RQ Homeland Fonrit

Description

(Taken from Guide to Glorantha, pages 203-205. Used without permission as fair use.)

Loskalm is divided into two great peninsulas by Ozur Sound. North Loskalm is approximately 215 miles long. The west of North Loskalm is coastal plains and rolling hills; the interior is rugged hills; and the eastern part has broad coastal plains that extend about 60 miles inland. South Loskalm is approximately 180 miles long. It consists of coastal plains and rolling hills, divided by the 300 mile long Mintol River.

Ozur Sound divides the two peninsulas. The bay averages between 50 and 70 miles wide. The waters are cold and rough, but the bay still provides comparative shelter from the Valind Storms and Ice Hurricanes that blow across the frigid Neliomi Sea.

Culture

Loskalm is a civilized Western land that spread from its ancient strongholds in Akem. Like all Western cultures, it is urbanized and each province is divided into municipalities (which are often little more than market towns with a temple and an administrative center). Loskalmi farmers use a heavy bronze or wooden plow and practice intensive agriculture, growing oats, barley, and raising cattle for meat and dairy. The Loskalmi idealize the human form, and each city holds contests both athletic (including boxing, wrestling, running, jumping, and horse-riding) and intellectual (including logic, poetry, and music) to display physical and spiritual prowess.

Unlike other Western lands, Loskalm rejects the rigid caste system that defines most Malkioni societies. Instead, the ruling Malkioni school of New Hrestolism has created an egalitarian utopia, where every Loskalmi can identify himself as worker, soldier, wizard, or ruler; many strive to pass through the four caste occupations during their lifetime. During the Syndics Ban, the miraculous King Siglat achieved radical transformation of Loskalmi society, overcoming the caste restrictions and establishing a successful idealistic commonwealth where each citizen performs the role best suited for them in harmony and justice.

Among the Hrestoli of Loskalm, every child, no matter what his parent’s station, 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 selected by the local Elders 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 Men-of-All and taught to join their ranks.

The Men-of-All are a mystical order of warrior monks who take vows to serve and defend the community, study magical grimoires, and act as judges and leaders for the rest of the populace. They are required on admission to full membership to surrender all their property to the Hrestoli community, and are governed by strict rules established by Hrestol for his companions. The Men-of-All learn to fight from horseback (and thus have often been called some variation of “horse-men” by outside commentators) and are provided with weapons and mounts by their community.

Certain Men-of-All are chosen by the Nobles to become Wizards, magical specialists capable of sustaining the spiritual needs of the land and its people. Those with martial prowess are enrolled in one of the military orders of the First Brothers of Hrestol; others are removed from most 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 by the King of Loskalm and become members of the Nobility – the ruling elite of Malkioni philosophers. Thus, every nobleman understands perfectly both the cosmic truth of the Invisible God and the common man, and has earned the respect of everyone who he rules. It is not uncommon for Men-of-All, wizards, and noblemen to retire to a farm when their labors are done.

After 83 years of magical and blessed isolation, the surrounding imperfect world returned to plague Loskalm in 1582. Worse, since the Ban ended, a social distinction has developed between the Elders (those who grew up during the isolation of the Ban) and the Children of Tribulation (those who have come of age since the Ban ended thirty-nine years ago in 1582, effectively all those under the age of 55). The Children of Tribulation make up the majority of the population, but the Elders hold most of the positions of leadership. Language Loskalmi, a Western tongue.

Government

Loskalm is a radical utopia, ruled by a King and a high council of noble philosophers called the Council of the Wise. They have the ultimate powers of government. The king is selected by the Council of the Wise to serve as a philosopher-king successor to the semidivine Siglat, and has powerful privileges, with his own treasury, the ability to make certain appointments, and the right to challenge any action performed in the land. The king is also the court of last resort, the poorest man’s champion, and the sacrificial hero, ready to die in the ultimate rite of his religion.

The kingdom is divided into eight provinces, each ruled by a First who is selected for office by the king and High Council. A staff of Nobles and wizards assist in the administration. The provinces are: Easval, Agria, Nevs, Tawars, Norans, Tarans, Jorri, and Pomon. Each province is centered on a city that serves as an administrative and religious center.

