks. Poorer fighters, mostly herders, use their slings to bombard the enemy.

173

MEN OF THE WEST

Military Terminology General Term

Military Terminology

Bireme

An oared warship with two banks of oars.

Cataphract

Heavily armored horseman, with both the rider and steed draped from head to toe in armor, typically using a kontos or lance.

Close order

In this formation, infantry stand around 45 cm apart with their shields overlapping. This often creates an interlocked shield-wall that is nearly impenetrable.

Fyrd

The militia of a clan.

Heavy Cavalry

Engages in direct contact with the foe, usually with lances (spears), sometimes with swords, maces, or axes. A regiment of Heavy Cavalry is typically around 500 soldiers.

Heavy Infantry

Typically armored with bronze or leather armor and armed with spear and sword. Heavy Infantry most typically fights in a phalanx or shield-wall. A regiment of Heavy Infantry is typically around 1,000 soldiers.

Hoplite

A type of heavy infantry armed with spears and shields.

Light Cavalry

Armed with missile weapons, typically bows or throwing javelins. They skirmish with the foe, withdrawing from any offensive only to turn around and counterattack once the offensive is spent. A regiment of Light Cavalry is typically around 500 soldiers.

Light Infantry

Light infantry is used as a skirmishing screen ahead of the main body of infantry. A regiment of Light Infantry is typically around 1,000 soldiers.

Open order

In this formation, soldiers stand up to two meters apart. This permits skirmishers to move between the files of a phalanx.

Penteconter

A fifty-oared warship.

Phalangite

Heavy infantry deployed in a phalanx employing extremely long pikes known as a sarissae.

Phalanx

A rectangular mass formation, usually composed entirely of heavy infantry armed with spears or pikes.

Rank

A row in a phalanx or shield-wall.

Shield-wall

A wall of shields formed by fighters standing shoulder to shoulder, holding their shields so that they overlap.

Triaconter

A thirty-oared warship with a single deck.

Trireme

An oared warship with three inclined banks of oars.

Unireme

An oared warship with one bank of oars.

Armor Armor Bronze

Commonly a scale or mail hauberk or a bronze breastplate. It typically includes an open or full bronze helmet and greaves.

Leather

Most commonly the linothorax or a leather lamellar cuirass. It typically includes a conical or open bronze helmet.

Pteruges

The decorative skirt of leather or fabric strips worn around the waists of Lunar soldiers.

Corselet

A cuirass consisting of two plates connected on the sides or the full panoply of armor.

174

APPENDICES

Armor Cuirass

Armor formed of a single or multiple pieces of metal or other rigid material covering the front of the torso, usually connected to a back piece.

Greaves

A piece of armor protecting the legs.

Gorget

A circular neck protector

Helmet

Many different forms of helmet, ranging from leather caps to those which cover the entire head and neck.

Hauberk

A shirt of mail, usually reaching at least to mid-thigh and including sleeves.

Jerkin

A short close-fitting leather jacket.

Lamellar

Many individual small rectangular plates laced into horizontal rows and to a backing of cloth or leather.

Lames

Multiple lames are used to form an articulated piece of armor that provides flexible protection.

Linothorax

Torso armor of layers of linen fabric or leather laminated together.

Muscle cuirass

A type of body armor cast to fit the wearer’s torso mimicking an idealized human physique.

Pauldron

Shoulder armor.

Pectoral

Armor protecting the chest – a form of partial breastplate cuirass.

Tasset

A piece of plate armor protecting the upper leg.

Vambraces

Forearm guards.

Weapons Weapons Axe

A single or double-headed cutting weapon used either one or two-handed.

Bow

Typically a self-bow.

Broadsword

A straight or leaf-shaped, double-edged sword.

Crossbow

A type of missile weapon based on the bow stolen from the dwarves.

Javelin

A short spear between one and two meters long and balanced for throwing.

Kontos

A type of long cavalry lance about 3.6 to 4.2 meters long used with both hands.

Kopis

A curved single-edged blade used for cutting and thrusting.

Long Spear

Between 2 and 3.6 meters long and usually used overhand.

Mace

Has a heavy head on a solid shaft used to bludgeon opponents.

Sarissa

A long thrusting spear between 3 and 7.5 meters long.

Shields

Commonly round or rectangular and come in a variety of sizes depending on the regiment.

Sling

A pouch on a cord used to throw a blunt projectile of stone, clay or lead ‘sling-bullet’.

Spear

Two meters or less long.

Sword

A blade used for cutting, slashing, and thrusting.

175

MEN OF THE WEST

Index

Abiding Book, 4, 15, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 32, 49, 51, 61, 62, 64, 66, 67, 69, 94, 95, 96, 110, 130 Adalla Dynasty, 94, 96 Aerlit, 25, 31, 52, 166 Air Rune, 47, 65, 153 Akem, 25, 33, 34, 41, 42, 51, 53, 55, 56, 90, 91, 92, 93, 97 Alakoring Dragonbreaker, 118, 121, 128, 129, 150, 151, 155, 157 Alakorings, 38 Aldrya, 55, 164, 165 Aldrya Tree, 55 Aldryami, 29, 31, 37, 42, 43, 44, 48, 51, 52, 58, 109, 115, 117, 155 Alekki, 155 All-Seeing Eye, 141, 153, 158 Alongor Lightning (King), 124, 128 Altinae, 98 Amprel (King), 99 Anehilla, 164 Anilla (Queen), 55 Annilla, 164, 165 Archduke, 63, 160 Archons, 61, 66, 126, 127, 145 Argrath, 5 Arimadalla, 40, 60, 93, 95 Arinsor, 92 Arkat, 5, 7, 17, 19, 21, 25, 29, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 46, 47, 52, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 64, 66, 68, 82, 84, 92, 93, 98, 117, 118, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 141, 144, 150, 151, 154, 155, 157, 158, 159, 163, 164 Arkati, 17, 19, 20, 66, 69, 118, 124, 126, 127, 130, 131, 151 Army of Rightness, 61, 63, 127 Arolanit, 8, 18, 25, 26, 31, 32, 33, 37, 42, 49, 55, 56, 58, 66, 68, 69, 95, 124, 129, 163 Arrolian Properties, 109, 114, 115 Arsden, 85 Ascended Master, 19, 20, 33, 60, 66, 69, 77, 92, 93, 100, 106, 108 Ascended Soul, 53 Autarchy, 19, 38, 61, 125, 126, 127, 128, 131, 134, 143, 144, 145, 150, 158, 163, 164 Auxiliaries, 109 Avalor, 94 Axe, 169, 170, 172, 173, 175 Azilos, 124, 131 Babeester Gor, 170, 172 Bad Deal, 151 Bailifes the Hammer (King), 23, 66,

