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Human characters
Einarth Milk-Eyes
The prophet
"I see triumph, if these clan halls contain sufficient wit and bravery."
A prophet who appears to nudge the player's clan towards its great destiny.- A Winner Is You: He returns to deliver the closing monologue of short-length stories, summing up your progress and praising your clan's virtue.
- Blind Seer: His eyes are clouded over, as if he has cataracts. He can describe the future in great detail, though.
- But Now I Must Go: He appears four times at most, drastically changing your clan's fate each time, but nothing the ring can do will entice him to stay.
- Call to Adventure: If the clan has survived for a long time or otherwise gained a heroic reputation and hasn't performed the (plot-starting) Storm Tribe heroquest, Einarth shows up to say that doing so would be a good idea.
The Feathered Horse Queen
Queen of the Grazelands
The destined queen of Dragon Pass and its Horse-Spawn. She is only encountered in long-mode games.- All There in the Manual: According to the tabletop game, her name is Eneera Tor ("Eneera the Priestess"), and she has the additional title-name Reaches Farthest.
- Compete for the Maiden's Hand: Because her husband will become King of Dragon Pass, at least three Orlanthi kings seek to marry her. She will accept only the one who succeeds at the challenges she sets.
- Hero of Another Story: She led a revolution and permanently changed the Grazelands, just as your tribe is changing Dragon Pass.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Much more willing to make peace with the Orlanthi than most of her own people.
- Rebel Leader: The priestess of Maran Gor explains that the Feathered Horse Queen owes her position to a revolution. In the tabletop material, she led a popular uprising and spoke for the vendref underclass as well as the earth goddesses.
The Luminous Stallion King
King of the Grazelands
The Grazer king, encountered only in long-mode games and only if the player's monarch is female.- All There in the Manual: The tabletop game provides some information about him: his name is Endars Stand-Up, and he recognized the Feathered Horse Queen's authority after she killed his brother in a duel.
- Spear Counterpart: He takes the Feathered Horse Queen's place if your tribe is ruled by a queen when the Long Game endgame is triggered.
- Static Role, Exchangeable Character: If you trigger the endgame with a tribal queen, the Feathered Horse Queen is replaced by the Luminous Stallion King, who does exactly the same things (but with different art).
King Heort
The healing goddess Chalana Arroy defies Humakt, god of death, to resurrect Heort. He's that important.
The first true Orlanthi and the first king of his people. He created the laws every good Orlanthi lives by.- Back from the Dead: Courtesy of Chalana Arroy, as seen in the only image of Heort that exists in the game.
- Deadpan Snarker: He reportedly said; "One needs Uroxi warriors. Often one needs them to be somewhere else."
- The Good King: Saying an Orlanthi is as wise/just/generous as Heort is basically the biggest compliment you can give one. He set the standard that every king after him is expected to live up to.
Bad King Urgrain
An Orlanthi king who is legendary for his wickedness and incompetence.
- 0% Approval Rating: The opposite of Heort. Every time Urgrain is mentioned, it's something he did wrong that had terrible consequences.
- Bad Boss: The example of bad leadership in the game: violent, capricious, treating his own clan and ancestors with contempt and feasting bandits in his hall. Being compared to him is an insult, and if your reputation gauge reaches his name, you get a Non-Standard Game Over.
- Egopolis: He annoyed his tribemates by naming his tribe after himself.
- Maternal Death? Blame the Child!: His mother died giving premature birth to him, so later Orlanthi sometimes said that his birth was his mother's murder.
- Rags to Riches: He spent time as a thrall before becoming a king.
- Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: Committed this crime before becoming a king.
King Oskul
Oskul slew Bad King Urgrain and was ultimately elected king himself. Because of his predecessor's conduct, his reign was full of strife.
- Badass Pacifist: Oskul was a great warrior, but became sick of fighting and tried to avoid war in his later years.
- Dropped a Bridge on Him: After winning many glorious battles, he was killed by a boy throwing stones at him, part of a feud he had tried to end.
- Heroic Bastard: His parents were not married, and he is fairly well-regarded by history.
King Errarth
The Tragic King. Like Urgrain, he is often invoked as a bad example; however, he was well-intentioned, and his downfall came about through unwillingness to punish evildoers. Overall the Orlanthi view him more with disappointment and pity than outright hatred.
- Butt-Monkey: His entire legacy is essentially a long list of horrible things that happened to him.
- Extreme Doormat: His defining flaw. Errath tried his best to make everyone happy, refusing to take sides and choosing not punish anyone. As his modern reputation shows, these efforts did not work at all.
