Empire of Golden Kareeshutu and Afadjann

*Developers

Here is main developers of Fonritan Slavocracy....Well, slavery is good, freedom is just an illusion.(what something similar was told by Sheng Seleris, "Life is Slavery....")

You know Greg Stafford as main developer of Glorantha, this is originally his world. But his "notorious" Gregging sometimes means he creates something new while he destroys former materials.
Peter Metcalph is great scholar of Glorantha history, he has hinted some assumption for this area, and he has ability (and desire) to compile older and newer sources to one.
Martin Hawley has been the expert of Glorantha sea materials and hence outside area like that of Pamaltela, he and Simon Bray shared some favor to this exotic area of Glorantha. He has power to give life to that of generalization of Peter and Greg.

[As my concern is Comparative Mythology, a setting without no cultural clash isn't interesting for me....this is just my preference. Certainly, I leave something important unnoticed, if you know, please teach me......]

First, Pamaltela came with Sandy Petersen,
http://www.issaries.com/library/world/fonrit.html
Greg's Missing Land first introduced possibility of detailed sketch.

Second, Martin Hawley's Afadjann (Enclosure #2) has a lot of excellent stuffs, though many of "Solar" Pantheon remnant derived from old "Gods of Glorantha"remained. In this sketch....the Sun God was called "Fida-Is". See some stories by Simon Bray through the link below.

Third, Greg's Revealed Mythologies sketches at least Fonritan "Evil" (from POV of outsiders) cosmology firmly related to Pamalt Pantheon of Jolar....I am not sure this idea is old or new, as other RM fragments, it wasn't ordered enough...... Peter might point out that it is out-of-date from Gregging. for it includes quite old components, like Warera and Malkion.

Latest is Tradetalk #14 Kareeshtu written by Martin Hawley and Peter Metcalph.

*Fonritan Cities
http://glorantha.temppeli.org/digest/gd8/2001.04/2594.html


"When the time came to perform the annual Life Quest, Garangordos announced that he would not be performing the usual quest to defeat Vovisibor, Filth-Which-Walks, and release Kendamalar to be reborn as Varama. Instead, he and his followers would use the quest to liberate Ompalam from the shackles of Jraktal the Tap." (Revealed Mythologies p.42)


As you can read in Revealed Mythologies, Pamalt Version LBQ? (Ritual of Recovering Sun) was converted to the Ritual liberating Ompalam from Jraktal. It originally derived from Pamalt's Necklace but "perverted" (From POV of Doraddi, etc...) and turned into the idea that in a sense Artmali civilizatiion is good, older way in steppes is bad, etc.... (But maybe Peter disagrees with such simplization.)

Since classic POV of Ibn Khardun (RW great Muslim historian), city means civilization while clanish, decentralised society is barbarism. But I am not sure this can be applied exactly to the scheme of Fonrit. Though "Tentacule" (as Peter and Martin suggested) might mean spiritual pyramid and perhaps the runes of fonritan pantheons (Glorantha : ITG) look handcuffs, shackles and fetters, cities were quite diversed and slave god cults too different to unified under one banner even if one supreme god, Ompalam is one and all, it might mean that fonritan rulers can show far more flexible and tolerant to their own greater scheme, as they tolerate Ebbeshal hedonists......


Definition of 17 Cities of Garangodos is vague and it might fall under the horizon of oblivion through the cataclysm of history, as Septapoli of Anaxial. What I can say is several of Garandites cities still insists their foundation is from Garangordos, so I can hypothesize several options as DH tripolis...

1) Some of 17 Cities are remained under "faithful" Garandites people.
2) Most of them destroyed, but it remained as people's memory and thus magically true and real for them.
3) In reality, Garandites don't know that real 17 cities anymore, but they also know it is meaningless to care much about the original location and form. They choose which city attribute is proper for them as they like.

But still somewhat I am confused is that Fonritan cities are diversed more than Dara Happa, imagine that devotees of Twin Orjethulut and Hanjethulut (Say, Zorak Zoran and Humakt) of Yngortu pay homage to Garandites, even if their gods are slaves of Ompalam, it is something difficult to believe more than Shargashi pay homage to Yelmites from Raibanth. I can try to make comparison with relation of Fonrit and Doraddi similar to that of Dara Happans and Heortling.....