68, 69, 74 Bajenyl (Emperor), 95 Bakan, 81, 91, 119, 165 Ballid, 123, 124, 150 Ban, 16, 89, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 164 Barbarian Belt, 112, 151 Barding, 8, 9, 10, 11, 75, 105, 140, 152 Barntar, 120 Basim, 39, 156 Baskaladalla (King), 94 Basmol, 23, 33, 39, 63, 80, 82, 129, 156, 166, 167 Basmoli, 34, 38, 39, 40, 82, 162 Basmoli Empire, 34, 38, 162 Battalion, 63, 64, 101, 102, 103, 104, 106, 169 Battle of Argentium Thri’ile, 121 Battle of Eleven Beasts, 91 Battle of Falling Stones, 151 Battle of Night and Day, 38, 122 Battle of Zebrawood, 122 Bear God, 95, 166 Bear Man, 81 Bear Men, 96, 110 Bear People, 35, 40, 41, 89, 95, 96, 109 Bear War Society, 81, 167 Beast Brothers, 46 Beast Men, 7, 43, 48 Beast People, 32, 34 Belksan, 48, 87, 88 Bemuri, 35, 122, 150 Benalos (Emperor), 94 Bertalor, 52 Bireme, 85, 107, 116 Biremes, 107, 174 Bisos, 42 Bisosae, 42 Black Forest, 114 Blastring (King), 59 Blue Book, 22 Boar God, 91, 159, 165 Boar Man, 81 Boar War Society, 81 Book of Secrets, 64, 66, 126, 160 Borin, 19, 131 Borists, 19, 131 Bow, 169, 170, 173, 175 Brass, 166 Bright Empire, 42, 43, 44, 47, 56, 58, 92, 109, 119, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 155, 159, 163 Britha, 24, 29, 50 Brithela, 24

176

Brithini, 8, 12, 15, 16, 17, 20, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 37, 42, 44, 45, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 55, 56, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 66, 67, 68, 69, 71, 72, 74, 77, 79, 80, 84, 94, 97, 104, 123, 125, 159, 163, 165 Brithini Way, 24, 52, 53, 67 Brithos, 6, 16, 18, 24, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 44, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 58, 63, 65, 69, 90, 91, 92, 94, 123, 163, 165 Brolia, 91, 128 Bronze Turtle Galleys, 64, 65 Brotherhood of the Swallow, 100, 106, 115 Brown Book, 22 Bull God, 42, 53, 165 Bull Lords, 42, 113 Bull Man, 81 Bull People, 35, 41, 42, 90, 110 Bull Regiment, 10, 168 Bull War Society, 81, 168 Carmania, 8, 40, 42, 74, 93, 115 Carmanian Empire, 94, 109 Caroni, 36 Castle Coast, 15, 19, 49, 54, 63, 69, 71, 77, 97, 141 Cataphracti, 6, 8, 10, 11, 23, 54, 56, 59, 64, 70, 71, 75, 76, 77, 81, 82, 83, 85, 91, 95, 96, 104, 105, 109, 110, 113, 115, 121, 127, 129, 138, 140, 143, 161, 167, 168, 169, 171, 172, 174 Chain of Veneration, 15, 67 Chalana Arroy, 22, 35, 124, 165 Chamfron, 8, 9, 10, 11, 76, 105, 140 Chaos, 7, 18, 42, 43, 44, 47, 56, 59, 62, 74, 92, 97, 114, 115, 120, 122, 123, 124, 125, 128, 132, 144, 158, 159 Charg, 42, 93, 96, 113 Chariot of Lightning, 19, 132, 151, 152, 153 Chariots, 11, 173 Children of Tribulation, 99 City of Brass, 34, 97 City of Wolves, 39, 40, 42, 125, 154 Close order, 166, 169, 170, 172, 173, 174 Closing, 26, 30, 44, 45, 51, 64, 65, 66, 94, 96, 106, 129, 146, 161 Codes of War, 71, 72, 73, 75, 78, 84, 85, 101, 171 Colymar Tribe, 172 Companions of the Lightning, 151,

INDEX 152, 153, 172 Composite Bows, 172, 173, 175 Congern (King), 111, 151 Corce Wall, 108 Corolaland, 155 Corselet, 174 Count, 63, 72 Covered Chariots, 64 Criniere, 8, 9, 10, 11, 76, 105 Crossbow, 175 Crusade, 61 Cuirass, 166, 169, 170, 172, 173, 174, 175 Cursed City, 89, 114 Dagori Inkarth, 61 Dakal, 93 Damal, 82, 168 Damali, 155 Dan, 56 Dangan Confederacy, 19, 37, 53, 56, 119, 120, 129, 134, 141 Dangk, 37, 119, 122, 129, 130 Dangkae, 37, 68, 129 Dangkal, 37, 56 Danmalastan, 20, 26, 99 Daran, 131 Dari, 42, 56, 119, 121, 122, 126, 134 Dari Alliance, 42, 56, 119, 122, 126, 134 Dark Empire, 68, 123, 126, 127, 158 Daron, 9, 10, 11, 64, 76, 77, 82, 89, 90, 91, 96, 101, 102, 111, 135, 167, 169, 170 Dawn, 6, 24, 25, 26, 27, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 48, 49, 50, 54, 58, 65, 77, 87, 89, 90, 91, 95, 118, 119, 124, 131, 135, 143, 144, 147, 154, 162 Dayzatar, 122, 164, 166 Death Rune, 12, 14, 18, 21, 23, 53, 63, 78 Deer Man, 82 Deer Regiment, 168, 171 Deer War Society, 82 Delela, 124, 126, 128, 131, 155, 156, 157 Deringogus (General), 123 Dorastor, 36, 38, 40, 42, 45, 46, 47, 58, 60, 61, 91, 92, 93, 117, 118, 121, 122, 123, 130, 158, 163 Doska, 117, 120, 164 Double-pay, 140 Dragon Pass, 5, 6, 13, 36, 42, 43, 45, 54, 61, 91, 92, 93, 109, 110, 111, 115, 118, 121, 123, 124, 125, 127, 128, 129, 130, 137, 151, 155, 156, 157, 158, 159, 163, 164 Dragonewts, 44, 45, 47, 74, 121, 123, 128, 151, 156, 158 Dragonkill, 129, 130, 155, 158 Dragonship, 5, 30, 51, 65, 109, 116 Drom, 144, 161