Kallyr
The hero raised in the turtle's shell
A heroic swordswoman who may - according to the RNG - be adopted by the player's clan. She's a potential ring member.- And the Adventure Continues: One of two ways her subplot can end (and the one that earns the trophy "Kallyr's Greater Destiny"). At the end of her Vingan heroquest, she mounts a giant turtle and disappears into the ocean, intent on what your god-talkers say is a new quest. A full year later, she's still happily exploring the underworld, and helps one of the clan's dead weaponthanes to escape it."Where to, Vinga?"
- A Child Shall Lead Them: She can be a member of the clan ring— or even clan head or tribal queen— as a teenager.
- Earn Your Title: For successfully re-enacting Nallindia Trailblazer's previously-unique heroquest, Kallyr is also given the title Trailblazer.
- Jumped at the Call: She is ecstatic about eternally adventuring through the underworld.
- Mutual Kill: One of two ways her subplot can end; she journeys to the Holy Country and fights another hero there. They simultaneously strike killing blows against each other, in what was a pretty incredible battle.
- Named After Somebody Famous: She is not the monarch Kallyr of Orlanthi history. Although given the timeline, Kallyr Starbrow could be named after her.
- Rags to Riches: Goes from the daughter of an unmarried vagabond to an epic-level warrior who's the pride of her clan and whose death is commemorated forever in legend.
Theya
Seer and mourner
A priestess blessed with precognition by Ernalda. Like Kallyr, she's a potential ring member.- A Child Shall Lead Them: Like Kallyr, she can be a ring member or clan chief as a teenager, although she cannot be elected queen.
- Arranged Marriage: Theya wants to be married, but refuses to offer any opinion on her suitors. Even if she's a ring member, she abstains from the decision and insists that the rest of the ring choose a husband for her as they would for any other clan member—possibly because she knows that whoever marries her will die an early death.
- Blessed with Suck: While it's never clear if Theya's horrendous luck is connected to her powers, she seems to regard the gift itself as a curse, and is glad that her daughter will not share her powers.
- Death by Childbirth: But she doesn't mind, because she's finally given birth to a healthy child who will live. Her precognitive powers also allow her to experience her daughter's life, and to know that Jenela will be happy.
- Dude Magnet: Her beauty and spiritual abilities attract no less than four suitors—very rare for someone not related to a chief.
- Doom Magnet: Everyone Theya loves, whether it be her husband or her children, dies tragically. People actually worry if a curse caused her miscarriages.
- Identical Grandson: Her daughter Jenela, who's also a potential Ernaldan ring member, shares Theya's otherwise unique portrait set, albeit with very subtly recolored hair.
- Gameplay and Story Integration: Theya will correctly predict events unrelated to her storyline, such as Kallyr's arrival.
- Made of Iron: She survives being trampled underfoot by a warhorse!
- Outliving One's Offspring: Theya's first five children die in infancy.
- Seers: Theya has visions of the future. This is a very rare gift for Ernalda to give.
- Shoot the Messenger: Depending on player choice, Theya will visit the Horse-Spawn to give them a prophecy. This may end... badly.
- Someone to Remember Him By: Subverted. Theya finds out that she's pregnant with a third child after her husband dies— but that child, too, dies. Who fathered Jenela, her only surviving child, is never revealed.
Derik Single-Path
The Praxian-Hater
A stubborn weaponthane who's been obsessed with vengeance on the Sable Riders ever since they slaughtered his family. Unlike Theya and Kallyr, he is the Derik of Gloranthan history.- Awesome Ego: His pride irks the older weaponthanes, but it's entirely justified. If you send him to lead a raid against the Sable Riders, he will always win, with no casualties regardless of how few or weak his fellow warriors are. And, of course, he then goes on to become the hero of legend.
- Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: He kills Jaldon Goldentooth, a destructive force of nature that your entire clan— no matter how good your warriors are— can't hope to match. It's true that no one expects Jaldon to stay dead— he's come back before— but it's still quite a deed.
- Founder of the Kingdom: He founds a tribe that will survive for centuries. And if you delay the endgame too long, he can appear as a suitor for the Feathered Horse Queen and even win the contest, becoming King of Dragon Pass. (This doesn't count as a victory for your tribe, as he's not your tribal king, even if he did start out as a clan member.)
- I Have Many Names: He picks up a number of epithets during his storyline: Single-Path, the Praxian-Hater, Furman, Poljoni...
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: As cocky and aggressive as he is, Derik is a good guy and wants Jaldon gone not only out of vengeance but so that no one may suffer through he did. He is also fiercely loyal to your clan even after leaving it.