Tradetalk #14 p.21-22
"All that is necessary to become a Tond is summon up a godling sacred to their god and enslave it. This act makes them a first rank Tond but thereafter their erstwhile friends condemn them as a renegade."

From list of Revealed Mythologies (Hrm, most of them might be occupied by demonic forces outside of Slave Pyramid of Ompalam....but I want to know about Peter's idea.)

It might mean that pamalt pantheon is no longer available for fonritans for the breaking through in the ritual, and slave gods like Ikadz and Seseine in old prosopaedia (as Chaos Gods) were replaced in the positions of pamalt necklace by Doraddi. it might not forbidden, but it will release lands of blues and Artmali again under Blue Moon, that might be the reason why Afidisa was refused by Garangordos (RM) And that might be the reason Yranians of Faladje were so dangerous to their society structure.

Martin Hawley's and Peter Metcalph's Kareeshutu (Tradetalk #14) adopted its idea and released it as latest version. (Peter integrated Jraktal (God of South Chaos Invasion and Tap) and Jotimam (God of Spike Void, now eaten by Magasta) into Fonritan local myth and it seems adopted into official line by RM. Read also latest Arcane Lore p. 38 "The Chaos Wars", Excerpt from Lords of Terror and see original discription of Ompalam in Prosopaedia.......)

Slightly mentioned FONRIT in Tales #12 Scenario, Veldt Trek, even if Dumanaba is too far away from central Fonrit.
Simon Bray wrote some novella.
http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Realm/5545/mything/mything-authors.html#sb2



Current rulers of Two Empires,
*Archidomides (Leader of Tentacule, Ikadz and City Tondiji, I think PM and MH intentionally blanked the true character of Great Crystal Eye against Future Gregging...Maybe he is merely a figurehead of tonds, or not.)
*Astamanx (Jann of Hombori Tondo, Darleester, perhaps Afadjann is relatively decentralised by Tsanyano Movement.......so Astamanx should rely on more intrigue and slyness than direct power....IMHO.)

Of course, Ompalam is Greatest God among Fonritans, (It was called Chaos God in older Prosopaedia.) Almost it is Supreme Existence like the one in Monotheism....

See also Seseine and Ikadz, as other example of Fonritan Pantheon.....

But what about Tentacules and Tonds for Afadjanni? (I am little bit confused the name with Hombori "Tond"o, capital of Afadjann...., maybe just a coincidence of Chance, or....?) It might means that Darleester was worshipped as a rightful slave god of Ompalam by Afadjanni, while Kareeshutan tonds loath it and call it demon, rebel against Ompalam. How practical can be fonritan torab rulers? As Dara Happans, they might seek equivalent in their God's Wall? Or just try to set new icons to their Pantheon as real world practical Romans did? See below.


From Tradetalk #14, p. 21
"Every City has its own School of Law, although Tonds insist that their public teachings be compatible with the Njenaguyan School (almost certainly because that School sees nothing wrong with the Tonds.)"



*Various City States settings of Peter Metcalph and others
Peter hypotheses about the Origin of Garandites as Ia Rawthi can be found here,
Missing Land p.70 (Dolorofey)

*17 Cities of Garangordos Disciples

*Faradje Yranian Reapers
[Link]

*Ebbeshal by M. Hawley
Four Scrolls of Revelation

*Seseko and Kalabar by P. Metcalph
http://glorantha.temppeli.org/digest/gd9/2002.10/1146.html
http://glorantha.temppeli.org/digest/gd9/2002.10/1140.html

*Fanjosi by P. Metcalph (Old)
http://www2u.biglobe.ne.jp/~BLUEMAGI/FanjosibyPeterMetcalph.htm

*Some about Yngortu
http://www.gloranthadigest.com/cgi-bin/message.py?ref=16968

*Bambara Maunde was certainly mentioned in older fragments. But I don't have "Heroes". From David Dumham's website.......
<<Kemparana Eighthands
A raider who built a tower in the wilds of Mondoro from coral he stole from Bambara Maunde. [Heroes I.6.37] >>

*Dumanaba
See Tales #11 Scenario Veldt Trek and Tradetalk #14

See Jerome Blondel's older note below......(Though Peter objected his idea of Animism and Doraddi, the debate was before the release of "Revealed Mythologies" and "Arcane Lore" of Greg Stafford.)

