The Storm Gods Strike!

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.

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An unboxing video of Cults of RuneQuest: The Lightbringers is available to watch on Unboxing in the Nook.