Sample file Gloranthan Classics Credits for

Authors: Rudy Kraft, Paul Jaquays, and Cults: Sandy Petersen and Edited: Art: Paul Jaquays Maps: Paul Jaquays and Charlie Krank

Special Thanks to: Dave Clark, Yurek Chodak, Morgan Conrad, Randy Cox, Allan Dalcher, Al Dewey, Tadashi Ehara, Mitch Fox, Andy Fugate, John Fuller, Ray Helson, Warren James, Bruce Jaquays, Pete Jensen, Don Johnson, Sherman Kahn, Ken Kaufer, Bill Keyes, Charlie Krank, Mark Leymaster, Mark Lukens, Martha McClaren, Hal Moe, Bruce Nabozny, Karen Nelson, Matthew Perry, Jack Radey, John Sapienza,Sample Cam Stafford, file Peter Szutu, Dave Vest, and Lynn Willis.

First Edition May, 1981 Second Edition April 17, 2001

A Moon Design Reproduction: Graphic Design, Scanning and Editing - Rick Meints Proofreading - Nick Brooke Dragonewt Plinth - Nick Davison New illustrations - Simon Bray, Frederic Chenier, Dario Corallo, Jean-Paul Lhuillier (Sysiphus), and Pierre Le Pavain (who thanks Isabelle for her great patience). Cover by Dario Corallo.

Griffin Mountain is copyright (c) 2001 by Moon Design Publications; second edition revised and corrected, with new material. Griffin Mountain is licensed from Issaries, Inc.; all rights reserved. is a trademark of Issaries, Inc. The first editon of Griffin Mountain is originally copyright (c) 1981 by Inc.

This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part by any means without written permission from Issaries, Inc., except as quoted for purposes of illustration, discussion, and game play. Reproduction of the material within this book for the purposes of personal or corporate profit, by photographic, electronic, or other methods of retrieval is strictly prohibited. To direct questions or comments concerning Glorantha see www.glorantha.com, or write to Issaries, Inc., Suite 5 Murmansk Street, Oakland, CA, 94608, USA.

Griffin Mountain 1 Gloranthan Classics Table of Contents

Chapter I - Geography & History Chapter IV - Leaders Glorantha 8 Triloi 68 Neighboring Lands 9 Master Hunters 69 Common Knowledge 10 Lightbringers 70 Weather in Balazar 12 Elkoini 72 Weather Table 13 Dykeneans 77 History of Balazar 14 Blueface 79 First Age 14 Greyrunner Runefang 81 Second Age 15 Granny Keeneye 81 Third Age 16 NPC Record Form 83 Scenarios: Getting There 17 Scenarios: Tasks 84 Regional Map of Balazar 18 Crypt of Elkoi 87

Chapter II - Balazar Chapter V - Caravans Balazarings 20 Travel 90 Clan Tables 20 Caravan Schedules 90 Languages of Balazar 23 Joh Mith’s Caravan 91 Dogs 23 Standard Hiring Rates 92 Balazaring Player Characters 25 Goods for Sale 94-95 Religions 26 Joh Mith’s Buying Prices 96 Indigenous Cults 26 Joh Mith’s Travels 97 Indigenous Non-Human Cults 27 Other Caravans 100 Imported Cults 27 Scenarios: Going Places 102 Cult of Foundchild Sample29 fileAmbushing a Caravan 104 Cult of Cacodemon 32 Scenarios: Growing Up 37 Chapter VI - Information What Balazarings Know 106 Chapter III - Citadels Elder Wilds Information 107 Background 40 Regional Map of the Elder Wilds 109 Special Encounters 40 Information for Sale 110 Personalities 41 Information Sources 111 Inns & Taverns 44 Information from Specific Sources 112 Citadel of Trilus 45 Maps 121 History 46 Hand Made Maps 122-123 Points and Places 48 Verbal Descriptions 124 Map of Trilus 49 Rumors 125 Citadel of Elkoi 51 Scenarios 128 History 52 Points and Places 55 Chapter VII - Encounters Map of Elkoi 57 Terrain 130 Citadel of Dykene 59 Movement 130 History 60 Reaction Tables 131-132 Map of Dykene 62 River Crossings 131 Points and Places 63 Reaction 132 Scenarios: On Duty 64 Encounter Table 133