- Revenge: His goal.
Thadart
The transformed brother
"Their god meant it as a grim joke, but you are my clan-mates, and I know that you will accept me even though I am disfigured."
A member of your clan who is captured by Tusk Riders and transformed into one of them.- All of the Other Reindeer: He's treated as an outcast after his transformation, although the ring can intervene and see that he is treated better.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: It isn't easy, but you can not only help the clan accept Thadart back in the clan but make sure that Thadart finds a loving wife, has children, and lives the rest of his life in happiness and honor.
- Perfectly Arranged Marriage: Thadart can ask the clan ring to arrange a marriage for him, as his appearance has made the task too difficult for his parents. Should you agree and succeed, the marriage is a happy and loving one.
Saraska
Not quite the destined hero of prophesy.
"I am Saraska Bright-Eyes, and it has been prophesied that I will unite the tribes and make this the land called Saraska. I will be Queen of the Kings, the Peaceful Hero, the Great Uniter."
A woman utterly convinced that she is the destined Queen of Dragon Pass.- Action Girl: Another Vingan warrior woman.
- Fake Ultimate Hero: She believes her own hype, but is not actually the chosen one of prophesy. That would be you (or rather, your king or queen).
- "Shaggy Dog" Story: Even if you back her to the last, Saraska cannot become queen. If she undertakes the trials of queenship, the gods themselves will strike her down.
The Orlanthi Pantheon
Orlanth
Storm King
Leader of the pantheon and god of storms; son of Umath and Kero Fin, brother of Humakt, Urox, Kolat and Ragnaglar, half-brother of Yinkin, and husband to Ernalda. He is one of the Seven Lightbringers.- The Atoner: He undertakes the Lightbringers Quest to resurrect a god he killed, because he realizes that—despite his own grudge against Yelm—the world needed him.
- God Is Good: One of the most powerful and influential gods on Glorantha and an all-around nice guy who is protective of his people and fellow gods.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: He killed Yelm, the Bad Emperor. Because Yelm was also the main god of the sun, things went... badly for a while after that. Orlanth ended up embarking on the Lightbringers' Quest to bring Yelm back from the dead and heal the world. Orlanth is a god who takes full responsibility for his actions.
- So Proud of You: Getting the good ending on the long game concludes with him looking down on your tula beaming with pride.
Ernalda
Earth Queen
Goddess of earth and crops. She is Orlanth's wife, daughter to Asrelia, niece of Ty Kora Tek, sister of Maran Gor, and mother to Barntar as well as the many goddesses of domestic animals and plants.- The Chessmaster: Ernalda is a master at manipulating events and the other gods to get what she wants, such as her husband founding a tribe and becoming its king.
- Earth Mother: One of her many titles.
- Dishing Out Dirt: She and her followers can command the earth itself, attacking others with rock and soil. Her sister Maran Gor thought is even better at having the earth attack.
- Food God: Most of her blessings provide food to the clan, and her myth is about ending a time of famine.
- Genghis Gambit: Just in case the prospective members of Orlanth's new tribe refused him, Ernalda told the Night Tribe where they were. The clans were able to fight off the resulting ambush, but only because they were fighting together. In the end they decided that forming a tribe was a good idea after all.
- Heart Is an Awesome Power: All of Earth's daughters inherited a certain aspect of her power; Ernalda got "the least". This actually means that her purview is the intangible, philosophical aspects of earth stuff, like tradition, family, and civilization. All of which makes her really damn important in the game's medieval setting.
- Immortality: Her ultimate secret. Being the feminine principle of the universe- no, not of mortals, the universe- she can never die. Not ever. If really badly injured, she falls asleep, but she is always ready to be reawakened. Storms may die, the sun may go out, but Ernalda will always be there- the sole constant on the alien world of Glorantha.
- Magnetic Hero: She's the common thread in a lot of pantheons, even those she doesn't (openly?) lead. The Horse-Spawn spit at the mention of Orlanth's name, but when Theya tells them she's a priestess of Ernalda, they go, "Oh, that Ernalda?" and shower her with respect.
- Really Gets Around: She basically slept with anyone who would protect her, discarding them once their power waned. Her past 'husbands' include Flamal and Yelm. And in some areas of Glorantha, she's still married to all of them.
- So Proud of You: As with Orlanth, at the end of the long game victory sequence, Ernalda's face smiles down at your tula from a mountain.
Elmal
Loyal Thane
"I would not be loyal to Orlanth if I believed him so easily defeated."