Dronar, 29, 165, 169 Dronar Militia, 169 Dronari, 15, 24, 25, 27, 29, 34, 39, 50, 53, 56, 57, 58, 60, 67, 68, 70, 72, 73, 74, 75, 77, 78, 79, 84, 85, 87, 88, 100, 169 Ducks, 171 Duke, 20, 63, 68, 69, 72, 93 Durumath the Traveler, 122 Dwarves, 175 East Wilds, 120, 121, 122, 126, 128, 130, 134, 135, 136, 151, 155, 157, 173 Eastpoint, 94, 95 Egarun, 85 Ehilm, 25, 33, 36, 38, 40, 99, 110, 118, 119, 120, 122, 123, 131, 138, 141, 151, 158, 164, 165, 166 Eladra, 164 Elder Races, 5 Elders, 98, 99, 102 Elephant People, 38 Eleven Beasts Alliance, 34, 41, 42, 92, 110 Elmal, 37, 151, 164, 165, 166 Empire of Peace, 61, 125, 126, 127, 133 Empire of the Wyrms Friends, 63, 64, 95, 109, 128, 150, 160, 163 Endless Glacier, 25 Enelvi, 42 Eneral, 36, 123, 150, 164, 165 Enerali, 9, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 44, 46, 55, 56, 60, 66, 75, 82, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 123, 124, 125, 126, 128, 129, 131, 132, 134, 138, 150, 151, 157, 164, 165 Enjoreli, 34, 35, 41, 42, 46, 53, 56, 81, 90, 91, 92, 95, 110, 122, 165 Enrovalani, 34 Eranaschula, 15, 25, 26, 31, 32, 165 Ernalda, 42, 46, 118, 119, 120, 150, 165 Erontree, 42, 118 Erulat, 35, 36, 37, 47, 52, 119, 123, 150, 151, 158, 164, 165 Estali, 38, 82, 130, 131, 135 Estali League, 131, 135 Esus, 42 Ethilrist, 138 Eurmal, 37, 47, 120, 164, 165, 166 EWF, 64, 123, 128, 129, 157, 158, 163 Falani, 155 Faulds, 79, 87 Feathered Axe, 169 Fifth Ecclesiastical Council, 94 File, 140, 166 File-Leaders, 140 Final Battle, 60, 92 Firesword, 127 First Age, 8, 19, 34, 35, 36, 38, 40, 41,

177

42, 45, 46, 47, 49, 54, 55, 56, 60, 75, 77, 78, 80, 81, 83, 90, 91, 93, 94, 95, 97, 110, 117, 118, 119, 120, 128, 141, 144, 146, 150, 151, 155, 157, 158, 159, 161, 162, 164, 167 First Battle, 101 First Battle of Asgolan Fields, 68 First Brothers, 101, 106, 170 First Brothers of Hrestol, 101 First Ecclesiastical Council, 52, 53 Flamal, 37, 120, 124, 165, 166 Flame Kings, 60 Flanchards, 76 Fornalor, 82, 168 Fornaol, 165 Fornaoli, 36, 56, 66, 82, 118, 119, 120, 168 Four Tools, 52, 53 Fourth Brithos Army of Law, 58 Fourth Ecclesiastical Council, 61 Fralar, 165 Free Regiments, 80 Froalar, 33, 49, 50, 51, 52, 56 Frona, 25, 42, 89, 91, 165, 166 Fronan Charger, 9, 91 Fronela, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 15, 17, 19, 34, 35, 38, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 53, 54, 56, 60, 68, 69, 81, 82, 83, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 99, 104, 105, 110, 111, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 137, 151, 160, 163, 164, 165 Fronelan, 13, 53, 56, 57, 91, 93, 95, 96, 103, 114, 169 Frontem, 34, 93, 94, 95, 129 Frowal, 16, 25, 31, 33, 50, 51, 52, 59, 61, 87, 122 Fyrd, 153, 156, 174 Galana, 9, 10, 22, 36, 37, 56, 76, 77, 82, 111, 119, 123, 135, 151, 157, 158, 165, 167 Galanin, 36, 37, 82, 120, 131, 135, 150, 151, 164, 165, 168 Galanini, 36, 37, 38, 60, 120, 123, 134, 135, 142 Galin, 82, 131, 182 Galvosti, 18, 131 Ganesatarus, 114, 115 Garundyer, 111, 151, 172 Gata, 32, 49, 50, 117, 120, 164, 165, 166 Gate of Banir, 92 Gbaji, 32, 43, 58, 60, 61, 69, 89, 124, 144 Gbaji Wars, 43, 61, 69, 124 Genert, 32, 50, 117, 165 Genertela, 6, 11, 12, 24, 25, 26, 31, 33, 35, 38, 45, 47, 48, 53, 58, 70, 77, 86, 91, 92, 94, 95, 114, 116, 146, 151, 159, 160, 165 Genner, 165 Gerlant Flamesword, 18, 59 Gether, 164

