Humakti Initiation Heroquest

Humakti Initiation Heroquest

GM Introduction

This is an initiation quest for Six Seasons in Sartar, for characters who want to join Humakt. Barring a few NPCs and the location, it should be generic enough for anyone to use. 

This Heroquest goes hand-in-hand with the myth of How Death came into the World (also on this blog). 

The quest is very centred on the Humakti player, so I have created NPCs for the other players to take on. We discussed this beforehand and everyone agreed - figuring they’d get their moment in the sun when they get initiated.

The biggest problem with Heroquests is that, with the myth being written up, the players follow the dots and lose any sort of agency. One way around that is that players write their own myths, but my players are brand new to Glorantha and weren’t confident about that. 

The path I took is that the myth tells you the “What” but not the “How”. The intent is that this leaves the player free to use their creativity to devise the exact steps. 

So, for example, the myth tells us that Humakt took Death from Eurmal but it doesn’t say how - intimidation, force, reason?  Similarly, I haven’t defined who kills Grandfather Mortal, Eurmal or Humakt, because the players will decide that in play.  The myth tells you that Humakt separated the living from the dead, but the exact ritual is for the player to define. 

Preparation for the Initiation

The initiate is taken from their home the morning of the Humakt’s Holy Day of the season by Jorganeth Bladesong and the six Humakti initiates in the clan. They are given a chance to say goodbye to their family if they want.

They make a solemn procession through the vale towards the Bone Field, chanting the Death Song. This song is ancient, more ancient than the Haraborn clan. All others avoid them, even as they go about their business.  Humakti rituals are not for ordinary people.

The day at the Bone Field is spent in prayer and meditation with Jorganeth alternately leading prayer and song, or meditating in peace.  This counts as a meditation roll and will give the initiate a +25% chance to their worship roll

As dusk falls, Jorganeth rises and the six initiates line up three at each side. The initiate to be stands before Jorganeth.  Without a word, Jorganeth begins to sing as the other chant. He is opening a way to the other side.

The player makes a worship roll with a +25% meditation bonus. They can augment with their Death rune or Truth rune (also at a +25% bonus). From a perspective of a GM we really want the player to make this worship roll  

The initiate to be finds that everything fades and they are in the other side.

Station 1: The Discovery of Death

“Do you wish to try a new power?”

Setting:

This is the golden age when Yelm stood high in the sky dome. The storm gods are young and Orlanth is not yet king.

The initiate encounters Eurmal, carrying the newly found Death.  Eurmal is gloating and pleased with himself. The initiate must take Death from Eurmal. Grandfather Mortal joins them and becomes the first being to die.

Challenges and Player Action:

The player must decide how to take Death from Eurmal – by force, by convincing him or some other way

The player must decide who kills Grandfather Mortal; Eurmal or Humakt. 

·      Will they wield Death and strike the blow? (The Dealer of Death)

·      Will they allow Death to act on its own? (The Power of Death)

This choice defines their path—are they the executor of finality, or its guardian?

Station Rewards

·      +1D6  in whatever skill the initiate used get Death from Eurmal.

·      +5% to Death rune if they killed Grandfather Mortal or Truth rune if Eurmal killed Grandfather Mortal.

Station 2: The Theft of Death and Severing of Kinship

“Kin should never steal from kin.”

GM Annotation: This is a mythic confrontation framed as an argument, not just a rejection.  Orlanth’s pride in killing Yelm reflects the Storm Tribe’s glory-seeking ways. Humakt sees it as a misuse of Death and cannot abide it. This is where the initiate must make their clean break.

Setting

This is the Lesser Darkness when Yelm is dead. The sky is dark and the storm gods revel in the disorder. Chaos has not yet entered the world.

The initiate finds Orlanth exulting in his victory: Yelm is dead, the world is changed, and Orlanth believes he has done something great. Eurmal grins at the chaos he has caused.

Orlanth turns to the initiate with open arms. “Brother! Together, we have changed the world!  With Death, we are unstoppable!”

Challenge and Player Actions

The initiate must reject Orlanth’s worldview and sever their ties to the Storm Tribe. This is not just a personal act—it is mythic, symbolic, and final. The Heroquest reshapes the initiate’s Runes and Passions.

·      Refute Orlanth’s use of Death as dishonorable.

·      Publicly renounce their bond to the Storm Tribe in the God Time.

·      Let the initiate choose how to sever themselves: through speech, ritual, or a symbolic act (e.g., cutting a wind rune from their flesh), Storm rune vs Death rune.

Mechanical Effect

·      The initiate must reduce their Storm Rune to 0%.

·      They must remove Loyalty (Family).

·      They may choose to remove Loyalty (Clan).  If they keep it, it will become a conflicted passion until it is reconciled in Station 5.