God of horses and the sun. Though he was originally one of the Fire Tribe, he changed his allegiance to the Storm Tribe and has been famously loyal to the latter ever since.- An Arm and a Leg: In the course of guarding Orlanth's stead, Elmal is repeatedly dismembered.
- Cue the Sun: Orlanthi consider rainbows sacred because they represent Elmal's sunlight merging with Orlanth's rain.
- Determinator: Nothing will stop him from protecting Orlanth's stead and its people. Not even being repeatedly dismembered.
- Evil Counterpart: Yelm is also a sun god associated with horses (the Horse-Spawn worship him) but he and Elmal couldn't be more different.
- Heel Realization: After attacking the goddess who had just healed his horribly wounded comrades, Elmal realized what he had become and surrendered. This started the chain of events that led to him joining Orlanth's side.
- I Have Many Names: As is typical for the setting. He is also called Kargzant.
He is also sometimes mistaken with Yelmalio, another son of Yelm not appearing in the game. - Number Two: He does not have the authority of Orlanth, but both occupy special places in the Storm Tribe.''They wail in despair: "Our defender is gone!"
- Protectorate: Orlanth's stead and its inhabitants...both during the Lightbringers' Quest and Orlanth's frequent adventures.
- Undying Loyalty: Housesitting is Serious Business to the Orlanthi, and when Orlanth was out on the Lightbringers Quest, it was Elmal he entrusted with guarding his stead. This trust was well-placed, for Elmal would stand firm through many vicious assaults.
- War God: One of the many war gods of the pantheon. His particular focus is on defensive war.
Humakt
Champion of the Storm Tribe
"You rule over many things, but you will never rule Death."
God of war and death; once Orlanth's brother, but disowned himself.- Cruel to Be Kind: Humakt left his family because otherwise they would be held responsible for the "heinous acts" he was going to do.
- The Grim Reaper: He's the god of death, and while definitely not evil, he's grim and scary.
- Hot Blooded Sideburns: He has distinctive sideburns, and is singlemindedly devoted to his duty—which is war and death.
- Reluctant Warrior: He took Death (literally, the personification of death) from Eurmal less because he wanted it than because Eurmal couldn't be trusted with it.
- War God: One of several in the pantheon. Humakt focuses on aggressive war, and sometimes demands that your clan raid within the year if you wish to keep his favor.
Chalana Arroy
The Healer
Goddess of healing, and one of the Seven Lightbringers.- Actual Pacifist: She solves her problems by healing people, period. Chalana Arroy will never hurt anyone, even an enemy. This makes her the odd one out among the generally warlike Orlanthi pantheon, but she's beloved all the same.
- All-Loving Hero: She helps everyone, no matter what side they're on. Even Yelm's people honor her.
- Badass Pacifist: When a crazed soldier attacked Chalana to prevent her healing the Orlanthi, she healed his (spiritual) blindness, reawakening the compassion in his heart. That soldier was Elmal, who vowed to follow and protect her as repentance.
- Friend to All Living Things: Chalana Arroy will heal anyone, and plead for mercy for anyone. It's how she ended up a member of two otherwise-enemy pantheons.
- Go Through Me: In the myth "Chalana Arroy Heals the Scars", she throws herself between Urox and his evil brother Ragnaglar, showing mercy even to one of the Storm Tribe's worst enemies. And she was right to do so, because kinslaying would only have increased the power of Chaos in the world.
- Healer God: A shrine to her allows for steady healing of injuries or illness among the clan, and many events related to illness can be quickly resolved by a sacrifice to Chalana Arroy.
- The Heart: Loved and respected by both Orlanthi and Horse-Spawn for her egalitarian compassion.
- Morality Pet: After she healed Orlanth's berserker rage, he realized his clan needed someone like her. She accepted his invitation.
Lhankor Mhy
The Knowing God
God of lawspeaking, and one of the Seven Lightbringers.. Also known as the Knowing God (or, to Issaries and his followers, the Know-It-All God.)- Badass Bureaucrat: He must be convinced not to catalogue all the strange new Chaos monsters trying to slaughter his party.
- Dissonant Serenity: He is calm and logical even in the most hopeless situations. In fact, this is the only reason he succeeds in recovering the Truth — instead of getting irritated by a stupid question Issaries asks him, he answers it. This act was unexpectedly helpful because it allowed the Truth to return naturally into its original form- something Lhankor could not have forced it to do. (Truth can't be reached through impatience or desperation.)
- Talking the Monster to Death: He takes back Truth from its thief by forcing him to be dishonest to himself.
Eurmal
The Trickster
God of tricksters, and one of the Seven Lightbringers.- Accidental Murder: Permanent death literally didn't exist before Eurmal found it, so everyone was pretty shocked by its effect on Grandfather Mortal. Eurmal still wanted to keep it, though.
