Cults of Glorantha

Humakt

Humakt is Umath’s, the Primal Air, son and Orlanth’s brother. Eurmal led Humakt to discover Death and with it Humakt killed Grandfather Mortal. Orlanth later took Death and killed Yelm; following this Humakt disassociated himself from his brother and any connection with the Air. In this way he maintained his honour and strength and did not suffer destruction in the Gods’ War.

Humakt is the god of those who fight – for loyalty, cause or profit and his cultists can be found on all sides in any conflict. He encourages honour and courage and disdains pointless slaughter. All Humakti offer a clean, honourable death to all of their foes and guarantee it to other Humakti they meet in conflict.

Runes Death, Truth.

Mythos and History

Humakt Faces the Champion of Chaos (Resonance 65%) – Chaos Cannot be Trusted. Offer a Clean and Honourable Death to All Things: There are many stories of death from the Great Darkness. Humakt figures in many of them. In one battle he slew, single-handedly, 1,000 of the enemy and was coated in their blood. He carried Death, the sword, in one hand and Faith, the shield, in the other. Finally he faced the Champion of his enemies and this monster carried Axe and Spear. The Champion, Humakt noted, was not blood-slicked, as he was and this suggested either weakness or cowardice. The Champion charged and created wheels of spines and fire from its heels. Humakt cut the spokes of the wheels with Death and smashed Faith into the Champion’s face. The Champion bit with its Axe and stabbed with its Spear. Humakt parried both these blows and took a different stance when the Champion formed new legs and became a draconic thing. It poured fire down on Humakt and the god was forced behind Faith as the flames lapped around him. Humakt then snatched-up the Spear, which the Champion had dropped, and using his Leaping Magic, Humakt jumped high, wide and came down on the serpent’s head, plunging Spear into the brain and driving death into the throat. Then Humakt slid down the monster’s body with Death, opening the thing from tongue to testicles.

The Champion lay panting and pained at Humakt’s feet, a weakened, septic thing. ‘You have killed gods and good men,’ Humakt said. ‘I offer you a fast way to Hell, now. Accept it and you will die with honour even though you did not fight with it.’ The Champion scoffed something and tried to spit poison at Humakt. He cut the creature’s head from its body and the brains from the head. The thing died then and shrivelled into what we now know as Snakepipe Hollow.

Later, when Humakt was called to Orlanth’s Hall to recount his deeds he told all that Chaos cannot be trusted and has no honour. ‘It fights with tricks and poison, even though it carries weapons. It does not accept its fate when delivered unto it and changes its nature constantly to avoid the inevitable. Chaos cannot be trusted.’

The gods learned a new lesson that day and fought Chaos differently from then on.

Nature

As a cult of warriors and mercenaries Humakt prospers most where there is conflict. In areas where there is peace, or occasional outbursts of tribal bickering, Humakt is usually viewed as a highly specialised cult that offers little in the way of practical skills for general life. Humakti cultists in a time of peace are often lonely, bored individuals. Conflict is essential to them. However, in this time of warring empires there is never any shortage of need for Humakti warriors and sellswords: there is much good work for Humakti to do and they keep the paths to Hell well-paved with their work.

The over-arching belief of all Humakti is that death is final. To maintain someone or something that Death has claimed is perverse and against the order of the cosmos. Resurrection is abhorrent to the Humakti, as is any form of necromancy or creation of ‘living’ dead or undead. Questing Humakti often undertake to find and destroy all such magics and perpetrators of it (which includes both Chaos cults and God Learner sorcerers). A focus of Humakti wrath is the renegade God Learner-turned-Wyrmfriend, Delecti, who operates in Dragon Pass and experiments with un-life.

The Humakti also dislike the Darkness god, Zorak Zoran, a bloody-handed slaughterer who glories in massacre and atrocity. The dislike is mutual, for Zorak Zoran considers Humakt to be effeminate and squeamish. The two cults do not actively war upon one another but their members are usually found on opposite sides of a struggle. There is also a professional rivalry with the cult of Yelmalio, also a warrior/ mercenary cult, but this rivalry is far less fraught than with Zorak Zoran and Humakti and Yelmalian cultists can co-exist.

Humakt promises his followers a special section of Hell reserved for them to practice and prepare for the Final Days, or, at least, the next full-scale Gods’ War. By doing this they also protect Hell from in-roads by Chaos. Humakt worshippers are never Resurrected. The cult cares little for what happens to the corpses of their dead, save for insisting that they are treated with local respect and not turned into undead. Members usually sing a song of victory over any grave, commemorating the dead with a feast, then move on. It is not uncommon that the broken sword of the member is left stuck into the grave or funeral area. Humakti are practical and resolute and often grim-faced and dour of personality.