MEN OF THE WEST God Learners, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, 30, 32, 36, 38, 46, 47, 51, 54, 60, 62, 63, 65, 66, 67, 68, 70, 78, 93, 94, 95, 96, 98, 99, 115, 126, 127, 128 God of the Silver Feet, 96, 98 God Time, 16, 24, 30, 34, 35, 37, 38, 47, 49, 96, 115, 117 Gods War, 7, 22, 28, 31, 35, 37, 42, 46, 89, 99, 119, 123, 150, 165 Good Dragon Soldiers, 64 Grachamagacan, 58, 59 Grand Knights, 59, 73, 106 Grand Marshal, 59, 63, 70, 73 Great Darkness, 24, 25, 26, 31, 32, 33, 37, 38, 46, 47, 53, 97, 118, 120, 122, 123, 161 Greatest Warrior King, 60 Greatwood, 33, 34, 38, 44, 118, 123, 162 Green Lady, 36, 46, 119, 120, 150, 165 Greenwood Forest, 89, 90 Grey Age, 24, 33, 38 Grey Sister, 53, 125 Grimnos (King), 59, 123 Guardians, 23, 55, 97, 98, 99, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 108, 115, 169 Guards of Arkat, 125 Guhan, 61, 125, 127, 129, 130, 131, 136, 151 Guilders, 5 Guildsmen, 172 Guilmarn (King), 69, 73, 131, 136 Gundreken (King), 100 Gwymir, 27, 28, 29, 49, 58, 79 Halikiv, 36, 44, 61, 127, 128, 130, 132, 136, 155 Halwal, 18, 19, 23, 63, 94, 95, 129 Harmast Barefoot, 46, 91, 92, 93, 118, 124, 150, 155 Harram Wall, 108 Harrek the Berserker, 41 Harsad, 81 Heavy Cavalry, 167, 168, 169, 170, 171, 172, 174 Heavy Infantry, 169, 172, 173, 174 Helby, 38, 82, 131 Henotheists, 17, 31, 96, 131, 161 Heortland, 60, 141, 150 Heortlings, 47, 110, 120, 122, 128, 150, 157 Herjan the Raider, 51 Hero Wars, 5 Heroes, 5 High Council of Genertela, 91 High Llama Pass, 91, 117 High Watcher, 67, 68, 69, 85, 131 Himel, 164, 165 Himile, 164, 165, 166 Hogar, 83, 167 Holay, 2 Holut, 131, 134, 136, 171

Holy Country, 14 Holy Estorex, 122 Holy War, 23, 59, 60, 61 Hoplites, 2, 115 Horal, 25, 27, 142 Horali, 10, 12, 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 33, 34, 39, 44, 49, 50, 53, 57, 58, 59, 60, 63, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 90, 92, 100, 125, 136, 139, 167, 168, 171 Horse People, 37, 42, 119, 121, 122, 125 Horse Regiment, 168 Horse War Society, 60, 82, 168 Horse Woman, 82 House of Bailifes, 68, 70, 72, 80, 136 House of Warriors, 151, 152, 172 Housecarls, 153 Hrelar Amali, 37, 56, 92, 118, 119, 120, 122, 123, 124, 158, 164 Hrestol, 19, 33, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 61, 62, 66, 67, 70, 71, 91, 93, 97, 98, 100, 101, 106, 108, 138, 144, 161 Hrestoli, 15, 19, 22, 32, 38, 42, 49, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 59, 60, 63, 66, 67, 69, 70, 73, 77, 91, 92, 93, 95, 96, 97, 98, 100, 104, 108, 121, 124, 125, 138, 139, 141 Hrestoli Communities, 54 Hrestoli Orders, 54 Hrestolism, 8, 20, 22, 51, 52, 53, 54, 66, 67, 68, 70, 71, 89, 93, 96, 97, 104, 108, 131 Hsunchen, 16, 20, 31, 32, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 49, 50, 56, 60, 64, 66, 78, 80, 81, 82, 83, 89, 90, 91, 92, 96, 108, 109, 114, 117, 118, 119, 121, 122, 125, 126, 128, 131, 132, 144, 151, 155, 159, 160, 162 Humakt, 22, 58, 92, 110, 113, 118, 120, 124, 126, 127, 137, 150, 152, 164, 165, 170, 171, 172, 173 Humat, 119, 120, 122, 124, 150, 164, 165 Hykim, 16, 118, 164, 165, 166 Hykimi, 16, 32, 34, 35, 42, 56, 90, 91, 122 Ice Age, 6, 20, 22, 29, 31, 32, 33 Icebreak, 33, 44 Idovanus, 115 Ifttala, 33, 34, 39, 49, 51, 166 Imperial Bodyguard, 140 Invisible God, 4, 15, 17, 19, 20, 21, 31, 32, 33, 52, 53, 62, 66, 67, 68, 88, 98, 106, 108, 110, 112, 118, 124, 126, 131, 132, 141, 159, 161, 167, 168, 169, 170, 171, 172 Irdagi, 41, 166 Irensaval, 19, 93

178

Irensavalism, 19, 93, 98 Irensavalist, 62, 67, 93, 94, 96 Irgar, 41, 166 Iron Blood School, 23 Iron Dwarves, 28, 63, 114 Iron Mountains, 5, 44, 48 Isefwal, 34, 42, 53 Issaries, 35, 118, 120, 159, 161 Jagrekriand, 110, 165, 166 Janerndal (Lord), 94 Janube, 6, 7, 34, 40, 41, 42, 89, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 107, 108, 109, 112, 114, 115 Janube River, 6, 7, 34, 40, 41, 42, 89, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 107, 108, 109, 112, 114, 115 Jofrain, 131, 151 Jonat Big Bear, 10, 95, 110, 111, 112 Jonatela, 12, 19, 42, 92, 93, 95, 96, 110, 111, 112, 114, 115, 151, 165 Jonatlings, 90, 95, 96, 110, 111, 112, 170 Jorestl, 38, 49, 51, 55 Jorra, 96 Jorriand, 93 Jorst of Tarasdal, 129 Jorstland, 129, 130 Joy, 4, 15, 32, 52, 53, 54, 55, 62, 92, 93, 98, 99, 104 Jrustela, 21, 32, 49, 51, 61, 63, 64, 65, 67, 70, 163 Jrusteli, 21, 22, 30, 40, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 67, 69, 93, 94, 95, 118, 127 Judges, 54, 55, 67, 68, 99 Junora, 42, 89, 91, 97, 108, 165 Junoran, 89, 97 Kachasti, 17, 20, 27, 35, 49, 165 Kanthor, 45, 49, 51, 52 Kargan Tor, 164 Karia, 83, 122, 128, 129, 136, 157, 158 Karndasal, 40 Kartolin, 5, 36, 40, 45, 58, 92, 93, 117, 119, 121, 123, 125, 130, 151 Kartolin Pass, 5, 36, 45, 58, 92, 93, 117, 119, 121, 123, 125, 130 Keanos, 122, 131, 156 KefTavar, 42 Kero Fin Mountain, 122 Kerofinela, 45, 47, 91, 122 Kilwin, 155 Kingdom of War, 5, 89, 97, 99, 100, 101, 105, 108, 114, 115, 164, 170 King-Emperor, 63, 64, 71 Kivitti, 38, 83 Klanths, 156 Knowers, 15, 67, 68 Kocholang (King), 111, 151 Kontos, 8, 11, 12, 77, 81, 82, 84, 85, 87, 104, 105, 111, 138, 140, 160, 167, 168, 169, 170, 172, 173, 174, 175