Griffin Mountain 2 Gloranthan Classics

Encounters 134 Allosauri 134 Baboons 135 How to Read the Stats Balazaring Hunters 138 The standardized format for monsters and non-player Bears 141 characters needs some explanation. The first line gives Big Fish 142 the being’s identity in bold type. It may be followed by Broos 142 its race, sex, and cult status in parenthesis. Then follows the characteristics, move rate, total hit points, and defense Citadel Warriors 144 bonus. To the right of these stats are the hit locations. Crocodiles 150 The numbers in parenthesis represent the D20 roll for Dragonewts 151 location hit. The number on the left of the slash is the Dwarves 154 points of protection provided by armor and the number Elasmosauri 158 to the right is the hit points that location can take. Elves 158 Bluebird knows 16 battle magic spells. This is more Giants 162 than can be known by someone of his INT but he has a Griffins 164 couple of spirits whose memory he can use. The spells Hawks 165 known by spirits are listed along with Bluebird’s under SPELLS for convenience. The last sections give details Herd Beasts 167 on Bluebird’s spirits. Lunar Patrol 168 Newtlings 169 RUNE MAGIC: lists the Rune Spells known by Bluebird. Orlanthi 171 SKILLS: lists the important skills Bluebird has. Those not listed are assumed to be at base chance plus the character’s bonus. Smilodons 177 MAGIC: lists the magic items carried by Bluebird. Succubus 178 TREASURE: lists what monetary treasure Bluebird is carrying with him as well as what his ransom would be if captured. Usually this ransom Trolls 178 represents a being’s net worth plus his value to his cult or family. Note Walktapi 182 that in Griffin Mountain, guilders are interchangeable with L(unars).. Water Wyrms 182 LANGUAGES: lists the languages Bluebird can speak and write. Wolves 183 BLUEBIRD (Lankhor Mhy Rune Priest-Lord) Found Encounters 184 STR 11 CON 14 SIZ 14 INT 18 POW 18 DEX 17 CHA 13 Move: 8 Hit Points: 16 Defense: 25% Chapter VIII - Points of Interest Right Leg (01-04) 7 / 6 Overview 190 Left Leg (05-08) 7 / 6 Chaos Holy Ground 191 Abdomen (09-11) 7 / 6 Dragonewt Plinth 193 Chest (12) 8/7 Sample file Right Arm (13-15) 7 / 5 Dryad’s Grove 195 Left Arm (16-18) 7 / 5 Firshala’s Prison 197 Head (19-20) 7 / 6 Giant Land (Gonn Orta’s castle) 199 Weapon SR Attack Damage Parry Points Gondo Holst’s Caravan 211 Staff 4 95% 1D8+1D4 85% 15 Selfbow 1 50% 1D6+1 - - Griffin Mountain 217 Large shield - - - 80% 16 River of the Damned 227 Festering Island 227 SPELLS: Healing 3, Xenohealing 3, Protection 4, Detect Life, Spirit Binding, Binding, Disruption, Befuddle, Harmonize, Mobility, (known by Stone Crab Island 232 Blood) Bludgeon 4, Dispel Magic 6, Mindspeech 1, (known by Palou) Web Spire Island 233 Strength, Coordination, Detect Magic. RUNE MAGIC: Shield 4, Multispell 1, Analyse Magic, Truespeak, Spirit Spare Maps 234 Block 4, Telekinesis. Troll Tomb 235 SKILLS: Evaluate Treasure 90%, Bargaining 60%, General Knowledge 50%, Map Making 90%, Riding 95%, Swimming 85%, Listening 75%, Water Wyrm Island 239 Spot Hidden Item 90%, Oratory 90%. MAGIC: 3 point Healing focusing crystal, ring with Invisibility matrix, 6 Player Handouts & Extras 240 point Healing potion, 6 point spirit trapping crystal. TREASURE: Carries 50 wheels, ransom is 7000 guilders. Dykene 240 LANGUAGES: Speak and Write Trade Talk 95%, Speak Esrolian 35%, Elkoi 243 Speak Old Pavic 50%, Speak and Write Dark Tongue 45%. Trilus 247 BLOOD (allied spirit in staff) Maps 249 INT 9 POW 18

