Since 1979, what has been fundamental to RuneQuest and to
the world of Greg Stafford’s Glorantha, has been the integration and prominence
of its myths, pantheons, and their worship into the setting and as part of
everyday life for the Player Characters. Although the original
RuneQuest—more recently
published as
RuneQuest Classic—mentioned
the importance of cults, it only detailed three of them, offering limited
choices for the player and his character. That changed with the publication of
Cults of Prax,
which presented fifteen cults and their myths and magics dedicated to fifteen
very different deities. Fifteen very different cults and deities which held
very different world views and very different means of approaching problems and
overcoming them. Fifteen cults which provided their worshippers with a link to
their gods and in turn their gods with a link from god time to the real world. Fifteen
cults which provided their worshippers with great magics granted by their gods
and with paths to become Rune Lords and Rune Priests and so bring the power of
their gods into the world.
Cults of Prax provided the
RuneQuest devotee or
Gloranthaphile with a framework via which his character could enter the world
of Glorantha, giving form and function to faith and above all, making it
something that you could play and something that you wanted to play. For at its
most mechanical, a player and his character’s choice of cult works almost like
a character Class of
Dungeons & Dragons, giving the character benefits and
powers in terms of what he can do and how he does it. However, to reduce the
cults of Glorantha to such mechanical simplicity is to ignore the ‘why’ of what
the character can do, and it is this ‘why’ where the world of Glorantha and its
gods, myths, and cults comes alive.
Cults of Prax did not ignore this ‘why’,
but introduced it, and that is arguably why it is the most important supplement
ever for both Glorantha and
RuneQuest. However, in 2023, some forty-four years
after its publication,
Cults of Prax has a successor—or rather, a series of
successors.
Cults of RuneQuest is a ten-volume series of supplements each of which is
dedicated to the different pantheons of Glorantha. Each entry in the series
details the gods—both major and minor—within their pantheon, along with their
myths and cults, magics, favoured skills, requirements and restrictions for membership,
outlook and relationships with the other gods, and more. Each book is
standalone, but because each of the gods and pantheons has connections and
often entwining myths with other gods and pantheons, the series will together
provide a wider overview of all the gods of Glorantha as well as differing
approaches to them. This is further supported by the two companion volumes to
the series—
Cults of RuneQuest: The Prosopaedia and
Cults of RuneQuest: Mythology. The standalone nature of the series means
that the Game Master or the player—and it should be made clear that each of the
ten volumes in the
Cults of RuneQuest is intended to be used by both—can pick or
chose their favourite pantheon and use the gods and cults from that book.
However, some volumes are quite tightly bound to each other and some are, if
not bound geographically, have strong ties to certain regions of Glorantha. So,
for example, the first two entries in the series,
Cults of RuneQuest: The
Lightbringers and
Cults of RuneQuest: The Earth Goddesses are tightly bound to
each other as the myths of their gods often combine and cross paths, not least
of which is the fact that the heads of the pantheons in both books are married
to each other. Thus, with these two volumes, the first two in the series, it is
difficult to argue that one should not be bought without the other. Geographically,
Cults of RuneQuest: The Lightbringers and
Cults of RuneQuest: The EarthGoddesses provide support for the region of Dragon Pass, including Sartar, Esrolia,
Prax, and Tarsh, whilst
Cults of RuneQuest: The Lunar Way provides geographical
support for the Lunar Empire and its client states. This is not to say that the
presence of the cults in these volumes will not be found elsewhere, but rather
that these are the regions where their worship is most prevalent and if a Game
Master is running campaigns in these locations, then the relevant geographical
volume will be very useful. Lastly, of course, the Gloranthaphile will want all
of these volumes because he is a Gloranthaphile.
Each of the entries in the
Cults of RuneQuest series is well-organised. The
introduction explains the purpose and subject matter for the book, highlights
how the book is useful for player and Game Master alike, and examines some of
the book’s themes and both their nature as myth and mature treatment of subject
matters including death, sex, gender, survival, vengeance, and unconscious fears
given form. It also notes that the artwork throughout the book is divided
between depictions ‘in-Glorantha’, seen within the world itself, and those seen
from without in reading the book. All of this is tailored slightly to the pantheon
presented in the particular entry in the series. This is followed by a group depiction
of all of the gods of the pantheon—which the book notably returns to a few
pages later with a labelled version—and a hymn to them all, and then an
overview of the pantheon, answering questions such as, “Where does the world
come from?”, “Where do I come from?”, “Why am I here?”, “How do I do magic?”,
and more. Lastly, there is a discussion of the relationship that the pantheon
has with other pantheons and a listing of all of the gods in the pantheon or
associated with it.
The bulk of each book though is dedicated to individual
entries in the pantheon. Each of these follows the same format. They begin with
the Mythos and History of the god, the Nature of the Cult and its Organisation,
its membership at various levels—lay member, initiate, God-Talker, Rune-Lord, Rune-Priest,
and Chief Priest, and continue with subservient cults, associated cults, and
subcults, and more. This will vary from god to god and from cult to cult. This
follows the format seen in
RuneQuest: Roleplaying in Glorantha,
but in every case greatly expands what is included in the core rulebook, whether
in terms of individual entries or additional entries. The number of pages
dedicated to each god and thus each cult will also vary. A god whose worship is
widespread—and also a popular choice for players to select for their characters
to worship—is explored over the course of multiple pages whereas a less popular
and less worshipped god many only receive two or three pages. All gods though, receive
a full colour depiction at the start of their entry that includes their runes too, in addition to their being depicted elsewhere.