Station Rewards

·      +5% Honor Passion or Truth rune

·      Remove Air affinity (set air rune to 0%)

·      New passion Devotion (Humakt)

Penalties

If the player falters or compromises, the severance is incomplete.  The quest is failed at this point and the initiate returns to the mortal plane in shame.

Station 3: Separating the Living from the Dead

“The dead must walk their own path.”

Setting:

This is the Greater Darkness. Yelm is dead, chaos is free and the world is dying.

Humakt stands in the Greater Darkness among the living and dead. It becomes harder and harder to differentiate, much less separate them. The dead refuse to depart while the living starve and beg.  The living and the dead intermingle, breaking the natural order.  A continuous line of living and dead come towards him.

Challenges and Player Action:

The initiate must confront lost souls, deciding who stays and who goes. Some ghosts beg to remain—what do they do?  How does the initiate separate them?  Let the initiate devise the ritual.

·      Command the spirits—forcing them beyond the veil.

·      Reason with them—convincing them of their fate.

·      Sacrifice something of themselves to complete the separation.

·      Use their sword as a death rune and ritually carve the living from the dead

Have the player be faced with real examples of living and dead:

·      A mother who has lost her children and wants to follow them to the underworld.

·      A dead father who wants to stay to help his wife.

·      A dead warrior who refuses to believe he lost the battle.

Purpose:

The initiate proves their understanding of Death’s boundary, ensuring the cycle remains unbroken.

Station Rewards

·      +1D6 to Death rune or skill most relevant to how the initiate separated the dead

·      On a special or critical role (or particularly awesome roleplay) gain rune spell Turn Undead

Station 4: Reclaiming Death from the Unworthy

“Death is not conquest. Death is not vengeance. Death is honor.”

GM Annotation:

This station represents Humakt’s reclaiming of Death from gods who misuse it. The initiate encounters two figures—each wielding Death in a twisted form. Their actions before the confrontation determine how difficult the encounter becomes. Encourage the player to think not only tactically, but morally. This is the station where the initiate defines what kind of Death they bring into the world.

Encounter 1: Storm Bull and the Chaos Nest

Setting:

The initiate comes upon Storm Bull locked in brutal battle with a nest of broo who want to prey on a small clan. He fights like a whirlwind, tearing through chaos with unrestrained fury. The Sword of Death gleams in his hand, wild and bloodied.

Storm Bull turns and sees the initiate. “Brother!” he roars. “Fight with me! Death is ours!” He does not yet know that Humakt has severed his ties to the Storm Tribe.

Player Choice:

·      Convince Storm Bull that they are no longer brothers. Are they allies but not kin?  Are they neither?

·      Help Storm Bull fight the broo: He welcomes you as kin. After the battle, he is more receptive, though confused by your “change.”

·      Stand back and watch: He defeats the broo alone, but mistrusts your motives. You must work harder to persuade him.

·      Fight the broo yourself, alone: This earns Storm Bull’s respect, but not his camaraderie.

Challenge:

Convince Storm Bull to give up the Sword of Death, which he sees as a righteous tool of Chaos-slaying.

Storm Bull will not give up Death, but he will acknowledge Humakt as its master.

Options:

·      Speak of honor and control—Death is not rage.

·      Offer him a weapon of chaos-slaying unbound by death.

·      Defeat him in ritual combat, but do not kill or shame him. Kin-slaying is chaos

Mechanical Stakes:

·      Gaining Storm Bull’s trust will give the initiate a +20% bonus on any attempt to convince him.

·      Contest Storm Rune vs Death or Truth Rune.

·      Orate or Honor Passion roll to persuade.

·      Optional duel: Sword vs Axe, but only to submission.

Encounter 2: Babeester Gor and the Traitor

Setting:

A sobbing, bloody man runs past the initiate. Moments later, Babeester Gor follows—an avatar of righteous fury, axe dripping red. “He sold his own children to Chaos for money” she screams. “His blood is owed to the Earth.”

Babeester Gor burns with Justice. She has carved vengeance into her bones. The initiate sees her wielding the Sword of Death—vengeful, efficient, pitiless, personal.

Player Choice:

·      Join her in pursuing the man: She sees you as an ally.

·      Defend the man: She sees you as a hypocrite.

·      Judge the man yourself: She challenges your authority to decide.

·      Let her pass unchecked: You must later confront her more forcefully.

Challenge:

Convince her to give up the Sword of Death—not as punishment, but as separation and justice without hatred.

Babeester Gor will not give up death but she will acknowledge Humakt as its master.

Options:

·      Prove the man is already spiritually dead, and no longer needs the sword.

·      Offer to exact judgment in her stead, with truth over wrath.

·      Swear an unbreakable oath never to let Death be used in cruelty.

Mechanical Stakes:

·      Gaining Babeester Gor’s trust will give the initiate a +20% on any attempt to convince her.

·      Earth Rune vs Truth Rune.

·      Passion: Honor vs Vengeance.

