Inora (Goddess of Mountain Snow)

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Created On 21 April 2000
Last Updated On 21 April 2000
Copyright (c) Simon E. Phipp 2000

Mythos and History

Before Time

During the Gods War when all was violence and Death, one of the Great Gods marched across the world. His name was Valind and he was a grandson of Umath, The First Storm. Valind began to cover the world, moving his great Glacier from the North. He reached the Mountains of the Rockwoods and lay there for a while with one of the Mountains in the East. The result of their union was a Goddess named Inora who lived in the Land of the Giants where she had been born.

Inora helped her father and spread her power far and wide, covering the lands of Votank and Saird with her Snows and Ice. Once she aided her friend Argan Argar at the Hill of Gold when a number of Fire Gods tried to attack the Great God's fortress. During the attack she met and defeated a Fire God called Yelmalio, taking his power of Brilliance. Since then, Inora can blind others with her White Snow and has been tied to the Light Rune.

When it seemed that Valind would conquer the whole world the King of the Sky, a Great Horse named Kargzant, sent one of his servants named Kalikos to fight Valind and drive him and his kin back. Kalikos came armed with Fire and the Summer's Glory and many friends. They fought Valind and his Kin and slowly drove them back to where they had come from. Inora chose not to follow her father northwards and withdrew to her Mountain Stonghold. Kalikos tried to destroy her but she use her power of Brilliance and reflected the Light and Fire of Kalikos away, showing that she could exist even in the height of Summer.

Since then, Inora has been a cold and remote Goddess, living in the mountains and occasionally coming down to the nearby lands.

After Kalikos' attack, another member of the Fire tribe came to meet Inora, but he was also a member of the Storm Tribe and a kinsman. His name was Elmal, the Winter Sun, and he traded secrets and powers with her. Inora learnt to accept that the Sun could be a friend and allowed Elmal to shine on her, in turn Elmal took her power of Brilliance and used it to replace the Shining Shield which he had lost before.

Since Time

With the Great Compromise, Kalikos and his Kin recognised the right of Valind and his Kin to exist and thus Inora lives amongst the Mountain Peaks. In Summer she retreats further away yet can still be seen with the Summer’s Sun relfecting of the great Snow Fields of her Glacier. During the Winter she advances and sometimes walks in the surrounding lands. In Prax she is worshipped as the Bringer of Frost. In Balazar as the Bringer of Snow.

Occasionally, she makes a great attack and brings Snow Demons and Biting Winds to Prax or Balazar and covers the land with Snow as in days of old. However, with the resurgence of the Kalikos Cult in the Lunar Empire, such attacks are moe and more infrequent.

Life After Death

Inora Cultists believe that after they die Inora will bring them to her Glacier where they will fight the forces of Summer each year as Ice Demons or Snow Sprites.

Pious worshippers will arrange for their body to be taken to the Glacier where it will be placed in a remote area and be preserved for all time. In fact, a number of such bodies from many years ago have been found on the Glacier and have been taken by Lhankor Mhy cultists for further study. This is not pleasing to the Inora Cult who now resist Lhankor Mhy expeditions onto the Glacier.

Runic Associations

Inora’s runes are Ice (or Cold if you do not use the Ice Rune) and Light.

Virtues

Inora's Virtues are Enduring, Patient, Proud.

Nature of the Cult

Reason For Continued Existence

As Goddess of Mountain Snow, Inora must fight the Forces of Summer each and every year. The Cult supports this and aids in the fight. The Compromise has guaranteed the existence of the Snows as well as Summer.

Socio-Political Position and Power

Away from the Glacier, the cult of Inora has no political or social power whatsoever.

On the Glacier it is the prominent Cult and controls the whole area.

In the lands near the Glacier the cult may have some power, depending on how frightened the inhabitants are of the Glacier and cold.

Particular Likes and Dislikes

Inora dislikes all Fire/Sky Cults and no member of Inora may be a member of these cults. The cult of Kalikos is especially hated. She also hates Chaos, as a member of the Storm Tribe. Light Cults are treated on a cult by cult basis. She likes Elmal who came as a friend but dislikes Yelmalio who fought her on the Hill of Gold.

Inora likes trolls and Giants who live in her realm. The friendship is returned as her snows keep invaders away for most of the year.