FONRIT, SLAVE LAND:
[sources: Missing Lands pp. 62-67, Revealed Mythologies pp. 41-43, Glorantha: Intro, Enclosure #2]

Fonrit is the largest urban culture in Pamaltela. Its founder, Garangordos, restored civilization after he drove the Aldryami away and summoned ancient curses on the local descendents of the Artmali.

The principles of the advanced and refined Fonritian civilization are based on the teaching of Ompalam the God of Slavery: Spirit is Slave to the Body, everyone is a slave in the chain of Ompalam, with Ompalam as the Supreme God, Freedom is an Illusion. Garangordos is the Keeper of Fonrit, but his dismemberment caused the land to be split among many quarelling city-states. The two most important ones are:
- Kareeshtu, the great naval power that is ruled by the immortal Great Tond, Heartless Vessel of Ompalam and Ikadz the Torturer.
- Afadjann, the major power on land, is ruled by the Jann through his control of the cult of Darleester the Noose.

THE ARTMALI

Sources: Revealed Mythologies, Tales #11 (Veldt Trek), Gods of Glorantha (Artmal), Troll Gods (Annilla Cult), Missing Lands, Glorantha: Intro.

The Artmali are blue-skinned people who descended from the Blue Moon Veldara, daughter of Grand-Mother Enjata Mo, and founded a vast empire in the Artmali Period (Storm Age). The Artmali sailed upon the Flood which purified the Earth and restored Celestial Perfection on Earth. (Such was the beauty of the Lunar gift.) However they too much indulged in earthly things and were destroyed by chaos in the Demon Period (Great Darkness).

The slate-blue-skinned Artmali trace back their descent to Artmal, son of the Blue Moon. Like their deities who were shattered during the Gods War, the Artmali are a broken folk who survive in only two enclaves of Pamaltela: Fonrit to the north, and Zamokil to the south.

The original Artmali civilization has been long forgotten in Pamaltela, but its influence was nevertheless huge and tales abound about it. Northern Pamaltelan civilizations such as Fonrit and the Elf Coast city-states owe their knowledge of Ships and Cities to the broken Artmali. They all have founder-heroes who changed the Artmali's despicable ways in order to make them fit for proper civilization. (actually, it seems most of the North Pamaltelan gods apotheosized in the Now Period of Pamaltelan myth).

THE BLUES OF FONRIT: Spirit is slave to the Body. The Blues of Fonrit are the ultimate slaves. The Blues worship the Hungry Goddess who crippled and devoured their gods and put that curse on them. They are very poor and their broken souls feed their masters so that the latters maintain themselves in the harsh Fonritian society.

NB: Afati, "Agitorani King of decadent Tishamto", founded the New Artmali Empire in Demon Period Fonrit, but it was destroyed by western sorcerers and Gendaran demons.

THE YRANIAN LEAPERS: They were a sect who conquered a vast empire in the Third Age but disappeared mysteriously. They worshiped the Forbidden Red Planet Yran and this obviously gave them magic to incite the Blues to revolt. Later, when the Yranian Leapers disappeared, the Blues promptly returned to slavery. But recently they tend to become less and less wretched and revolts become more frequent.
 
THE ARTMALI OF ZAMOKIL: [see Troll Cults Book p. 6, Elder Secrets: Forbidden Places, and Tales #11]
The mysterious Veldang of Zamokil are hunter-gatherer animists. The Blue Moon goddess Veldara is their Great Ancestress. They require individual perfection, fear Bolongo, and know a great deal about things a hunter-gatherer is not supposed to know. Their ancestral enemies are the Red Giants of Garanzarn (now extinct but still there in the Spirit World).

Their origin may lie in the earlier Artmali settlement of Pamaltela, Tenel, which was on the shore of the Blue Fire Sea.

Blue Moon Pantheon: Underworld mixed pantheon?

Very Personal Comment: It is something similar to turbans and muslim like costumes of Fonrit is similar to C. S Lewis's Narnia Calormene and Tashbaan.
http://www.narnia.com/discover/index.htm

Hrm, you know how medieval europeans consider Muslim 'pagan' faith like that of polytheistic, demon worshipping fanaticism.