- The Friend Nobody Likes: Eurmal's nature is always changing, which makes him an awful ally. But it's also the reason he'll never be permanently bad.
- It Amused Me: Why he and his trickster followers do... well, anything.
- Magical Clown: Orlanthi have no shortage of magic, but even they are amazed by Eurmal's tricks.
Issaries
The Talking God
God of trade and diplomacy, and one of the Seven Lightbringers. Also known as the Talking God (or, to Lhankor Mhy and his worshippers, the Talks-Too-Much God.)- Capitalism Is Bad: Being the god of trade, Issaries Defies this trope.
- Friend to All Living Things: Issaries arbitrates everyone's feuds, even animals'. After all, peace is good for trade! Lhankor doesn't understand why he bothers.
- Intrepid Merchant: His followers tend to be this. Like Issaries himself, they're willing to risk danger and travel widely in the name of trade and communication.
- Merchant City: The Orlanthi associate cities with Issaries, and if you found one, you'll consecrate it to him and seek his blessing.
- Reconcile the Bitter Foes: He's so good at peacemaking that he can reconcile prey with predator. You know that predators always hunt the weak and sick members of a herd? Before Issaries got involved, they hunted everyone.
Urox
Urox about to kill his brother, the chaotic god Ragnaglar.
God of berserkers and foe of Chaos.- Beast Man: Can take the form of a man, but his true form is that of a powerful minotaur.
- Berserk Button: Chaos.
- Blood Knight: He loves violence. Whether hunting Chaos or blissfully drunk, Urox's cultists usually leave a trail of destroyed furniture (if not bodies) in their wake.
- Boisterous Bruiser: He is wild and destructive, but no one is as committed as him to fighting Chaos. "He is the smiter of Chaos, and the breaker of furniture."
- Knight Templar: Uroxi cultists tend to perform 'witch hunts'—they accuse people of being Chaotic without proof, get offended if anyone questions their judgement for any reason, and try to kill anyone they deem corrupted. In fact, if you're persistently lax in your opposition to Chaos, the Uroxi can actually destroy your clan.
- No Kill like Overkill: One of Urox's blessings grants increased strength in combat, at the cost of more wounds and deaths on both sides.
- War God: One of several in the pantheon. Although Urox is primarily devoted to fighting Chaos, he's willing to help out with other fights as well.
Uralda
Uralda leading her daughters.
"A little lost blood is nothing when there is life to be given."
Goddess of cattle and Ernalda's daughter.- Almighty Mom: A warrior strong in Uralda's favour can literally order her enemies to go home. That's how strong the Cow Mother's authority is.
- Food God: Her main significance to humans is in providing food. She's also one of the gods Ernalda has to rescue to end a famine in her myth.
- Heroic Sacrifice: She convinced the world's cows and bulls to make one. Living alongside humans meant that some cattle would be butchered and eaten- but the majority of their species would be much safer than if they kept living in the wild."A little lost blood is nothing, when there is life to be given."
- Damsel in Distress: She is one of the gods that Ernalda must rescue in "Ernalda Feeds the Tribe".
- Partially Civilized Animal: Her heroquest describes humans as "two-legs" and the person tasked with emulating her must wear a cow mask and walk on all fours. She can innovate and reason more than the animals, but only through the perspective of what a cow would find useful.
- Trojan Prisoner: In the "Uralda's Blessing" heroquest, a village's inhabitants mistake her for a mundane cow and herd her into their barn. This is exactly what Uralda wanted, though, because there she can negotiate with the village's cows and convince them to accept humans' protection.
Barntar
Barntar, while captive to Maran Gor
God of farming, Barntar the Ploughman is the son of Orlanth and Ernalda and husband of Mahome.- Distressed Dude: In "Ernalda Feeds the Tribe", he has been taken as a thrall by his aunt Maran Gor, and his mother Ernalda must negotiate his release.
- Food God: As the god of farming, he's strongly associated with crops, and he is one of the gods Ernalda must rescue to end the famine in her myth.
- Made a Slave: In Ernalda's heroquest, she has to rescue him from her sister, who has taken him as a thrall.
- Minor Major Character: Barntar has no heroquest of his own, and only appears as a Distressed Dude in his mother's. His worshippers are good farmers, but otherwise unexceptional; they're often not even useful enough to count as Boring, but Practical ring members. It's easy to forget about him playing the game, but in-universe, Barntar is actually one of the three most important Orlanthi gods along with his parents, and the main god of carls and cottars—that is, the majority of people in Dragon Pass.