INDEX Kopis, 12, 14, 111, 112, 151, 170, 175 Korgatsu, 80, 118, 119, 165 Korion, 150, 165 Korioni, 35, 36, 118, 119, 120, 123, 124, 125, 127, 128, 129, 131, 152, 157 Korost, 165 Kotorsland, 64 Kralorela, 17, 64, 70, 102, 130 Kralori, 17, 32, 35 Krjalki, 6, 44, 64, 84, 115, 123, 130 Kustria, 74, 131, 142 Ladaral, 25, 91, 98, 165 Lake Ehilmka, 37, 119, 122, 131 Lake Felster, 35, 37, 56, 60, 117, 119, 120, 126, 129, 130, 131, 133, 134, 135, 141, 143, 144, 146, 147, 148, 151 Lake Helby, 119, 127, 150, 165 Lalia, 136, 154 Lamellar, 10, 11, 16, 166, 174 Lance, 170, 172 Lankst, 111, 131, 150, 151, 152, 153, 172 Laranessa, 73, 83, 168 Law Rune, 13, 14, 17, 21, 62, 68, 77, 88, 106, 107, 112, 144, 153 League of Monsters, 123 Leather, 166, 167, 168, 170, 171, 172, 173, 174 Leplain, 66, 68 Lesser Darkness, 24, 32, 38 Levane, 82 Lhankor Mhy, 17, 21, 22, 35, 120 Light Cavalry, 168, 171, 172, 173, 174 Light Infantry, 168, 169, 170, 171, 172, 173, 174 Lightbringers, 35, 45, 47, 91, 92, 118, 119, 124, 132, 155, 159 Likitae, 49, 80, 83, 144 Linen, 166, 172, 173 Linothorax, 166, 173, 174, 175 Lion Man, 80, 82 Lion Men, 34, 37, 40, 50, 52, 59, 82, 92, 119 Lion People, 33, 35, 39, 49, 51, 82 Lion Regiment, 167 Lion War Society, 76, 80, 82, 167 Lodik, 36, 39, 122, 164, 166 Lodril, 25, 36, 164, 165, 166 Lofting (King), 56, 130 Lofting III (King), 130 Lokamayadon, 124 Long Spear, 175 Longbow, 109, 110, 111 Loper People, 94, 128, 159 Loronaga, 73, 80, 83, 168 Loskalm, 5, 7, 8, 14, 16, 17, 22, 32, 42, 51, 53, 54, 73, 89, 93, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 102, 106, 108, 115, 164, 169, 170 Loskalmi, 9, 15, 19, 71, 89, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 104, 106,

107, 108, 112, 114, 115, 116, 166, 169 Luatha, 43, 45, 48, 51, 55, 60, 63, 66, 95, 160 Ludoch, 144 Lunar Empire, 17, 82, 102, 115, 118, 130, 138, 151, 164 Machine for Storming Walls, 64 Magasta, 25, 30, 31, 65 Magi, 115 Magical Road, 48, 89, 91, 118, 121, 159 Maidstone Archers, 89 Maidstone Mountains, 89 Makan, 62, 93, 98, 99 Makla Mann, 124, 127, 140, 150 Malaskan Phillippe, 58 Malkion, 4, 6, 15, 17, 20, 21, 24, 25, 26, 27, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 47, 49, 51, 52, 56, 62, 67, 68, 80, 93, 97, 99, 120, 131, 144, 159, 161, 165 Malkioni, 6, 7, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24, 26, 27, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 38, 42, 45, 47, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 59, 60, 61, 62, 66, 67, 68, 81, 85, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 97, 98, 99, 108, 114, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 123, 130, 131, 132, 138, 141, 144,159, 161, 162, 165, 172 Malkionism, 6, 7, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 24, 31, 32, 49, 51, 52, 56, 60, 61, 66, 70, 94, 108, 110, 132, 159, 167, 169 Mallia, 58, 123 Mammoth Man, 83 Mammoth People, 35, 40, 83 Mammoth Regiment, 167, 171 Mammoth War Society, 83, 88, 167 Manday, 85 Maniria, 15, 19, 38, 39, 40, 54, 56, 64, 81, 91, 118, 122, 127, 133, 137, 159, 160, 161 Manirian Road, 81, 133, 153, 159, 160, 161 Man-of-All, 9, 54, 55, 57, 59, 87, 97, 98, 100, 102, 104, 105, 106, 107, 144 Marshal, 63 Martial Beast, 14, 39, 49, 53, 56, 57, 59, 60, 64, 65, 71, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 88, 136, 138 Martial Beasts, 49, 53, 56, 59, 64, 80 Mastakos, 156, 157 Mata, 37, 120, 150, 164, 165 Matara, 120, 165 Menena, 25, 28, 29, 53, 85 Men-of-All, 8, 15, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 59, 69, 70, 71, 89, 91, 92, 95, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 108, 115, 121, 139, 169, 170 Meriatan, 115

