I believe that there is evidence of the historical and mythological past everywhere in Glorantha. By integrating history and mythology in her series, the narrator can teach her players about Glorantha's exciting past without having to resort to long tedious lectures. At the same time the series gains a sense of depth and continuity that isn't there in the common "a Humakti, an Orlanthi, an Eurmali and a duck are meeting in a bar when a [insert patron of your choice] appears and asks the heroes to rid [insert location of your choice] of a [insert monster of your choice]"-kind of adventures.

 

A Few Modest Examples

Here is a brief list of interesting places of historical and mythological significance in Dragon Pass. Some of them contain episode ideas, others don't. None of the cameo adventures are full-fledged episodes, and so require some preparations by the narrator. Hopefully, they are enjoyable and inspiring nevertheless.

Haunted Ruins

Inhabited by the trolls of Battle Valley. The ruins are the remnants of an ancient dwarf building of EWF origin. Described fully in the RQ supplement Haunted Ruins.

Hill of Orlanth Victorious

This hill has been holy since ancient times. From here Orlanth departed upon the Lightbringers Quest. It is also the place where Harmast Barefoot departed upon his Lightbringers Quest. The hill can safely be assumed to be of great ritual importance, and would be a good place to start a heroquest.

In 1613 an army of 4,000 veteran lunar soldiers were destroyed in an ambush when trying to desecrate the hill. It would not be unreasonable for the heroes to find an item of importance to the lunars hidden in the grass at the site of the ambush. Perhaps finding a piece of polished human bone, with strange runes and a carving of a blue sparrowhawk on it, will turn out to be the beginning of an epic quest to stop a nefarious plot by Yolanela the Taloned Countess.

The Emperor's Toenails

Every year the Lunar Emperor performs cleansing rites in preparation of the Sacred Time celebrations. He is attended by seven albino maidens, who cuts his hair, and the nails on his fingers and toes. The hair is burned, and the ashes are used to fertilize the Imperial Gardens. His fingernails are grinded and used in the annual Blessing of the Imperial Bakery. His toenails are made into a single piece of elaborate jewelry, and awarded to a deserving officer of the Imperial Army. To recieve the toenail-jewelry is considered a great honour, and to lose it is a disgrace.

Falticus Honorius is a Lunar officer who participated in the attempted desecration of the Hill of Orlanth Victorious. He is one of the few Lunar survivors of the ensuing massacre. In the battle he lost his most precious possession -- the Emperor's Toenails -- and he has been trying to retrieve it ever since.

This is what happened: After the battle, the jewelry was found by Benk Eriksson, a young warrior of the player heroes' clan. Benk sold it to a Wild Sage, who in turn left it in the care of the Jonstown Lhankor Mhy Temple before he was forced to flee to the city of Karse in a desperate attempt to escape the Lunar authorities (he is wanted by the Lunars for offenses completely unrelated to the events in this cameo adventure).

The Episode: Benk Eriksson, who has been living in exile since the rebellion, is dying (for whatever reason), and returns home to spend his final days on his old tula. Falticus Honorius, who believes that Benk still has the treasure in his possession, shows up with a contingent of hardened veterans. Can the heroes stop Benk from being captured, tortured, and punished? Perhaps they will set out on a chase across Dragon Pass trying to get hold of the valuable atrifact themselves. Whatever happens it will surely be an interesting lesson in local history, as well as an exciting and entertaining adventure. 

Lorthing Vale

An educated guess is that the river running through this vale (Lorthing River, not named on any map) is where the Battle of Hofstarings flood took place in 1613, when a column of 1,300 Lunar soldiers were cut down and slaughtered by the rebels of Starbrow's rebellion. Perhaps the ghosts of the fallen still haunt the riverbed every year at the 'anniversary' of the battle, eternally re-enacting the event.

The Vengeful Ghost

A relative of one of the player heroes participated in the Battle of Hofstarings flood. He is now being haunted by the ghost of one of the Lunar soldiers that were cut down in the battle. The ghost can only be laid to rest by being properly buried. When the heroes visit the site of the battle, they find that someone has recently been digging in the riverbed. They find the bones and equipment of a Lunar soldier (who can be identified as the ghost's corpse) scattered in the grass nearby, but the skull is missing. The heroes must find the missing skull, and return the corpse to the Lunars for a proper burial. Who stole the skull, and why? And how will the Lunars react when the heroes show up with the skeleton of a Lunar soldier?

Quivin Peaks

Quivin was a giant and a legendary hero who recieved the first hospitality at Orlanths hearth (see Thunder Rebels). Later it was discovered that Quivin was actually Orlanth's brother. If a stranger wanted to be adopted into a heortling clan, this mountain might be a good place to perform appropriate rituals, or start a quest. Quivin Mountain is also the peak from which Orlanth leapt to kill "the Fire King". It could probably be regarded as a good spot on which to perform rituals related to becoming king (Vingkot used the mountain to this purpose).

Runegate

Runegate is the site of another famous battle, this time involving the Crimson Bat. See Lorthing Vale and Hill of Orlanth Victorious above for ideas. The battle is detailed in King of Sartar p. 141.

The General's Daughter

Version 1: On the day after her initiation Kareena is told the truth about her father. Seventeen years ago her mother fell passionately in love with a Lunar general, the father, who was transferred to garrison duty in Sylila before Kareena was born. Now Kareena has disappeared. She is on her way to Sylila, determined to find her father. It is up to the heroes to find her and convince her that it is a bad idea. Perhaps they will have to travel all the way to the Lunar Heartlands before catching up with the distraught young woman.

Version 2: When young Kareena finds out that her father was a Lunar general who raped her mother, she is chosen by Babeester Gor. The day after her initiation into the bloody cult, she packs her things and travels northward. Her mother asks the heroes to accompany Kareena on her quest for revenge, and to make sure that she returns home alive after completing her gruesome task.

Six Hags

These six limestone massifs are known as the Six Sisters by the Heortlings. They were spirits, unfriendly to trolls. Each sister had the head of a particular animal, and a beautiful human body. The Sisters are the Duck, the Cliff Toad, the Rocktapus, the Griffin, the Bee, and the Hawk. An animst would perhaps visit the Six Sisters in order to bargain for aid against trolls. Also, check out King of Sartar pages 213-217, for a story involving the Sisters.

Stormwalk Mountain

Stormwalk was a rock monster, twisted it into a spiral by Urox. A quest related to the mountain (and Orlanth's taming of Urox) is detailed in TotRM #18, and in Storm Tribe p. 160. By extrapolating on the information found there, one could easily create a series of exciting adventures for player heroes.

Vale of Bones

The vale is made up of the ribcage of some giant monster. What is the monsters origin? Is it an entrypoint to the otherworld? Or perhaps one can find some clues as to the nature of Draconic Secrets Man Was Not Meant to Know burrowed in the soil beneath the monster?

The Strange Guardians

A contingent of Dragonewts are found guarding the ancient carcass. They seem to be performing some kind of rites, and the surrounding peasants are worried. No one in her right mind would disturb a dragonewt ritual, of course, but when a Beaked Dragonewt appears in a nearby village demanding the liver of an unborn child a moot is assembled...

Valley of the Chalkman

"The Chalk Man Tradition of Dragon Pass helps several local clans get the best food from marginal areas between steads." (Hero Wars p. 205) The Chalkman himself is probably of some significance in the local history. I am sure there are some shamanistic secrets here, just waiting to be discovered by enterprising heroes.

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