Odayla
God of hunting, and brother to Orlanth.
- Bears Are Bad News: Bears are sacred to him, which can complicate matters if your clan has to deal with a troublesome bear.
- Classical Hunter: His worshippers.
- Satellite Character: Odayla is rarely mentioned and figures in no myths, although you can put his worshippers on the ring.
- Super-Persistent Predator: He's associated with a legendary event called the Hundred-Day Hunt, in which he and Orlanth pursued the Sky Bear.
Vinga
Vinga the Adventuress
"Because my hair is the color of blood, I will not bleed tonight. It is my foe who shall be reddened."
Goddess of exploration and female warriors, daughter of Orlanth.- Action Girl: Comes with the territory. And although not all female Orlanthi warriors are Vingans, all Vingans are Action Girls.
- All There in the Manual: Vingans can perform Orlanth's heroquests as if they were Orlanth worshippers, without the penalty that usually applies to a quester who worships a different god. This is explained only in the manual. (And the alternate view of Vinga that explains this—that she's not simply Orlanth's daughter but his female aspect—isn't to be found in the game at all.)
- Always Second Best: A positive example. Among Orlanth's many sons, she's not the best wrestler, archer, hunter etc., - but she is the second best in every skill. She successfully argues this is enough to be accepted as a warrior despite being a woman.
- Bold Explorer: Nallindia Trailblazer's heroquest deals with Vinga's nature as an adventurer.
- Fiery Redhead: A trait which her worshippers share, as every Vingan warrior woman in the game has red hair. Vinga's red hair is often compared to blood and linked to her martial prowess, to the point where one treasure sacred to her, a magic sword, is called "Vinga's Comb".
- One of the Boys: She's numbered among the Thunder Brothers, Orlanth's thanes. Her worshippers sometimes take on a more masculine role than most Orlanthi women, too, including behaving more emotionally.
- War God: One of several in the pantheon. Her specific focus is on women who choose to fight.
Maran Gor
Maran Gor, with her captive Barntar in the background.
Goddess of earthquakes and dinosaurs, and Ernalda's terrible sister.- Blood Magic: One of her blessings makes any blood spilled on the clan's fields fertilize them. Anyone's blood, even that of clan warriors—so even defeats are less damaging than they would otherwise be.
- Creepy Good: Orlanthi fear Maran Gor, but few respect her. This is justified by her portfolio; even if they're happening to your enemies, earthquakes aren't exactly a comforting sight. Notably she is quick to reward you if you do respect her. You will also need her help in order to complete the long game with the best ending.
Ty Kora Tek
Keeper of the halls of the dead
"All who come here must remain."
Goddess of the dead, and Ernalda's aunt.- Don't Fear the Reaper: She has to keep dead people dead, it's kind of her job, but she's not evil or even unfriendly.
- Skull for a Head: Downplayed. While Ty Kora Tek's eyeless, noseless face looks very much like a skull, she does have skin and lips.
Asrelia
Want to try your luck?
"Gamble with me."
Goddess of treasures, luck, and gambling, and the patron of an earth witch spirit tradition practiced by older Orlanthi women. She is the mother of Ernalda and Maran Gor, and sister to Ty Kora Tek.- The Gambler: One of her spheres of influence. If a heroquester encounters Asrelia while lost in Limbo, she invites them to gamble, and will return them home should they win.
- Retired Badass: According to the tabletop game's lore, Asrelia was once the goddess of the earth, but retired and passed those powers and responsibilities on to her daughters.
Babeester Gor
The Avenger
"The tribe is sundered, and cannot so easily be mended. I have been charged with the task of keeping the broken things broken."
Goddess of revenge, and daughter to Ernalda.- Action Girl: She and her always-female followers are great warriors, although less prominent in Orlanthi society than Vingans are.
- Satellite Character: Babeester Gor is not a goddess your clan worships, although they may occasionally interact with her cult and she does appear (though not by name) in Ernalda's heroquest.
Esra
Esra being escorted by Ernalda back to the surface
Goddess of barley.- Damsel in Distress: In "Ernalda Feeds the Tribe", Ernalda must rescue Esra from the underworld.
- Food God: She is the goddess of your most important grain crop, and one of the three gods Ernalda must rescue in order to end a famine.
- Hat of Authority: She has a very distinctive headdress.
- Satellite Character: She appears in only one myth, as a minor character. And while the Orlanthi do worship her in-universe, in gameplay terms she has no shrine or blessings. In the original form of the game you did have to keep her and her fellow grain mothers in mind while allocating crops, but this element is removed from the iOS port and later versions of the game.
