David Dunham Page | Glorantha
PageArtmal, a son of Annilla the Blue Moon, once ruled the land, but he was maimed by invading storm gods. Wounded, Artmal could not stand against the later invasion of Chaos.
Huradaz, the God of Gods, sent a group of deities, the Council of Gods, to bring back order and truth. Their circumnavigation of the world is called the Circle of Light, and restored the world and made it the way it is today.
Garangordos was the hero who brought new gods and a new way of life to Fonrit. Although he was murdered, he is still one of the most powerful deities in Fonrit.
At the Dawn, Fonrit was occupied by the Veldang remnants of the Artmali Empire.
In 500, Garangordos the Cruel and his followers arrived from Laskal, and enslaved the Veldang. Garangordos was killed by his son Jokot. His seventeen brothers and sisters killed Jokot in turn, dividing the land between them.
During the Second Age, the Middle Sea Empire came to dominate Kareeshtu in the north, and influenced the entire land. They never ruled Fonrit, however.
Afadjann was founded in 921.
Fonrit was hit hard by the Closing, suffering disasters as early as 942 and as late as 1112.
The Cult of Silence spread from Umathela, and engulfed Fonrit in 1240. It was renamed the Land of Silence. The Clamorers ended the Silence in 1313.
Afadjann conquered much of Umathela in the 1300s, but was gradually thrown out by a combined force of barbarians and Aldryami. Around this time the Yranian Leapers briefly conquered Fonrit, before disappearing.
In 1587, the Vadeli fleet conquered Kareeshtu, but the Vadeli were defeated in 1594.
The people of Fonrit have blue, black, or white skin, as well as a mixture thereof. The black Agimori make up most of the ruling class, or Toravs, while the blue Veldang are the most wretched of the slaves.
Slavery is the most important aspect of society. About 70% of the population are slaves, and everyone, free or not, is ranked by how many slaves they are allowed to own. It's possible, though difficult, to gain your freedom.
Most people live by intensive agriculture, frequently irrigated. Millet is the primary crop. They also raise goats, pigs, and cattle. Fishing and seaweed-harvesting are important on the coast.
Much of Fonrit is divided into city-states, though they are usually subordinate to a single city and form de facto, if frequently changing, kingdoms. Afadjann and Kareeshtu are among the most important political units. Banamba is subject to Kareeshtu. Mondoro is a wild land; its people have their own language and culture. In times of severe trouble, a Confederation of Fonrit unites the entire land, but this has never lasted long.
Many of the cities are quite large -- Garguna has over 100000 inhabitants. In the countryside, slaves live in small villages, and are owned by the village headman (himself owned by a city Torav).
Political and religious factions abound. Toravs are also divided into the "Oldster" or "Renewed" ancestries, who hold differing attitudes towards their slaves.
Torav marriages are often polygamous. Most slave marriages are not legally recognized.
Toravs worship the 34 Hero-Tyrants, led by Garangordos the Cruel. Others include Darleester the Noose; Ikadaaz the Torturer; Calari the Jumping Leopard Man; Ompalam, Lord of Slavery; and Evukindu the Warrior.
The Council of Gods are still worshipped, as is their enemy Selarn the Thief.
A pantheon of earth deities is mostly worshipped in rural areas. They include Ernamola the Millet Mother, Ennug the Digger, and Ankimdu the Farmer.
There's some practice of Malkionism, including the Siwalite Sisterhood who specialize in birth manipulation, and the hedonistic fanatics of St. Ebbesh.
The deities of the Artmali and other enemies of Garangordos still receive some worship by slaves; they are known as the Oppressed Ones.
Pamalt's pantheon was imported into Katele, and his worship has spread. Northern deities are also known in a few cities.
The legal system is very complex, and varies by city. In addition, there is an intricate system of customs, especially towards the top of society.
Cities are connected by roads, and there is much trade by land and water. Money is rare, but beads representing slaves and even family members are often used in place of currency.
There is a specialized class of soldiers, a few of whom are mounted on horses or elephants. Spears and swords are the most popular weapons. Well-equipped troops have chainmail armor.
Fonrit has a semitropical climate, which allows two harvests a year. There are frequently terrible typhoons at the end of the year.
To the west are the Aldryami forests of Umathela. Interspersed with the brown and green elves are their human allies the Umathelans, a barbaric people who worship storm gods and practice primitive agriculture. The Vadeli live far to the west.
The western coast is inhabited by the city-states of the Malki. They use sorcery, though many also worship pagan gods. They are often profitable trading partners.
Across the Marthino Sea is Kimos, a wasted land where humans fight the Gorgers.
To the east is Laskal, inhabited by yellow elves and primitive humans. It is covered with tropical forests.
Further east is the Errinoru Jungle, an impassible land inhabited by yellow elves.
To the south are endless plains inhabited by primitive Agimori tribesmen.
An earlier version of this article appeared in Enclosure 2, which has a lot more information about Fonrit. I've revised it in light of additional information in Glorantha: Introduction to the Hero Wars (and corrected the name of the Millet Mother to match Gods of Glorantha).Other information about Fonrit is at the Issaries, Inc. web site or in Missing Lands and Revealed Mythologies.