·      Orate, Truth, or Insight rolls.

Station Rewards

·      Successful use of the Death or Truth rune gains an automatic and immediate +1D6 to that rune

·      +1D6 to the skills used against either Storm Bull or Babeester Gor

·      On an exceptional performance or a a critical roll – gain 1-point Rune Magic: Truesword.  GM to decide if this fits game balance if the initiate already got Turn Undead in the previous station.

Station 5: Confrontation with Orlanth

“You will respect what I am.”

Setting:

The initiate stands before Orlanth, now King of the World.

Challenge and Player Action:

Orlanth offers the initiate a place in the Storm Tribe once more, first as a Cottar, then as a Carl, then as a Thane.

·      The initiate must earn Orlanth’s recognition—but how?

o   A duel—forcing Orlanth to acknowledge Humakt’s strength.

o   A test of honor—an unbreakable truth spoken, leaving Orlanth no choice but to concede.

o   A ritual challenge, proving that Death belongs only to Humakt.

·      The initiate can reject all, in which case they have no clan and are dedicated only to the cult of Humakt. In this case remove any loyalty to the clan passions

·      If the initiate accepts a place as a thane, they keep their loyalty to the clan passions

Resolution:

Orlanth respects Humakt’s mastery and grants him the place of a thane, a warrior beyond kinship.

Station Rewards

·      +1D6 to Death Rune

·      Keep/lose Loyalty (Clan) based on choice

Standing before Humakt

The initiate stands before Humakt, a huge warrior clad in bronze, wielding a two handed sword.

The initiate is asked to approach and is commanded to kneel.

Humakt speaks to the initiate:

Understand that it would be better to fall on your sword than to break the vow you are about to take.  There can be no falsehoods and no untruths in this place.

The initiate should signal their understanding.

You have passed the trials with honour.  For this, I will grant you a gift.

The initiate takes the one, two or three gifts as per the cult write-up.

You have chosen well. To show your strength, you will take a geas. To break your geas is to break a vow or oath.

The initiate rolls for the geas(es) at this point.

You have been severed from kin and are nameless. Your life before is dust blown away behind you.

You are reborn as death and the bringer of death. You wield this sword with honour.

Do you commit your soul to this?

The candidate swears it.

What name will you take?

The initiate gives their new name.  

The scene fades to show the initiate before the Sword of Humakt in the temple or shrine.  The other initiates rush in to welcome their new brother or sister.

There is feasting and drinking through the night but Humakti rituals are a strange solemn affair.

The next morning the new initiate of Humakt is presented to Gordangar as if he were a newcomer.  His new name is used and he is sworn in as a thane of the clan.

The new initiates weapons and armour are in the stead of the thanes. All other belongings have been left behind. 

NPCs

The NPC skills should roughly match the players skill level. Enough to be a challenge but not overwhelmingly better.  Change them as needed. 

Eurmal – The Trickster

Skills: Trickery 85%, Fast Talk 75%, Sleight 70%

Traits: Chaotic, playful, manipulative, gleeful in disruption

Motivation: Wants to see what happens when Death is loosed. Will twist words to tempt others into mischief.

Grandfather Mortal – The First to Die

Skills: Insight 60%, Listen 70%, Spirit Resistance 50%

Traits: Curious, innocent, trusting, a little slow

Motivation:

·      Grandfather Mortal was the first being created. He is unclear on his purpose because he has already missed out in being the God of Thunder and the Agoda of Mirror Making.

·      Drawn to Death by instinct. Doesn’t understand it but wants to touch it.

Storm Bull – The Berserker

Skills: Two-Handed Sword 60%, Berserk Rune Spell (match these to the players levels if necessary)

Runes: Storm 70%, Beast 70%, Death 50% (match these to the players levels if necessary)

Traits: Loud, aggressive, loyal, direct

Motivation:

·      Storm Bull’s purpose is to prevent the rise of the Devil and any associated form of chaos. He dedicated himself to fighting chaos during the God Time.

·      Kill Chaos. Doesn’t see nuance. Thinks Humakt is still a brother and expects him to fight side by side.

·      Storm Bull cannot give up Death, it is part of his nature, but he will acknowledge Humakt as its master.

Babeester Gor – The Avenger

Skills: Two-Handed Axe 60%, Intimidate 80%, Earthsense 60% (match these to the players levels if necessary)

Runes: Earth 70%, Death 50%

Traits: Grim, righteous, implacable, speaks in short sentences

Motivation:

·      Born when she stepped out of the corpse of her mother, Ernalda, she saw the destruction around her and swore vengeance.  She is the avenger of the earth.

·      Enact vengeance to those who betray or desecrate the Earth.  Justice is blood. Anyone who doubts her purpose is suspect.

·      Babeester Gor will not give up Death, it is part of her now, but she will acknowledge Humakt as its master.