Yinkin
Cats are an Orlanthi’s best friend
Another of Orlanth's brothers, and the god of alynxes, a type of large cat that the Orlanthi keep and love.- Beast Man: He's depicted as a humanoid with alynx paws, ears, and fur all over his body.
- Half-Dressed Cartoon Animal: Wears only a loincloth.
Kero Fin
Goddess of the eponymous mountain; Orlanth's mother.
- Friend to All Children: Her Maternal Ward blessing decreases child mortality. And in the tabletop game, she's also the goddess of childbirth.
- Genius Loci: She's both the mountain and its goddess.
- Missing Mom: Her death was one of the events that showed Orlanth the world was in big trouble.
Gustbran
Gustbran at work in his forge
The smith of the gods.- The Blacksmith: God of the trade.
- Forging Scene: A failed heroquester can encounter Gustbran at work in his forge, and can even ask him to forge a treasure for the clan.
Kolat
God of shamans. Although your clan doesn't worship him, he's one of Orlanth's many brothers.
- Distressed Dude: In Chalana Arroy's heroquest, he's attacked by Malia and the healing goddess must save him.
- Non-Action Guy: Orlanth fought his other brothers, but Kolat was too peaceful for that, so they "fought" with kites instead.
Vadrus
Are you sure you want the Hurt-Everything Clan in your tribe, Orlanth?
Another of Orlanth's many brothers. He appears in "The Making of the Storm Tribe" as one of the clan chiefs Orlanth negotiates with, but isn't mentioned elsewhere.- All There in the Manual: Tabletop players may know why he's not worshipped in the present day, though it's not mentioned in the game: he was killed by Wakboth the Devil when he tried to take its power for himself.
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: In "The Making of the Storm Tribe," Vadrus leads the Hurt-Everything clan.
- Primitive Clubs: His weapon of choice is a primitive spiked club.
- Villainous Lineage: He's a troublemaker, and so are his children—Valind, god of winter; Gagarth the Wild Hunter, god of outlaws; and Molanni, who betrayed the Storm Tribe by mothering Daga with Yelm.
Arachne Solara
Sometimes even the gods need a Deus ex Machina
A powerful goddess who your clan acknowledges but does not worship.- Big Damn Heroes: The Lightbringers Quest ends with her appearing out of nowhere (unless you accept the theory that she's secretly Ginna Jar) to spin a net that all the other gods use to immobilize Wakboth the Devil, at which point she herself kills him.
- Friendly Neighborhood Spider: Her appearance, abilities, and name heavily invoke spiders, but she is one of the most benevolent gods around.
Ancestors
They look different when they're in a good mood.
Your ancestors aren't exactly gods, but as good Orlanthi, you nonetheless honor them and perhaps even build them shrines and offer them sacrifices.- Ancestor Veneration: You can build a shrine to your ancestors and sacrifice to them for blessings, as if they were gods.
- Family Honor: They enforce this trope. If you act in a manner consistent with ancestral tradition, your ancestors may well reward you with magic; if you don't, they might just curse you. This extends to the traditions you made in clan creation (for example, whether to keep slaves or not), as well as more universal Orlanthi values.
Others
Yelm
Yelm returns to the sky.
The Bad Emperor, god of the sun (except when that's Elmal) and enemy to Orlanth. The Horse-Spawn worship him.- Disc-One Final Boss: He starts out as Orlanth's main antagonist. However, once Orlanth kills him, things go very badly, and Chaos becomes Orlanth's greatest enemy. Yelm and Orlanth eventually reconcile, however grudgingly.
- The Emperor: A Top God of another pantheon (the Fire Tribe), Yelm is often called simply The Emperor, and is a villainous character in Orlanthi mythology. This is because Yelm demands absolute obedience to his laws, which is in direct opposition to the Orlanthi core value of freedom.
- God Is Dead: Orlanth killed him. While the Orlanthi don't typically frown on killing one's enemies, the consequences were bad enough that Orlanth went on the Lightbringers' Quest to bring him back to life.
- Hero with Bad Publicity: “The Bad Emperor” is actually a benevolent god dedicated to peace and order, the Orlanthi view him as tyrannical deity who is a necessary evil at best. Justified as their own god hates Yelm, primarily because Orlanth believes Yelm’s laws infringe on the freedoms of others.
- Noble Bird of Prey: Eagles are sacred to him, and this is why the Orlanthi consider them a bad omen.
- Protagonist-Centered Morality: He is almost universally described as "bad" in-game, but this is from the Orlanthi perspective. Objectively speaking, he cannot be considered all bad, not least because he was the ruler during a 100,000-year-long age of peace.