A Look Inside Griffin Mountain 251 PALOU (bound spirit in spirit trapping crystal) Running a Gloranthan Campaign 253 INT 11 POW 12

Index 259

Griffin Mountain 3 Gloranthan Classics

Ever Forward I have wanted to reprint this book ever since it To visually spice up the book we’ve added a went out of print in 1983. My first player character large number of new illustrations, including a in Glorantha was as a Balazaring hunter called couple that didn’t make it into the original. It’s Ruhklar. He and his fellow hunter companions been disappointing to count how few pictures were adventured for several years and enjoyed every originally used. In the end, we hope you find the minute of it. We were your stereotypical power new layout and presentation an improvement. gamers. We felt a great sense of triumph when we Rick found the Wind Sword, became the sworn enemies of Halcyon Var Enkorth, and narrowly escaped the clutches of the ogre Gondo Holst. We all wanted Note from the Authors a flintlock pistol, but no amount of bargaining This book is designed for use with the Basic Role- could pry one from Rockheart. Our trip to Gonn Playing (BRP) game system. It is recommended Orta’s magical castle led us on to the Borderlands that the referee owns and is familiar with Cults of of Prax and then on to Pavis. I miss those days. Prax and Gateway Bestiary, both available from on One of the real pleasures of doing the reprint the secondary used games market. They will also has been the necessity of recreating the text probably be reprinted in a future volume of electronically. In a slightly predictable fate, all of Gloranthan Classics as well. the original files have long since been lost in the The authors and publishers of this book take mists of the Chaosium vaults. This recreation effort no responsibility for inexperienced characters that took me far longer than I imagined much like it may get trashed by these scenarios; nor do we did for Pavis & Big Rubble. You find yourself accept responsibility for any referees who may get spending more time reading all of the portions of trashed by the players thereof. Seriously, these the book you never got around to reading or had adventures are designed to provide a challenge to forgotten were ever there. The wealth of the mixed level characters including Rune Masters. material’s detail began to sink in and I found Even then, the going might be a little tough. myself in awe of the pioneering efforts of the This book gives a detailed description of a large supplement before me. wilderness area. It can be used “as is” to provide Griffin Mountain was the prototype of so many the referee with a complete wilderness for his/ of the gaming concepts and techniques we take her players to adventure in; or chopped up into for granted today. Personality traits made their bits and pieces to be used as supplements in the first appearance here, albeit that they were geared referee’s own campaign. The Encounters chapter for NPCs. Having been a member of the Tales crew is easily adaptable to any campaign due to its for several years now, I never realized that the flexible nature. Its various encounters and rumours section of the magazineSample is a tribute to the filepersonalities can add spice to an otherwise routine format established almost 10 years before in this random meeting on any encounter table. It is also work. I’ll let you rediscover the others. quite possible to ignore everything in the book For those of you who have never seen the except the monster and character stats. original before, don’t expect it to bear much We, the authors, hope that you have as much resemblance to the Griffin Island RQ3 version. fun playing these little scenarios as we had in Without becoming overly sentimental, suffice it to designing them. Any questions or comments say that the two products do bear a resemblance concerning these scenarios may be directed to to one another, but are very different products. Issaries Inc. If you desire a personal response you One of the lessons that never learned must include a self-addressed return envelope was “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” and Griffin Island bearing a 1 point Rune spell known as a first class will always prove that. Despite its awkward postage stamp. Keep those cards and letters reworking, Griffin Island did have a few additions coming! to it that the original RQ version would have benefitted from. We’ve plucked them out and tucked them in where appropriate, especially in Introductions the Citadels section and the player handouts. In looking through a completed manuscript I Like Volume One: Pavis & Big Rubble, this book always find two feelings battling for control: the contains all of the original material. We have added satisfaction with the project and everything in it some supplemental pieces of information from that is done well, and the dissatisfaction with all articles published in magazines and a few new its faults which I see so much clearer now that the pages from Greg Stafford. Most of the original project is finished. In the case of Griffin Mountain typos (bless ‘em) have been corrected, but you both these feelings are far stronger than usual. will probably find that one or two new ones have Griffin Mountain’s size and its history make such crept in, mainly from the scanning process. things inevitable.