Loskalm led in the exploration of new Fronela and its wizard-soldiers were instrumental in the lifting of the Ban. Yet the kingdom has exhibited no imperial intent and has scrupulously respected the territorial claims of nearby lands. However, attitudes seem to be changing since the king recently received homage from the ruler of Perfe and, as a result, has formed the Brotherhood of the Swallow. The future of Fronela surely lies in the direction taken by the Kingdom of Loskalm.

Military

The Loskalmi army is one of the best in the world. It is professional, motivated, wellequipped, and magically powerful. It is divided into 11 battalions of 5,000 men each, ten of which are similar.

A normal battalion has 3,000 Guardians, 1800 Men-of-All, and 200 elite fighting Wizards called the First Brothers of Hrestol. Guardians: Half the Guardians carry spears, swords, and large shields; the others carry crossbows, swords, and smaller shields. Guardians typically wear armor of lacquered leather or bronze plates.

The Men-of-All and First Brothers: The First Brothers are organized into several military orders, each specializing in a different type of combat wizardry. Both Men-of- All and First Brothers wear armor made of bronze plates connected together with leather thongs to protect the body, limbs, and head. They fight as heavy cavalry, with a long, twohanded lance as their primary weapon.

The most prestigious battalion is called the First Battle, and consists of 3,000 Guardians, 1500 Men-of-All, and 500 First Brothers of the Golden Banner of Flame. The Men-of-All and First Brothers of this battalion are mounted on huge horses that are typically armored with bronze scales. Each province also has thousands of unarmored but trained Guardians. These are mustered only for defense, never to invade other lands. Irregular bodies of soldiery can be raised by designated individuals, either from within the kingdom or among foreigners.

The Kingdom of Loskalm has maintained a naval tradition that survived the Closing. Their ships are specially designed for their cold, rough seas. The native warship are clinker-built penteconters and biremes, and their merchant ships are a wider, deeper, and shorter version of the same. Both are navigable on the Janube River and its tributaries, and the same types of ship are used on the distant inland Sweet Sea. The largest warships typically are armed with small stone- or bolt-throwers.

Religion

Within the Kingdom of Loskalm, New Hrestoli Idealism is the state religion and no other schools are legally tolerated. The Invisible God and the Ascended Masters alone are venerated; sharing worship of anyone or anything else is an unforgivable crime.

New Hrestoli Idealism

New Hrestoli Idealism claims to be the restored teachings of Hrestol. The New Idealists are philosophical idealists, believing themselves to be thoughts of the Invisible God trapped in the gross matter of Makan. The soul is a prisoner of the material world, but by systematically overcoming the ancient restrictions of caste, the soul can be liberated through Joy and one can join the Menof- All. Those who do not succeed are reincarnated until they liberate themselves from the cycle of rebirth by achieving unity with the Invisible God.

The New Idealists know that they are not immune to the temptations of Makan. The Men-of-All continually subject themselves to a deep spiritual investigation and subsequent purification. The New Idealists know it is easy to fall prey to thoughts of the Devil, but follow Siglat’s Way because it protects them from performing evil acts.

During the Ban, King Siglat, the semi-divine son of Snodal, guided Loskalm into achieving a workable system of Hrestoli Idealism. Siglat assembled a canon of teachings, including Snodal’s Vision, Siglat’s Dream, The City of Virtue, Against the Demons, and a significant volume of Talor the Laughing Warrior apocrypha, all of which form the basis of the school’s doctrines.

Creating a character

To create a character from

Base passions

Homeland: base passions

Passion	Value
	60%
	60%
	60%

Occupation tables

Roll 1d20 for parents occupation, or choose from the table.

Homeland: parent's occupation

Roll	Occupation	Caste
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20

Family history

This table determines the history of player characters grandparents and parents. Years are approximate outside of dragon pass, but they correlate fairly well with the years in family history sheet.

Homeland: family history

Year	What happened
Your grandparents history
1582
1597
1602
1603-1604
1605
Your parents history
1608
1610
1613
1615
1616
1618
1619
1620
1621
Your personal history
1622
1623
1624

Cultural skills

Homeland: skill bonuses

Skill	Value	Cultural weapon	Value
Skill	00%	Weapon	00%
Skill	00%	Weapon	00%
Skill	00%	Weapon	00%
Skill	00%	Weapon	00%
Skill	00%	Weapon	00%
Skill	00%	Weapon	00%
Skill	00%	Weapon	00%
Skill	00%	Weapon	00%
Skill	00%	Weapon	00%
Skill	00%	Weapon	00%