A few Glorantha related notes

These are a few Glorantha related notes I put together for players of my Six Seasons in Sartar campaign. 

Chaos, as the Orlanthi See It
 
To the Orlanthi, Chaos is the great enemy, a force that does not belong in the world and seeks to unmake everything.  It is more than just evil—it is unnatural, bringing corruption, monsters, and madness. The world was nearly destroyed by Chaos once before, during the Great Darkness, and only the gods’ struggle saved it.  Even now, Chaos lingers in twisted beings like broo, the warped magic of the Lunars, and the taint of the Devil.  The Orlanthi believe Chaos must be fought wherever it appears, or it will spread, breaking down everything that holds the world together—honour, kinship, and life itself

Orlanthi Poetry

Bloated Shepelkirt hangs low in the sky, 
Chaos unleashed, as the storm winds cry. 
We await the prince, whose time is nigh, 
Argrath shall free us, or we shall die.
 
The Red Moon's gaze, a baleful light, 
Its tendrils of fear spread through the night. 
The Lunar chains have bound us tight, 
But storm will shatter this cursed blight.
 
Oh Orlanth, hear your children's plea 
Beneath oppression's twisted decree. 
We long for winds that set us free, 
To reclaim our kin, our destiny.
 
The fields lie barren, the hearth grows cold, 
Yet Orlanthi spirit burns, defiant and bold. 
Prophecy whispers of deeds untold, 
Of Argrath rising, brave and bold.
 
Storm-born prince, O hero divine, 
Your sword shall gleam, your stars align. 
Lead us forth, through darkest sign, 
Restore our land, O fate’s design.

 


What Illumination Means for You
The gods are before you, or rather, their masks are. Orlanth, the storm lord; Wakboth, the devil. But all these masks are empty. They represent different faces, different names, yet they are ultimately the same—masks, neither inherently good nor evil.
  • How can one be righteous and the other vile?
  • What if order and chaos are not good and evil? 
  • What if they are not sides of the same coin but simply forces in the universe?
  • If the gods themselves are masks, what does that mean for the laws and truths you were taught to revere?
You have been Illuminated.  This means you see the world without the barriers that shape other people’s thinking.  Orlanthi believe Chaos is pure evil, something to be destroyed on sight.  But you—you now know it’s not that simple.  You understand that Chaos isn’t a thing to be hated, but a force.  When the Great Compromise bound the devil into the web that became Time, Chaos became a part of the world like anything else. 
 
This does not mean you serve Chaos, but it does mean you are no longer bound by the deep, instinctive fear and revulsion that all Orlanthi feel toward it.
 
This is both a blessing and a danger.  Some people spend their whole lives seeking Illumination.  Others fear it, believing that it leads to madness, corruption, or worse.

Your clan will not understand what has happened to you.  You instinctively know that this must stay a secret.  If they knew, they might distrust or fear you - or worse, outlaw you or kill you. 
 
You have no idea what all this means.

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