Griffin Mountain 4 Gloranthan Classics

Rudy Kraft Paul Jaquays Griffin Mountain was intended to be a small I keep doing this to myself. Every time I try to non-Gloranthan wilderness designed solely by write a small, concise, interesting adventure it myself. However, it was little more than a becomes megalithic. Someday I’ll learn. collection of monster stats and encounter tables. I Rudy’s history of Griffin Mountain is basically ended up putting it aside for four months. correct; even though it glosses over the weeks When I came back to the project I found that I spent at the typewriter, the long distance phone had not regained my interest in it. Fortunately, I calls made in the wee hours of the morning to had at that time an offer from Paul Jaquays to discuss editorial changes, the frustration and anger collaborate on a project. As our first collaboration, of having to rewrite many pages of material when Duck Tower (Judges Guild), involved my finishing a computer file self-destructs, the anxiety of one of his manuscripts, I thought it only fair that artwork in the mails, or the relief when you have our second should see him completing one of finally finished - for the second time. mine. I sent the manuscript off, hoping not to see Historically, I have very little else to say about it again until it was ready for a publisher. Griffin Mountain. However, I will do a little bit to I got the manuscript back three months later fill in the time between paragraphs three and four doubled in length from its already massive size. I of my illustrious partner’s opener. After receiving was quite pleased with what Paul had done. He a couple of copies of Duck Tower from Rudy and a had filled in the areas where my manuscript was cover letter suggesting future collaboration, I weakest (personalities and scenarios) and he had responded, and soon a nameless manuscript found reorganized the work completely. its way to my mailbox - postage due! What a way I was thus completely happy with the to start a relationship. I spent bits and pieces of manuscript when I presented it to Greg Stafford my summer adding new material. By the time I and Chaosium. was done, the project had become the largest A couple days after I gave him the manuscript manuscript I had ever worked on (watch closely I heard from Greg. He said that it was excellent. It gang, as the snowball gets rolled down the lull). would need a few minor changes but nothing At Gen Con, I showed Greg Stafford some of the major and he could take care of them. maps I had done for the project. Not long Every time I talked to Greg he mentioned more thereafter, I completed the writing, spent a day changes. Before too long his minor rewrite became photocopying the manuscript and mailed two my minor rewrite and soon it became a major copies to Rudy. Huzzah, huzzah! The accursed rewrite converting the manuscript from a Gateway book was done. Now I could get back to my other (non-Gloranthan) world to one set in a region of projects. Glorantha adjacent to his precious Dragon Pass. Then the phone calls came. Greg was going to Greg sent me a new table of contents, quiteSampledo some minor file editorial rewrite. The next phone detailed. It had several completely new sections. call - Greg wanted us to do it up for Glorantha. So it was back to work for Paul and me. How did I feel about it? (Actually I felt pretty In dividing the work, I was surprised that we honored) Soon the blue pages arrived. As Rudy each wanted to do different sections. Luckily there said, we both got to do the rewrites and new was no arguing over who would have to do what. material that we wanted. Oh, if only I knew then… It was decided that I would put together the final All summer I had banged away mercilessly on manuscript for resubmission to Chaosium. my Smith-Corona electric typo-maker. Like my We began plugging away, the work slowed by care of a similar model year, it had served me well. the fact that both of us have other things to do. However, I yearned for something better. Eventually I began getting packets of completed Spending money I didn’t have, I purchased a manuscript from Paul. I was moderately surprised computer word processor. I then mercilessly when the first packet contained a completely new pounded away on my new toy for several weeks. section not on Greg’s table of contents (the Citadels My typing speed increased and the manuscript chapter). It was an important section and Paul did grew and grew. Finally, at long last and once and an excellent job. for all, it was finished. The cup passes. Eventually, I am not sure how, the job was When this book finally sees print, parts of it finished. Overall, I am quite pleased. Not only is will be a surprise to me. There are sections that Griffin Mountain the largest and most complete Rudy or Greg alone constructed, that will be new book of its kind ever published, it is also quite to me when I open a copy - just like anyone else. adaptable. There are many detachable sections that Like Rudy, I am pleased with what we have are usable as independent adventures in any done. Not bad work for a team who have never campaign. met each other. Enjoy! I hope you enjoy playing Griffin Mountain as The last paragraph is saved for dedications. much as I enjoyed writing it. This book is for Ruta, because she cares.