Cults of RuneQuest: The Lightbringers is the first examination of a pantheon
and its title is both a misnomer and not a misnomer. It is not a misnomer
because it does detail the gods and other mythical figures—Orlanth, Issaries, Lhankor
Mhy, Chalana Arroy, Flesh Man, Ginna Jar, and Eurmal—who performed the
Lightbringers Quest, redeeming Orlanth’s slaying of Yelm with Death which
brought about the Great Darkness, by descending into the Underworld and having
Orlanth test himself before the dead emperor that would lead to agreement between
the two that would see the restoration and repairing of the world. However, it
is a misnomer because it details with more than just those figures, encompassing
some nineteen gods, the majority of whom did not participate in the Lightbringers
Quest, and their cults. It is thus more accurate to say that
Cults of
RuneQuest: The Lightbringers is the book of the gods of the air or the storm,
but given the significance of the Lightbringers Quest and its participants,
still appropriate to call it
Cults of RuneQuest: The Lightbringers and both the
Lightbringers Quest and its participants are examined in detail throughout the
book.
Cults of RuneQuest: The Lightbringers begins with Orlanth, who
has over a tenth of the book and over twenty pages devoted to him. His is the lengthiest
mythology, exploring his life and role before and after history began in some
detail before presenting the details of his cult. This encompasses subcults,
Orlanth Adventurous, Orlanth Thunderous, Orlanth Rex, and Orlanth Lightbringer,
and including new Rune spells such as Command Priests, Command Worshippers, and
Detect Honour for Orlanth Rex. Barntar is included here as well as having his
own entry elsewhere in the book, because of his close association with his father,
and Sartar is detailed as a subcult too, along with his Rune spell,
City
Harmony, which can be cast in any city or any road with Sartar. There are also
details of the spells provided to the Orlanthi subcults by Engizi, the river
god, and Kero Fin, the Mountain Goddess, as well as descriptions of Vinga—Orlanth’s
daughter and/or female incarnation—his numerous associated cults (many detailed
elsewhere in the book) and the depiction of Orlanth and his cult in lands
beyond Dragon Pass. It is a huge amount of information, but presented in very
accessible format that provides numerous options for paths through the cult
that an Orlanthi can take, from impulsive warrior-adventurer and Orlanth
Adventurous to the wisdom and responsibility of Orlanth Rex. Throughout there are
pieces of flavour text that can add colour and detail to an Orlanthi and the
cult, such as the section of poetry that sets down the price to be paid when
calling for assistance in combat. Alongside all of this is a section of boxed
text that present the starting skills, cult spirit magic and favoured passions
of the main cult and the subcult, similar to that in the cults chapter in
RuneQuest:
Roleplaying in Glorantha. In the case of Orlanth, this repeats some information,
but for many of the other gods and cults it will be new.
Similar treatments are accorded to each of the other entries in the book. This
continues with Chalana Arroy, which has notes on her healers as adventurers and
expanded healing rules that include the use of plants and spirits. The
disorderly nature of Eurmal feels suitably upside down and roundabout with
determined lack of cult or organisation and fascinatingly odd subcults like Dismembered,
Fool, Glutton, Imp, Lightbringer, Mask, and Murderer! The entry on Issaries
also discusses trade across Glorantha and Issaries caravans as well as the legendary
Desert Trackers that trek into Genert’s Wastelands, daring to lead where only
Praxians might. Lhankor Mhy perhaps feels the most political of all entries,
though that is only within the cult itself and Barntar, the most ordinary, but
his association with Orlanth means he is still interesting (perhaps even as a
cover for Orlanthi-related activities under the watch of Lunar eyes). Other
entries include Daka Fal, the Judge of the Dead, which is suitable for Shaman
Player Characters; Heler; Humakt, which includes details on Humakti duels,
honour, and sword; Odayla, the Sky Bear and god of the wilderness favoured by
hunters; Storm Bull, the foe of Chaos; Waha, the God of the Animal Nomads of
Prax and the Wasteland; and lastly, the God of Cats, Yinkin.
Whilst there are many entries in
Cults of RuneQuest: The
Lightbringers which will surprise no-one, there are some that will. Some of
these include Gagarth, the Wild Hunters, whose worshippers are mostly violent
outlaws and outcastes, and Lanbril, the God of Thieves, a covert cult that
hides all. Other gods are included who have almost no worshippers, like
Mastakos, the God of Movement or Valind, the God of Winter, or Ygg, the Roaring
God, who is little worshipped beyond the Wolf Pirates and the peoples of Ygg’s
Isles. Their inclusion will probably be of interest to the Game Master in
creating interesting NPCs rather than to the players.
Physically,
Cults of RuneQuest: The Lightbringers is very well written
and presented. What stands out is the quality of the artwork, which begins with
its cover and its majestically imposing depiction of Orlanth, that perhaps is
only matched by the depiction of Vinga wearing the same regalia as her father
and/or male counterpoint inside the book. The illustrations throughout are uniformly
excellent, with some of the in-world depictions having a fascinating sense of otherness
in capturing the key myths around the gods, such as those for Yinkin and his
relationship with his half-brother, Orlanth. It is a pity that there are not
more of these are as they are exceptionally good.
Cults of RuneQuest: The Lightbringers presents options for the players and
their characters in terms of who and what they want to play and what gods they
want their characters to embody, providing them with the background and the
details to do so and the Game Master to also make interesting NPCs. In doing
so, it both expands upon the information in the core rulebook and complements
its sister volume,
Cults of RuneQuest: The Earth Goddesses, in a very
accessible, readable, and literally fantastically illustrated fashion.
Cults of
RuneQuest: The Lightbringers is an essential book for
RuneQuest: Roleplaying in
Glorantha, opening up the mythologies and gods of the air and making them playable
by player and Game Master alike.
—oOo—
An unboxing video of
Cults of RuneQuest: The Lightbringers is available to watch on
Unboxing in the Nook.