179

Mesor, 164 Middle Sea Empire, 7, 8, 9, 10, 16, 17, 21, 22, 23, 33, 34, 38, 39, 45, 48, 50, 57, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 70, 71, 72, 78, 81, 82, 83, 89, 91, 93, 94, 95, 101, 117, 126, 127, 129, 134, 135, 136, 148, 150, 159, 160, 161, 163, 167 Middle Storm Age, 32 Miglos (Emperor), 63 Militia, 153, 167, 169, 170, 171, 172, 173, 174 Mimtak (King), 54 Mirrorsea Bay, 64 Mislari Mountains, 7, 36, 48, 117, 123, 135, 157, 158 Morain, 96 Morale, 166, 167, 168, 169, 170, 171, 172, 173 Most Grand Tournament of All History, 74, 142 Mostal, 15, 164 Mostali, 26, 92, 117, 120 Mount Visku, 47, 118, 119, 128, 156 Mountain Goat People, 36 Mralot, 81, 159, 161 Mraloti, 38, 161 Muscle cuirass, 175 Nagi-Mer, 118, 165 Nakala, 39, 110, 120, 164, 165, 166 Narensaval, 93 Naskorion, 131, 132, 136, 155 Nedurant, 130 Neleos, 33 Neleoswal, 31, 33, 52 Neliom, 25, 166 Neliomi Sea, 7, 17, 25, 32, 33, 56, 94, 115, 116 Nenanduft, 34, 53, 93 New Dangim Alliance, 130 New Hrestoli, 7, 15, 19, 22, 32, 54, 89, 92, 97, 98, 99, 100, 102, 104, 169, 170 New Hrestolism, 7, 19, 22, 89, 97, 98, 100, 169, 170 New Malkonwal, 32 Nida, 48, 87, 92, 95, 114, 119, 136, 138 Nidan Decamony, 48, 114 Nidan Mountains, 7, 35, 42, 44, 89, 93, 117, 118, 151 Nieby, 32, 59, 60, 61, 82, 84, 122, 150 Nine Great Gods, 37, 164 Nisaro the Great Purifier, 127 Nolos, 68, 69, 85 Noloswal, 71, 85 Norans, 34 North Dona Sun Dome, 108 Northpoint, 100 Nralar the Old (King), 61 Nralarites, 61 Nusa, 36, 158, 165

MEN OF THE WEST Nysalor, 40, 43, 46, 47, 56, 58, 59, 61, 92, 93, 117, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 163 Old Hrestolism, 69, 77 Old Seshnela, 7, 17, 20, 33, 43, 44, 45, 48, 49, 51, 52, 55, 60, 63, 66, 68, 70, 74, 80, 83, 87, 95 Old Ways Orlanthi, 60, 124, 128, 129, 150, 155 Open order, 166, 169, 171, 172, 173, 174 Oradaros, 85 Oran, 89, 91, 165 Oranor, 42, 93 Order of the New Iron Staff, 63 Order of the Iron Staff, 78 Orenri, 41, 166 Orgethites, 53, 121, 122 Original Peoples, 30, 34, 35, 165 Orlanth, 25, 33, 35, 37, 42, 46, 47, 52, 89, 91, 110, 113, 115, 117, 118, 119, 120, 123, 124, 126, 128, 129, 132, 150, 151, 152, 153, 155, 157, 164, 165, 166, 169, 170, 172, 173 Orlanthi, 12, 18, 19, 22, 24, 25, 29, 31, 32, 34, 35, 37, 38, 39, 41, 42, 45, 46, 47, 58, 59, 60, 89, 90, 91, 92, 95, 96, 108, 111, 112, 113, 115, 117, 118, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 136, 137, 139, 140, 141, 143, 150, 151, 152, 153, 155, 156, 157, 159, 161, 172 Ormsland, 128, 158 Otkorion, 124, 131, 132, 151, 153 Ozur Sound, 89, 94, 97, 106 Pamaltela, 32, 38, 45, 63, 64, 70, 72, 126 Panosket, 34 Paslac (Archon), 127 Pasos, 68, 69, 85, 129 Pectoral, 175 Peloria, 40, 42, 43, 47, 54, 58, 60, 83, 93, 96, 122, 123, 125, 127, 128, 130, 163, 164 Pelorians, 35 Pendal, 33, 34, 39, 80, 82, 166, 167 Pendali, 25, 33, 34, 35, 37, 38, 39, 40, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 59, 60, 61, 63, 66, 77, 82, 119, 165, 166 Penteconter, 107, 109, 116, 141, 147, 148, 149, 150, 160, 174 Perfe, 100 Perfect City, 25 peytral, 8, 9, 10, 11, 76, 105, 111 Peytral, 8, 11 Phalangites, 173, 174 Phalanx, 109, 166, 174 Pikes, 174 Pithdaros, 85, 97, 126 Pomona Whirlers, 15, 101 Pralor, 40, 83, 159, 160

Pralorela, 40, 84, 159, 160 Pralori, 35, 40, 59, 136, 144, 155, 159, 160, 161, 171 Prax, 38, 39, 72, 122, 164 Pteruges, 174 Quinpolic League, 19, 69, 71, 85, 86, 116 Rala, 165 Ralia, 36, 117, 118, 144, 165 Ralian, 9, 11, 36, 44, 48, 52, 59, 63, 118, 121, 123, 124, 125, 127, 128, 129, 135, 138, 140, 142, 150, 151, 157, 170 Ralios, 5, 6, 7, 8, 12, 15, 17, 19, 23, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 53, 54, 56, 58, 59, 60, 61, 63, 64, 68, 69, 70, 82, 83, 84, 91, 92, 93, 95, 97, 111, 115, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 142, 143, 144, 146, 150, 151, 154, 155, 156, 157, 158, 159, 160, 161, 163, 164, 173 Ralzakark, 130 Ramalia, 38, 39, 159, 160, 161 Rasarus, 92, 93 Rathor, 40, 41, 42, 81, 89, 93, 95, 96, 109, 110, 111, 115, 166, 167 Rathorela, 89, 114, 115 Rathori, 40, 41, 42, 81, 93, 95, 96, 109, 110, 111, 115, 166 Readers, 15, 20, 67, 68 Red Book, 22, 62, 126 Red Goddess, 89 Redaylda, 37 Redel, 95, 166 Redeli, 35, 92, 95 Return to Rightness Crusade, 61, 93, 96 Ridderan, 138 Riddlers, 47, 58, 59, 128 Rindland, 48, 56, 66, 68 Rokar, 19, 49, 66, 67, 68, 69, 72 Rokari, 7, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 23, 32, 48, 49, 51, 53, 57, 60, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 73, 75, 77, 78, 79, 80, 85, 88, 89, 98, 104, 118, 131, 133, 139, 141, 144, 159, 167, 169 Rokarism, 32, 49, 66, 67, 68, 70, 75, 131 Runes, 6, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 27, 28, 46, 55, 62, 64, 68, 77, 88, 106, 113, 114, 134, 143, 153, 157, 158 Safa, 37, 117, 144, 147, 149, 150, 165 Safelster, 18, 19, 32, 36, 37, 38, 40, 47, 59, 63, 66, 68, 88, 117, 118, 124, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 142, 144, 145, 150, 151, 152, 157,