Daga
Enemy of the earth itself
God of Drought. His father is Yelm and his mother is Orlanth's niece Molanni. He is an antagonist in two heroquests: "Ernalda Feeds the Tribe" and "Orlanth and Aroka".- Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: During the Orlanth and Aroka heroquest, it is possible to to actually kill Daga if your quester is badass and lucky enough — something even Orlanth himself didn't manage to do. This will immediately win the quest. However, your clan will be uneasy because you did not follow the story as you were supposed to, and because you committed kinstrife (Daga is Orlanth's nephew), which is considered a terrible crime and attracts Chaos.
- Walking Wasteland: Or in this case a floating wasteland, Daga's "feet" are a perpetually spinning tornado of dryness that withers everything around him.
Aroka
The god-eating water dragon
A dragon who allied with Daga and swallowed the rain god Heler. He is a major antagonist in "Orlanth and Aroka".- Draconic Abomination: A colossal dragon with multiple lashing tongues that could breath destruction, swallow gods whole, and Mind Rape others just by staring at them.
- Half the Man He Used to Be: Orlanth slays Aroka by seizing the dragon's jaws and tearing it in half.
Ragnaglar
Ragnaglar, having lost a battle with his brother Urox
"The brother we do not name," outlawed from the Storm Tribe for his many crimes. He is one of the Unholy Trio, the three gods who brought Chaos into the world.- "Could Have Avoided This!" Plot: If Orlanth had outlawed him when he committed rape, things might have gone much better for the pantheon and the world as a whole.
- God of Evil: His role. Note that he is not one of the enemy gods who can be propitiated: Ragnaglar offers nothing that your clan would want.
- Non-Human Head: He's depicted with the head of a goat.
- Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: His first major crime was his rape of Thed.
Malia
Not even Eurmal would dare prank Malia
Goddess of disease, and one of the Unholy Trio.- Plaguemaster: Malia can even make other gods sick. You can sacrifice to her to inflict plague on another clan... but keep in mind that this course of action will not make you popular.
- Protection Racket: If your clan suffers from disease, you can propitiate Malia for relief, and unlike most actions, it will always succeed. Thing is, she'll expect the payment to keep on coming... and neither your neighbors nor your own people will be happy with you for dealing with an enemy goddess.
Cragspider
You do not want Cragspider paying you a visit.
The leader of the trolls who live around Dragon Pass, Cragspider lives to your northeast, at Skyfall Lake. She does not like to be disturbed.- The Dreaded: By you, if you have any sense.
- A God I Am Not: According to Gloranthan lore, the only reason Cragspider isn't a goddess is that she decided not to become one, not wanting to be bound by the Cosmic Compromise.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: If you try to fight her, you'll die. And if you make her angry enough, she can destroy your entire clan.
- Multiboobage: This indicates that she is a Mistress Race troll, one of the ancient ones driven out of the Underworld along with their mother goddess.
- One-Man Army: Capable of wiping out dozens if not hundreds of enemies all on her own.
Wakboth the Devil
Wakboth caught by the gods in Arachne Solara's net.
The strongest and most wicked of all Chaos beasts. Was slain by the gods... Hopefully.- Big Bad: When he was alive, Wakboth was the greatest evil in all of Glorantha. Yes, even more horrible than the god of evil.
- Dark Is Evil: Was born from darkness and plunged the whole world into an eternal night during his reign.
- Hero Killer: Slew gods, including some who actually remained dead.
- Omnicidal Maniac: Desired nothing less than the total destruction of Glorantha and all if its life, both mortal and immortal.
- Posthumous Character: Has already been killed by Orlanth and the other gods. Other characters may mention him when cursing Chaos, but the closest you will see him is as an illustration in the lore... Though there are some hints he may be Not Quite Dead.
Ginna Jar
An appropriately vague image for a mysterious lady.
One of the Seven Lightbringers. May or may not be a secret identity of Ernalda, Arachne Solara, or Glorantha herself... or none of them.- Ambiguous Situation: Just who even is she? Is she a secret identity of another goddess? The spirit of Glorantha? Arachne Solara pre-compromise? The Wyter (A spirit of a community or group) of the Lightbringer's Ring? We have next to no answers on who she is.
- Satellite Character: If she's not an alias of a better-known goddess, Ginna Jar simply appears in the Lightbringers Quest, joins the party, suggests forming a ring, and vanishes from the narrative.
- The Spook: Here's what we know about her: She's one of the seven Lightbringers, and she suggested forming the ring. that's it.