Inora dislikes the cult of Lhankor Mhy due to the theft of the bodies of some worshippers from Before Time. No member of the Lhankor Mhy cult may become Lay Members of her cult until the bodies are returned and recompense paid.

Organisation

Inter-Cult Organisation

There is no organisation between temples of Inora. Each Temple or Shrine acts of its own accord. Those on the Glacier answer directly to Inora.

Intra-Temple Organisation

The most powerful local cultist normally leads the Shrine. On the Glacier, descendants of Inora hold the positions of power, being High Priests and Chief Priests of the temples.

Centres of Power/Holy Places

The Glacier is the Most Holy Place of Inora as that is where she lives. The Hill of Gold is another Holy Place as Inora defeated Yelmalio here. There are a few other Holy Places where Inora did deeds in the God Time, mainly dotted around Balazar, The Elder Wilds and Saird.

Shrines may be found in any Storm Temple around the Eastern Rockwoods, normally in the temples of Orlanth Thunderous. Trolls sometimes maintain Shrines in Himile Temples in Dagori Inkarth. The only other Temples are on the Glacier where there is a Great Temple filled with Ice Demons, Snow Sprites, Snow Trolls and Humans. Other Minor Temples dot the edge of the Glacier, one near Prax, one near Balazar and one near Dagori Inkarth.

Holy Days and High Holy Days

Windsday of Movement Week is Inora’s Holy Day with the High Holy Day in Storm Season, in common with most of her Kin.

Lay Members

Requirements

Anyone may join the cult of Inora as a Lay Member as long as they are not members of a Fire/Sky cult and are not Chaotic.

Benefits

Lay members get no benefits except shelter on the Glacier. Any Lay Member of the cult may ask for Shelter from any other Cult Member. Many people become Lay Members for this very reason.

Initiates

Requirements

To become an Initiate of Inora, the person must not be Chaotic and must not belong to any Fire/Sky cult (including Amanstan or Cragspider).

The prospective Initiate must go to the Glacier and stay for one night in the open. Each hour, the prospective Initiate will take 1D3 General Hit Points damage from the cold. If he survives the night then he will donate a point of POW to Inora who will heal the cold damage. Note that in Summer (Fire Season) damage is reduced by 1 and in Winter (Storm and Dark Seasons) damage is increased by 1. Clever Initiates join in Summer.

Restrictions

Initiates must not join a Fire/Sky cult or lose membership in Inora.

Initiates may not use Fire Magics or summon Salamanders.

Benefits

The Initiate gains resistance to Cold and takes 1 point of damage less than normal. They learn the following skills:

Navigate, Snow Survival, Ski, Snow Walking

Navigate (Knowledge, Base 00%)

The ability to navigate with no obvious landmarks. This uses the Stars, Wind directions, snow patterns etc. It is at half effectiveness when off the Glacier but at 3/4 effectiveness on another Glacier, such as Valind's Glacier.

Users of Navigate may learn to use it on another Glacier - this takes 3 weeks of training and allows the full use of the skill. The user is effectively learning the new winds, snow falls and local weather conditions.

Snow Survival (Knowledge, Base 00%)

This allows the user to survive in extremes of cold.

Successful use reduces the damage taken by cold by 1. A special success reduces cold damage by 2D3 and a Critical means the user will not take any damage from cold weather.

Snow Survival must be rolled each day the user is in below freezing weather conditions.

This does not reduce damage from magical cold damage such as Frost Bite.

Ski (Agility Base 5%)

The use of skis to move across snow covered terrain.

A normal success means that the user moves at Move 3, a special success moves at 6, a critical at 9. Failure means the user moves at 1, a fumble means that the user makes no headway. The skill must be rolled once per hour of skiing.

Snow Walking (Agility Base 00%)

The use of Snow Shoes to move across snowy terrain.

The skill is used as Ski, above. A normal success means that Move is 1, a special success allows Move at 2, a critical success is Move 3. Failure means Move 0.5, a fumble means no movement.

Normally, people move at 0.5 in extreme Snow conditions. If the snow is not that extreme then they may move faster, however, people using Snow Walking do not move faster with less snow.

Sprit Magic

The cult teaches Endurance, Extinguish, Icicle and Snow Blindness.