180

159, 161, 171, 172 Safelstran, 10, 14, 23, 36, 37, 68, 73, 126, 127, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150, 151, 153, 154, 155, 157, 158, 166, 170, 171, 172, 173 Saird, 36, 45, 122, 123, 128, 129, 158 Sairdite, 2 Sandrya, 39, 156 Sarissa, 173, 174, 175 Sartarite, 5 Saug, 131, 156 Sea Alliance, 86 Second Age, 7, 8, 10, 16, 17, 19, 20, 22, 25, 31, 34, 38, 40, 41, 42, 43, 45, 46, 48, 57, 60, 61, 63, 64, 66, 69, 72, 89, 91, 93, 95, 96, 102, 108, 110, 114, 116, 117, 118, 121, 123, 124, 126, 127, 136, 150, 151, 154, 155, 157, 158, 159, 161, 163, 167 Second Dari Alliance, 56, 119, 122, 123 Second Ecclesiastical Council, 53 Segurane, 16, 21, 66, 71, 80, 87 Sentanos, 131, 132, 151 Seras, 118, 120, 165 Seravus, 118, 165 Serpent Beast, 37, 40, 118, 119, 122, 144 Serpent Crown, 48, 69, 77 Serpent King Dynasty, 51 Serpent Kings, 37, 49, 50, 51, 52, 56, 73, 77, 80, 83 Seshna, 25, 31, 33, 34, 39, 45, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 55, 60, 73, 80, 131, 166 Seshneg, 33, 49 Seshnegi, 9, 29, 31, 33, 34, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 45, 48, 50, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 71, 77, 78, 82, 84, 104, 106, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 131, 151, 159, 162, 164 Seshnela, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 23, 24, 25, 31, 32, 33, 34, 36, 37, 38, 39, 44, 48, 49, 51, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 77, 78, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 86, 87, 88, 90, 91, 93, 95, 96, 97, 104, 105, 107, 116, 117, 121, 122, 123, 124, 126, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 134, 135, 136, 137, 139, 141, 142, 143, 144, 151, 152, 159, 161, 163, 164, 165, 171 Seshnelan, 5, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 23, 39, 49, 54, 56, 60, 65, 68, 69, 71, 72, 74, 75, 77, 78, 79, 85, 86, 87, 88, 91, 95, 101, 104, 117, 119, 121, 122, 127, 129, 130, 131, 134, 136, 140, 141, 142, 143, 157, 163, 166, 167, 171 Seventh Ecclesiastical Council, 69

INDEX Shargash, 169 Sharp Abiding Book, 15, 66, 67, 75, 77, 79, 88 Shield-wall, 153, 174 Sidepieces, 11 Siglat (King), 19, 22, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 102, 104, 108 Siglolf Cloudcrusher, 128, 151 Sigur (King), 94, 95, 100 Silver Empire, 8, 34, 37, 38, 56, 57, 81, 83, 91, 119, 120, 122, 159 Silver Shields, 170, 172 Sish, 34, 53, 160 Skirmishers, 174 Sling, 171, 175 Slontos, 5, 6, 7, 38, 40, 45, 56, 63, 64, 95, 122, 125, 128, 144, 159, 160, 163 Snake Regiment, 80, 168 Snake War Society, 75, 80, 83 Snake Woman, 80, 83 Snodal (King), 19, 96, 97, 98, 100, 101, 108, 114, 115 Sodal, 37, 63, 80, 82, 117, 119, 127, 130, 143, 168 Sodal Marsh, 37, 63, 80, 82, 117, 119, 127, 130, 143, 168 Sog City, 5, 31, 54, 89, 94, 97, 115 Sogolotha Mambrola, 34 Solace, 4, 25, 32, 51, 53, 67, 79, 99 Sons of Truth, 60 Sorb, 28, 43 Sorcerer War, 63 Southpoint, 34, 91, 100, 107 Spear, 168, 169, 170, 171, 172, 173, 174, 175 Spell Forbidden by Urostio, 29 Spring Ballistas, 64 Sramak, 37, 117, 164, 165, 166 Stag Man, 83 Stag War Society, 83 Storm Bull, 35, 42, 113, 170, 172, 173 Storm God, 5, 26, 33, 35, 36, 37, 42, 46, 47, 52, 54, 64, 91, 119, 120, 123, 125, 128, 131, 144, 147, 164, 165, 166 Storm Gods, 26, 35, 37, 47, 54, 120, 123, 125, 128, 131, 144, 147 Stygian Empire, 61, 64, 126 Sun Dome, 173 Sun Dome Templars, 128, 136, 173 Sun Dome Temple, 94, 109, 129, 155, 157, 173 Sun Horse, 36, 37, 82, 120, 121, 138, 140, 150, 158, 168 Sunstop, 26, 122 Surantyr the Non-Heretic, 132, 151 Surkorion, 124, 128, 129, 130 Surprise Battalion, 64 Svagad (Emperor), 61, 63, 128, 159 Sweet Sea, 42, 43, 89, 93, 107 Sworn Men, 65, 75 Sworn Regiment, 79, 80 Syanor, 7, 93, 95, 110

Syndics Ban, 17, 41, 42, 96, 97, 99, 114, 138, 164 Syranthir Forefront, 40, 60, 93 Tadenit, 20 Tadeniti, 20, 35 Talar, 8, 26, 29, 31, 33, 34, 50, 51, 53, 58, 67, 68, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 84, 85, 99, 141, 167 Talar Cavalry, 167, 170 Talari, 8, 10, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 31, 32, 33, 34, 48, 49, 51, 52, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 90, 91, 92, 100, 134, 167, 169 Talastar, 47, 128, 129 Talmakos (Prince), 60 Talor the Laughing Warrior, 19, 36, 40, 42, 43, 60, 82, 91, 92, 93, 97, 110, 124, 125, 155 Talsardia, 91, 122 Tana, 59, 117, 150, 165 Tanewal, 59, 61 Tanier River, 6, 7, 25, 40, 48, 58, 59, 60, 70, 77, 82, 117, 119, 127, 130, 131, 143, 150, 153, 168 Tanisor, 20, 23, 38, 39, 40, 48, 51, 56, 58, 59, 61, 62, 63, 66, 68, 119, 122, 123, 129, 130 Tanisor Alliance, 68, 130 Tarasdal, 66, 131 Tarasdal Alliance, 66 Tarin, 159, 165 Tarinwood, 25, 39, 40, 81, 82, 84, 123, 159, 161 Tarjinian Bull, 92 Tarumath, 46, 122, 123, 124 Tarumathi, 124 Tasset, 175 Tastolar, 43, 114 Tawar, 35, 42, 81, 165, 168 Tawari, 34, 35, 41, 42, 56, 81, 90, 91 Telmor, 43, 84, 168 Telmori, 35, 40, 42, 43, 60, 61, 84, 92, 93, 125, 151, 152, 154, 156 Templars, 109, 173 Teshnos, 64, 94 Thaw, 89, 97, 107, 109 Theyalan, 12, 32, 35, 38, 42, 45, 46, 47, 58, 89, 90, 91, 94, 95, 118, 119, 120, 122, 123, 132, 159, 162, 164, 165, 166 Theyalan Council, 38, 120 Theyalans, 20, 35, 37, 38, 39, 40, 42, 45, 46, 47, 91, 119, 120, 122, 131, 132, 155, 165 Third Age, 8, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 31, 32, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 45, 46, 48, 49, 54, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 63, 65, 66, 69, 71, 72, 78, 84, 89, 91, 92, 95, 97, 104, 114, 117, 121, 127, 129, 130, 131, 144, 160, 163 Third Ecclesiastical Council, 60

