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When the new Mongoose edition of RuneQuest hit the shelves roughly a year and a half ago, it was unclear just how much support would be given to Glorantha, the game’s original setting. The core rulebooks all referred to Glorantha as the default setting, but there was very little in them to back that statement up. As it turns out, long-time Gloranthaphiliacs such as myself had nothing to worry about. Having watched the Glorantha line develop over the last year, one thing has become crystal clear; the game is being written by fans.
Blood of Glorantha is a brilliant example. In it, author Gareth Hanrahan has given us an adventure as good as anything Chaosium—RQ’s original parent company—ever produced. Blood has all the hallmarks of a classic Gloranthan saga; a conflict driven by colliding world views rather than simplistic “good” versus “evil,” colorful and believable characters, attention to the details of life in pre-industrial cultures, and the awesome power of myth just behind the curtain of the world. It’s got gods, spirits, freedom fighters, fanatics, broo, and yes—damnit—ducks. Hanrahan hasn’t missed a beat.
THE MYTH OF ORLANTH MARTYRED
The story begins with a fairly generic plot: a valuable relic has been stolen and the player characters must recover it from the thief. But that is where the generic ends, and the storyline becomes thoroughly Gloranthan. For the object in question is linked to an obscure cult, a cult protecting a little-known myth. In a world where myths possess deep magical power, the one in question is fairly explosive. It tells the tale of how the god Orlanth fought the dragon Sh’kaharzeel…a common enough tale among the Orlanthi peoples. But this version differs from every other; in it, Orlanth not only slays the dragon, he is himself mortally wounded in the process, and lies dead for three days before being restored to life. At a time when the Orlanthi people are currently being absorbed into a new, dragon-worshipping empire, a myth such as this has the potential to revive their dying culture, in emulation of their god. On the other hand, if the dragon worshippers could suppress the myth, or worse—rewrite it to reflect better on themselves—the Old Ways might be stamped out forever. Added to the mix are the God Learners, agents of a massive and sorcerous empire who collect myths from all over the world to milk them of their power and add it to their own. A myth so rare and so long kept secret would be extremely valuable in their hands.
While such an adventure might have been good, Hanrahan makes it exceptional by writing it in such a way that player characters might be agents of any one of the three powers…Orlanthi, Wyrmfriend, or God Learner...all of whom are given a compelling reason to seek this artifact. Each section is divided among the three competing points of view, often with very different subplots for each. Depending on which faction you play, entire episodes can be completely different, though all three plot lines collide at the end. Point-of-View has always been intrinsic to Glorantha as a setting, and Blood of Orlanth sets a new standard in how it might be presented.
The adventure itself can be divided into three sections. In the first, the PCs pursue the thief down river towards the sea, passing through several villages and adventures along the way. With each stop they draw closer to the thief, have a chance to interact with the locals, and slowly become aware of an Orlanthi rebellion brewing against the dragon empire. In the second section, the rebellion erupts, and the players choose sides. In the third and final section, the characters use the myth of Orlanth Martyred to enter into a HeroQuest—a journey into the Otherworld where power may be gained and the world reshaped by re-enacting ancient myths. Depending on their motivation, the characters may either ensure draconic supremacy, protect the Orlanthi way of life from extinction, or give the God Learners a valuable weapon against either of the other two cultures.
It should also be noted that the actions of the characters in the first section can earn “Victory Points” for their side. These will influence the outcome of the conflict in the second part. For example, if the players are Orlanthi, and perform well through the preliminary adventures, when the war comes, the Orlanthi have a greater chance of victory.
HIGHLIGHTS
In addition to what has been previously mentioned, there is a lot in Blood of Orlanth to like. Each chapter opens with a myth, or a section of one, and these add to the ever-growing depth of color of this 40-year-old setting. The myths are colorful and convincingly written, and each has something to say about the adventure as it unfolds. Some of these are tales the player character will hear in the course of their journey, others are things they are likely to already know. But each reinforces myth as a central theme in the Gloranthan milieu.
In the back of the book are stats for nearly 80 characters and character types, ranging from Orlanthi, Wyrmfriends, and Godlearners to monsters, bystanders, gods, and spirits. Many of these could be recycled into subsequent tales. For long-time Glorantha fans, the story provides opportunities to fight or ally with broo, trolls, and ducks alongside the human pro/antagonists.
Finally, there are several examples of Orlanthi towns and villages which could easily be used as templates for similar locales, as well as a flying Godlearner ship which could inspire similar craft. Likewise, the HeroQuest occupying the final third of the tale could be used as a model for GMs to create their own. It is a superb example of how such a thing could be constructed.
WHAT’S NOT TO LIKE?
Ironically, Blood of Orlanth’s greatest feature—its exemplary portrayal of life and struggle in Glorantha—is also its Achilles’ Heel. There is very little in here to appeal to RQ fans of other settings. To adapt Blood to another setting would involve stripping it down of its best attributes.
In addition, fans used to the Third Age of Glorantha—which like the Old World of Warhammer is more concerned with the hideous tide of Chaos—will find little Chaos horrors here. The Second Age was a time of human empires, and that is squarely the focus of this product.
LAST WORDS
Style: Like all the books in the RQ line, Blood is a hardcover, and unlike some others, the binding seems to be holding up pretty well. Like all the books after Glorantha: The Second Age and the two “Cults” books, Blood is in black and white, but somehow looks like it was meant to be in color. Nowhere is this more evident than the maps, which look like poorly photocopied pieces of color art. And speaking of art, the pieces in the text are decent, but not spectacular. Most do however illustrate a related part of the text, which is always a good thing. Over all, then Style gets a 3…a 4 for the writing, but in an age of glorious, glossy game books, this books comes off average.
Substance: I couldn’t have been happier with the adventure. It is a well-written and constructed tale, full of subplots, memorable characters, and lots of hooks for other tales. Gotta go with a 5 here. If this is any indication of what we can expect from future adventures—like the up-coming Dara Happa Stirs--I'll be more than happy to hand over more of my money.
Questions? I'll be watching the posts and doing my best to answer.
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