Icicle (2 point, Temporal): Creates a magical Icicle which may be used as a Dagger or Dart (doing 1D8 damage). The Icicle lasts for 5 minutes. In extremes of Cold the Icicle does 1D8 + damage.
Snow Blindness (4 point, Temporal, Ranged): This spell must overcome POW in order to work. It blinds the target for 1D3 melee rounds.

Ice Maidens

These are the leaders of the cult. They are not always female but are always called Ice Maidens.

Requirements

A prospective Ice Maiden must have 90% in the cult skills, must roll POWx3% or succeed in 4 Virtues and must undergo the same endurance test as Initiates, except that they do it naked in Winter and take 1D3 + 1 General Hit Points damage. Occasionally, (POWx1%) a Snow Sprite will take pity on them and will shelter them with its wings, reducing damage taken by 1.

Benefits

Ice Maidens take only half damage, rounded down, from cold, including magical cold.

They may sacrifice for Inora Rune Magic and Associate Cult Rune Magic reusably.

Restrictions

Ice Maidens have the same restrictions as Initiates.

As Inora withdrew from the world to live in the Mountains, so Ice Maidens must withdraw from emotional contact. They thus seem very aloof and lofty when spoken to. It is said that a kind word will melt their hearts, but evidence of this is not easily found.

Rune Magic

Common Divine

Spell Teaching, Worship Inora, Sanctify, Divination.

Cult Special

Snow, Frost, Snow Shelter, Command (Ice Demon, Snow Sprite)

Snow

This spell is found in Gods of Glorantha in the Valind Description.

Frost

This spell is found in Tales of the Reaching Moon, Prax Special.

Snow Shelter (1 point, Stackable, Reusable, Duration 1 day)

This spell protects one person per point of the spell from the effects of cold weather. It reduces Cold Damage by 1 point per point of spell. The spell may be stacked to increase either the number of people affected or the amount of protection given. As an example, Snow Survival 4 could be used to reduce Cold damage on 1 person by 4 points, on people by 3 points, 3 people by 2 points or 4 people by 1 point.

So, on the Glacier, Snow Survival 1 will reduce damage to 1d3 - 1, (1D3 - 2 in Summer, 1D3 in Winter).

Obviously, this spell may not be used in the Endurance tests for Initiates or Ice Maidens.

Sub Cults

Inora has many Sub Cults, all of whom are her children or close Kin.

Father of Avalanches

This son of Inora is powerful along the edges of the Glacier where he can cause devastating Death.

He grants the spell of Snow Slip.

Snow Slip (1 Point, Stackable, Instant, Reusable)

Snow Slip causes an area of snow 10m long and 1m deep to become loose and slip. It can be used to make the footing treacherous and make people fall down if they fail a DEXx3% roll or it may be used to create an Avalanche if stacked and if cast on snow at the edge of a Glacier or on a slope. In this case, each 1m depth of snow will cause 1D6 damage per round of the Avalanche moving to anything caught in it and will hold the trapped person with a STR of 5. People trapped will suffocate if they cannot dig themselves out or are not rescued. Each point of spell increases the STR of the Avalanche and also the damage taken.

So, a 4 point Avalanche will do 4D6 damage and will trap people with a STR of 20.

Snowdrift

This daughter of Inora causes snow drifts.

I can't think of a spell for her - any ideas?

Glacier

Thanks to Ma'at, "bald fat bastard of truth" who suggested the Snow Fort spell. He suggested it as a Snow Drift spell, but I think it is better as another son of Inora - the Glacier Builder.

Snow Fort (Stackable, One-Use, Instant)

This spell allows defensive structures to be created from piled up snowand ice. Each point of the spell gives a 3 cubic metre area of snow 3 structure points. The spell may be stacked to either increase the amount of snow affected or the structure points of the snow. So, a 4 point spell could give 3 cubic metres of snow 12 structure points, 6 cubic metres 9 structure poiunts, 9 cubic metres 6 structure points or 12 cubic metres 3 structure points. The snow fort produced will remain magically strengthened until destroyed. It takes damage as a normal structure, except that fire damage counts as double when figuring damage done. During summer, each day, the temperature must be matched against the snow fort's structure points or the snow fort takes 1 point of structural damage. This represents the melting effect of the sun's rays.