Griffin Mountain 5 Gloranthan Classics

Greg Stafford I don’t like to make work for myself anymore than the sense of leaving for cooler grounds for a while. anyone else. I already labor 10-12 hours a day to just But where could they go? maintain my workload. I also needed to teach new referees the details of But when I had reviewed the Gateway scenario how to run a campaign. Preparing the data and pack from Paul and Rudy I felt a twinge of jealousy presenting it sensibly turned out to be quite a task that such colorful characters as Gondo Holst or the and I found myself preparing notes to aid me. But I Barrelhead Troll Ball Team did not belong in Glorantha. lacked a background which was suitable to illustrate Their submission maintained great consistency with the principles which I was explaining. the standard rules, and also had that tweak of Griffin Mountain solved several problems for me. creativity that sparks the imagination. I felt that their It served as a place for my established PCs to go to on work was exceptional. a great quest to recover the Wind Sword (or die Except for a few flaws. The original geography had trying). It was a suitable place for new players and an appalling lack of realism. Even as magical geography referees to begin in, since most people are familiar it lacked enough familiarity to let me suspend my enough with a Neolithic culture to be able to play it disbelief. Hence I told Rudy that it needed small without feeling ill at ease in strange surroundings. changes.When I studied the manuscript, I found more And this new book furthered the wonder and glory problems and (rather than eat up my time with work) of Glorantha for those fans of the world anxious to I asked Rudy if he would rework portions according learn more about it. The problems didn’t solve to my outline of geographic necessities. He agreed themselves. It took days and weeks of work from and I set down to detailing what I thought significant. Rudy, Paul, and me. So much so that everyone agreed After a full day, I realized the enormity of the my name also belonged in the credits as co-author. seemingly simply job. It occurred to me that I was It was worth it. Griffin Mountain is a monumental duplicating my years of effort to make a consistent effort, unique in its completeness and intentions. It Gloranthan universe with this unrelated work. should provide many hours of excitement for the At the same time I was beset by another problem. players, and years of adventure. It is a place in a world, My Sartar campaign had left most of the PCs wanted complete unto itself yet integrated into a greater whole. by various authorities as either criminals or freedom In addition, it is a landmark in the new art of fighters. The situation was hot and most of them saw roleplaying games. We hope you like it.