181

Third Eye Blue, 35, 41, 43, 90, 93 Throne Kings Alliance, 151 Thunder Brothers, 43, 118, 151 Tilnta, 36, 39, 138, 164, 166 Tinaros, 131, 132 Tiskos, 38, 82, 131 Tolat, 63, 64, 94, 110 Tomaris, 19, 93, 106 Torif Vamale, 164, 165 Tournaments, 74, 142 Trader Prince, 40, 118, 133, 153, 159, 160, 161 Trapper, 11, 105 Triaconter, 141, 147, 148, 153, 174 Tribal Levies, 170, 172, 173 Triolini, 30, 31 Tripart Triangle, 61 Trireme, 45, 85, 86, 174 True Abiding Book, 18, 51, 66, 67 True Hrestoli Movement, 19, 56 True Hrestoli Way, 52, 56 Tryensaval, 19, 94 Tusk Riders, 155, 156 Uele Oline, 164, 165 Ukos, 84 Uleria, 164, 166 Ulianus III (King), 130, 142 Ulros, 92 Umath, 42, 120, 164, 165 Umathela, 19, 65 Uncolings, 114 Unicorn, 173 Unicorn Tribe, 173 Unireme, 107, 109, 116, 149 Uralda, 42, 122 Urox, 35, 42, 81, 110, 113, 122, 125 Utiam, 164 Uton, 131, 165 Utoni, 36, 37, 56, 118, 119, 120, 131, 134 Vadeli, 17, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 31, 35, 44, 45, 53, 56, 92, 107, 116 Vadeli Empire, 31 Vadeli Isles, 24, 44, 53 Vadrus, 46, 52, 91 Vamalm, 164 Vambraces, 175 Vampire Kings, 59 Vampire Legion, 59 Vanganth Hill, 124 Varganthar the Unconquerable, 92 Vensket, 52 Vesmonstran, 35, 130, 134, 136, 137, 149, 150, 151, 153, 155 Vetagi Alliance, 129 Vieltor, 165 Vikard (King), 74, 130, 142 Vindorhall, 128 Viscount, 63, 72 Vitary, 28 Vivamort, 59, 123, 128, 130 Vorthan, 91, 110, 165, 166

MEN OF THE WEST Voshfrei, 155 Vustr, 164, 165 Vustri, 36, 118, 119, 120, 122, 123, 125, 131, 134, 155, 156, 157, 158, 165 Wachaza, 63, 65 Waertag, 30, 31, 69 Waertagi, 5, 23, 30, 31, 34, 47, 51, 55, 56, 61, 65, 89, 91, 94, 97, 109, 116, 159 Waha, 39 War Against War, 115, 166 War Clans, 111, 170 War Society, 8, 11, 14, 39, 50, 55, 56, 57, 59, 60, 64, 69, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 83, 84, 104, 121, 129, 136, 140, 166, 168, 171 Watcher Supreme, 68 Watchers, 15, 48, 67, 68, 70, 79, 80 Weapon Tests, 27, 34 Weaponthanes, 153 Western, 61 Western Rockwood Mountains, 36, 40, 89, 128, 158

Western Rockwoods, 7, 80, 117 Western script, 28, 77, 88, 105, 141 Westerners, 6, 10, 16, 20, 21, 25, 26, 31, 32, 34, 35, 42, 44, 45, 46, 49, 60, 91, 101, 118, 119, 120, 121, 124, 125, 126, 132 White Bear Empire, 41, 95, 96, 101, 108 White Horse Troop, 138 White Sea, 89 Wizpotket, 34 Wolf Man, 84 Wolf Regiment, 168, 172 Wolf War Society, 60, 84 Workers, 6, 25, 27, 49, 52, 60, 67, 73, 97, 98 Worlath, 25, 33, 35, 39, 47, 52, 53, 99, 120, 166 Xemela, 19, 22, 31, 33, 53 Xemstown, 112 Xentha, 37, 165 Yellow Bear, 95

Yelm, 25, 36, 47, 164, 165, 166, 170, 172 Yelmalio, 36, 151, 158, 165, 173 Yelmalion, 109, 123 Yelorna, 123, 158, 173 Ygg, 107, 115, 116 Ylream, 33 Yomat, 165 Yomili, 23, 63, 129 Zaval, 37, 120, 165 Zendamalthan School, 19, 106 Zistorites, 64, 65 Zolan, 110, 165 Zorak Zoran, 37, 59, 92, 118, 126, 161, 165 Zrenthus, 120, 122, 164, 166 Zzabur, 4, 6, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 26, 29, 31, 33, 44, 52, 55, 62, 69, 98, 99, 126 Zzaburi, 16, 17, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 49, 51, 52, 53, 54, 57, 58, 67, 68, 70, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 80, 84, 85, 87, 100, 104

Queen Ingye and King Meime at the city of Galin. Meime is wearing his ornate tournament iron armor of dwarven manufacture; the helmet is fashioned to resemble a human face, with eyes, nose, and a grinning mouth with a pair of curled ram’s horns, brass spectacles, and even etched beard stubble. 182