Ma'at points out that snow forts can be as complex as necessary and in an icy climate may be as effective as eathworks. He also points out that Maiden Castle was primarily earthworks and was very effective in pre-Roman times. He is quite correct as the permafrost found in Siberia, Canada and Alaska, for instance is easily as hard as concrete and has to be broken up with pneumatic drills, so magically strengthened ice would be equally as strong.

Blizzard

This son of Inora and the North Wind causes the Blizzards which blow from the Glacier. He grants the spell of Increase Snow.

Increase Snow (1 Point, Stackable, Instant, Reusable): Increase Snow adds 1 cm per point of spell to the snow fall during a snow storm. It also reduces visibility by 1m per point and reduces skills such as Scan, Search and Navigate by 5% per point of spell. Ski is reduced by 10% by Increase Snow.

Biting Wind

This son of Inora and the North Wind grants the spell of Frost Bite.

Frost Bite (1 Point, Stackable, Reusable, Instant): This spell must overcome POW to work. Each point causes 1D3 damage to a random spell location. If the location is takes enough damage in one go to be maimed then it is frostbitten and must be removed or it will turn gangrenous (lose 1 General HP per day until dead or the limb is removed). If the location is a limb then the fingers or toes are affected, if a vital location then noses, ears, genitals are affected.

Spirits of Retribution

Inora has no Furies to speak of, preferring to use Snow Sprites or Ice Demons to hunt down those who have wronged her.

Initiates who join Fire/Sky or chaos cults will be attacked by a Snow Sprite with 2D6 Inora Divine Spells and a POW of 20 during Winter when they travel through Snow.

Ice Maidens joining proscribed cults will be attacked by 2D3 Snow Sprites and 1D3 Ice Demons during Winter.

Anyone leaving the cult and betraying Inora on a HeroQuest or leading Fire/Sky culists against an Inora Temple will be attacked by the Mountain Winds, children of Orlanth and Inora. They will plague the transgressor with howling winds wherever they go until the winds are driven off, the transgressor is dead or a year has passed. This is more annoying than anything else but can be fatal in the Mountains or when it is freezing. (The idea of the Mountain Winds as Avengers came from the Hill of Gold Quest on Steve Martin's HeroQuest Pages, it seemed a great idea so I used it, but couldn't think of how they could be used. Any ideas?

Associate Cults

Valind

Inora’s father gants her Increase Wind.

Orlanth

The Lord of Storms grants Inora Cloud Call.

Elmal

The Winter Sun grants Inora Cloud Clear.

Himile

The God of Cold grants his ally Decrease Temperature.

Notes

Ice Demons

These are servants of Inora and follow the description in the cult of Himile in Troll Gods.

Snow Sprites

These are descendants of Inora or are reborn cultists.

They take the form of winged humanoids, using the same statistics as Wind Children, but being made entirely of Snow. They have the ability to cast Snow Heroically and can reduce the temperature by 1 degree Celcius by expending 1 MP for a range of their POW in metres for their POW in minutes. They can also protect one person from the cold by covering them with their wings.

Snow Sprites take double damage from Heat/Fire and take no damage from Cold. They take 1 point of damage when in the Summer Sun (below 25% Cloud Cover in Fire Season).

Some Ice Maidens gain a Snow Sprite as an allied spirit from HeroQuesting.

Worshipping Inora

Although Inora has a cult, she is mainly worshipped shamanically away from the Glacier. Praxian Shamans contact her for the Frost spell which helps them survive in the harsh Wastes. Balazar shamans contact her for Snow Shelter and Snow Blindness. Pentian Shamans ask for Snow and perform the Drepnir Quest, although in their case they get the Horse Vision from Yelm or Kargzant.

Inora's children may be worshipped shamanically, in which case they grant the spells above. Obviously, the Father of Avalanches may be worshipped to stop him dropping tons of snow on your village.

HeroQuests

The Inora cult has several HeroQuests. The main ones are the Hill of Gold, WinterCome and the Drepnir Quest.

Disclaimer

Some people may wonder why an apparantly minor goddess as Inora has a write-up which took 9 pages in Word. Well, Inora is not a minor Goddess. She is more powerful a deity than, say, Zola Fel but is not well known as she has a relatively inaccessible locale. Her affects are felt from Prax to Pent and Saird and is the prime Winter Deity for the whole area. She should have a writeup which reflects this.

[End]