Sample file

Griffin Mountain 6 Geography &History

Sample file Gloranthan Classics

Empire by the Elder Races who harnessed the Glorantha outrage of the cosmos against the impudent, short- Glorantha is the name of the world which sighted humans. Nature rose up and smashed their surrounds this scenario pack. It is a mythical civilization, destroyed their peoples, and sank the cosmos built by gods and philosophies existing in very lands which had dared to support such upstarts. innocent bliss for eons before mankind was made. The oceans were cursed and all surface traffic was The gods still live, though distantly, and the world swept away. A few decades later a huge disaster is still their primitive and prehistoric design. struck many inland powers when their peoples were The realm of mortal races in Glorantha is in destroyed in the Dragonkill War of 1100. the center of a huge square of land which floats Survivors of the Third Age were conservative. upon the Sea of Eternity. Around the edges of the Middle Sea advances were forgotten and shunned. world are lands known only through legend where The old ways reasserted themselves. The oceans immense and powerful races of beings live who remained impassable. Only in Peloria did new defend the inner world from monstrous chaos forces stir and take root. demons living beyond the edges of the world. In 1247 the Red Moon rose from the earth and Although the gods made the world, they are no set itself into the northern sky. On earth an empire longer its masters. They began existence by living in of descendants and worshippers spread widely harmony but fell into hatred and war which over the land. The Lunar Empire crowded over destroyed most of their old world. Everything would Peloria. have been destroyed during the Great Darkness The disasters ending the Third Age have yet to except for the heroic struggles of the minor races to occur, though many priests and scholars feel they resist Death, even though their gods and most of their are overdue. Great magical energies are afoot, and friends had fallen. Through their fight they found the world is stirring again. It is a time for courage the threads of nature needed to survive. When the and opportunity for those who would seize it. sun rose again, it followed the path of the first mortal It is the start of the Hero Wars. being back into life from the darkness. Time began with that historic sunrise. Dating Geography begins from that day as Day One, Year 1, and the The lands of mortals are concentrated on two world was at the mercy of the mortal races. continents and the islands which dot the sea in between. History The northern continent is Genertela and History has three periods, the First, Second, and beyond it are cold lands of waste ice. Genertela is Third Ages. Each is about 500 years long and ended the most populated continent. in a series of cataclysms. During each period different The southern continent is wilder than the forces were dominant or exploited by people. northern. Its coastal lands are thick with people The First Age is also called theSample Dawn Age. Non- filewhere the land allows it, and some deserts even human races, often called the Elder Races, were have native nomads living in them. But most of it dominant through the world. There were some is steaming tropical jungle or marsh where centers where humanity reigned. prehistoric monsters still rule and equally The Dawn Age ended in the Chaos War, frightening spirits reign in the absence of gods. usually also called the Gbaji War after its primary opponent. This was a century-long conflict led by Genertela Arkat Humaktsson, who is also called Gbajibane, The continent of Genertela is laced by immense Oathbreaker, Mantroll, or Saint Knight. Arkatsaga mountain ranges and drained by awesome river covers half the continent and is one of Glorantha’s complexes. These naturally divide the land. best known tales. Perhaps coincidentally, each of those regions is The Second Age was dominated by two great named after the earth goddess believed to trends. The first was the internecine warfare of the dominate in that land. non-human Elder Races which resulted in their There are also cultural regions of note which mutual exhaustion and downfall. The second trend surpass simple geography. Only the more was the synthesis of culture initiated by the Middle important to this scenario pack are given here. Sea Empire. These scholar merchants and warrior The Barbarian Belt is a region of central priests combined any aspect of magic and culture highlands which surrounds the western mountain which they encountered in any manner which they ranges. It has always been a wild and rough place saw fit, exploiting everything tremendously and and its natives resist the taming influence of straining nature to fit their schemes. They made a civilization. wondrous empire which ruled many lands for The western lands are the ancient home of the most of the era. Brithini or Seshnegi race who do not worship gods The disasters which ended the Second Age were but use them through sorcery, and believe that led off by the violent overthrow of the Middle Sea men can rule the world with the gods as slaves.

Griffin Mountain 8 Gloranthan Classics

The central regions are full of people who live Hidden Greens in close harmony with the powerful deities and This is a part of the dry and barren Desert of trade power with them through normal cult Genert. It is extremely dissimilar to the Balazar worship. and Elder Wilds regions north of the mountains The eastern lands believe in neither man nor and thus is not covered in the scenario pack. Its god but instead foster a relationship with powers name is from the Praxian animal nomads. and abstract concepts to give them inhuman Illusionary or semi-substantial lush lands fade and magics and skills. They are a populous land of appear irregularly here, like real mirages. The philosophy, jade emperors, rice-filled rivers, and usual process is for a 7 km square or so area to fade warlords. in and back out of reality over a week long period. Dragon Pass is a unique region where the Rockwood Mountains are broken and the mystical Shadows Dance and Dagori Inkarth races of Dragonkind live. This deep mountain and rugged hill territory typifies the wretched terrain which most non- human races now occupy. It is not accidental that Neighboring Lands these inaccessible places can support their resident Before discussing the regions detailed in this book life, but unfortunately the Elder Races still must it is fitting to have a brief understanding of the compete for them. lands surrounding Balazar and the Elder Wilds. Dragon Pass Redlands The only lowland pass through the Rockwood The Redlands got their name from the fact that Mountains, this geographic wonder is occupied they were soaked with blood through all their by all manner of dragons and their kin. The natives history. It is a middle ground between the fierce are barbarians and worship the Orlanth and steppes nomads and the densely populated, soft Lightbringer pantheons. Beyond the pass, to the civilizations of lowland Peloria. In current history south, lies a legendary city of the gods beside a the steppes horsemen have not visited this region body of water said to have no limits. for almost a century. About 100 years ago the Lunar Empire fought a legendary battle called The Glowline Nights of Horror which nearly annihilated the The Glowline is a semi-visible line marking the nomads and chased any survivors far into the edge of the Red Moon’s direct influence. Outsiders wastes away from the Empire. There are some see it as a thin red sheen hanging in the air, trappers and hunters in this region now, and a accentuated by, dust. Outside the Glowline the Red few farmers as well, but it is still lightly populated. Moon is visible in the sky, but it changes its face daily through its seven day cycle. Rockwood Mountains SampleOnce one file passes into the Glowline region, the The Rockwood Mountains are a sheer range thrust moon always appears to be in its full phase, and upward in Godtime to serve as an impassable wall Lunar magics always work at full strength. separating the warring races of men. This wall has The Glowline is a magical effect produced on served its purpose well. both the mundane and sacred planes only after Parts of the mountains are ruled by dwarves great effort and trouble. The empire always strives who have vast cities tunnelled deep into the rocks to extend it but, due to the difficulty in doing so, and spend most of their lives underground. it makes the attempt only into valuable territories. Other parts are inhabited by horrible huge The Glowline is stable along the edge of Balazar. mountain giants that cause rock and snow slides Throughout the area covered in this book, the to kill any person stupid enough to try crossing Red Moon is always visible in the sky. It does not them by climbing. rise or fall, but remains stationary and visible both There are only three ways past the mountains day and night. applicable to this scenario pack. Dragon Pass, a huge break, is the one usually used, for it is wide Kingdom of Tarsh and easy even for wagons or delicate travelers. A client state, the Lunar Empire counts Tarsh Wyrms High Pass is a lofty valley which can be among its provinces. Tarsh governs itself and has used by small parties, including horses, who are a traditional dynasty of kings. Its leaders and many careful, crafty, or deadly. The Giants Pass is ruled of the populace worship the Red Goddess; her by a member of that race and considered priests are appointed by Lunar Imperial authorities. inaccessible to humans. The kingdom pays annual tribute to the empire Many peaks of the Rockwoods are so high that and sends the children of its elite there to be they are permanently snow-capped, and in the educated. Tarsh is agricultural and exports grain winter the snow demons spread their realm lower down river from Furthest to the Black Eel River on the slopes and invade the lands of men. and then to the Oslir.

Griffin Mountain 9