Organisation

Humakti temples are essentially autonomous, with the members travelling from one to another as the ways of war and conflict take them. If a cult-wide decision is ever necessary, a council is called with the senior High Priest presiding, each Priest and Rune Lord having a vote in the outcome. Humakti maintain a rigid intra-temple structure organised along military lines. The Rune Lord or High Priest is called Captain and is supported by 10 Priests or Lords called Centurions. Each Centurion has up to 10 Initiates or Lay Members called Sergeants. In practice, this structure is rarely as organised as it could be; sometimes there are more than 10 Centurions, or extra Lords and Priests, depending on the current population. These extras are fitted in wherever possible, with the sure knowledge that vacancies are never far away.

To the outside world, the Priests of Humakt are known as Sword Priests and the Rune Lords as Rune Swords. Humakt has no particular centre of power. In Orlanthi clans there is generally a Humakti presence and a shrine is built close to the main Orlanth shrine but aside from it, noting the rift between the two gods. If Hendkoranth cultists are also present in a clan, then their shrine is often closer to the Orlanth shrine but always smaller than Humakt’s.

The cult also recognises Ten Swords, which are treated as mobile shrines and are always brought to any High Council that is called. Each sword is made of iron, has the Death and Truth Runes carved into it and has been the weapon of a great Humakti Rune Sword in ages past. Each sword has been obtained through dangerous HeroQuesting with each having a separate HeroQuest. The swords are named but the names are known only by the highest Lords of the cult. To be taught the 10 names is to have achieved the highest possible status. A single Rune Lord of Humakt cares for a single sword. He does not use it in casual battle and carries it only when times deem that he must. The swords carry powerful Otherworld magics drawn directly from Humakt himself. In battle they are fearsome weapons and their wielders are fearsome warriors.

Humakt’s High Holy Day, called the anniversary of his birthday, is Windsday, Death week, Storm season. This actually commemorates the slaying of Grandfather Mortal and is thereby the ‘birth’ of Death. Additionally, there are holy days each Death week of each season, with the days varying according to the elements. Thus it is on Waterday of the third week (Sea season), Fireday of the 11th week (Fire season), Clayday of the 19th week (Earth season) and Freezeday of the 27th week (Dark season).

Membership Standard.

Once accepted into the cult all members must make a dedication of POW to the god and must accept at least one Gift, chosen randomly from the Gifts and Compulsions table. In addition the cultist accepts a Compulsion for each Gift – and some Gifts carry multiple Compulsions (which are known as Geases by Humakti).

In addition, all Initiates gain an immediate +5% bonus to a Sword Combat style.

Initiates are allowed to use any weapon but to advance to Acolyte rank they must use a Sword Combat Style as their primary style, for which they must have attained a minimum of 70%.

Acolytes gain an immediate +10% to any Sword style when used in combat with undead.

Rune Lords (Swords) must have attained 90% in a Sword style and must use it exclusively. They also gain a +20% bonus to their Sword style when parrying or defending against undead. If a Sword of Humakt attains a Pact (Humakt) of 90% and dedicates at least half his POW to the cult, then he has a chance of being awarded custody of one of the Ten Swords (assuming a sword is available). The chance of success is equal to his CHA plus Dedicated POW. If successful he is told the name of his sword and presented with it at a solemn service at a Humakt shrine on the High Holy Day. The sword is always an unremarkable, battle-scratched thing of iron but one that radiates magical power. The swords have the following powers:

• Cannot be damaged by non-magical weapons of any kind.

• Have the appearance and handling of a Longsword but inflict damage of a Great Sword.

• Provide an additional 3 POW for the use of Humakti Divine Spells: the cultist effectively has an additional three points of dedicated POW higher than his personal dedication.

• The sword groans, glows, tingles and vibrates when any enemy of the cult is within 100 metres of it.

Additional powers for a sword are also possible and left to the devices of Games Masters; activating such powers though, requires a HeroQuest.

Common Magic

Bladesharp, Detect Enemy, Endurance, Hand of Death, Oath of Ordeal, Pierce.

Higher Magic Standard.

The cult provides Sever Spirit, True Sword and the following spells:

Counter Undead

Duration 15, Rank Acolyte, Resist (Persistence)

Undead creatures such as spirits, ghosts, zombies and so forth cannot come within a number of metres radius equal to the Magnitude of the spell. Ranged and magical attacks (not relying on touch) can still be made. Discorporation attempts suffer an immediate penalty of the spell’s Magnitude x3. Undead that are deterred by this spell automatically withdraw to a safe distance. If the Humakti can force the creature to enter the radius of the spell (because it cannot physically retreat any further) then he can match his Pact against the creature’s Persistence in an Opposed Skill Test. If the undead creature loses the contest, it suffers a number points of damage equal to the spell’s Magnitude to all Hit Locations simultaneously.

Morale

Duration 15, Rank Rune Lord/Priest, Resist (Pact or Persistence)

The radius of this spell is a number of metres equal to its Magnitude x3. All within the radius of the spell will fight with the caster or follow him into battle for the spell’s Duration. Those who wish to resist the effects can do so through either a Pact or Persistence roll – whichever is higher. Those who willingly follow the caster gain a bonus to their Combat Style equal to the spell’s Magnitude. However during the spell’s Duration they cannot surrender or flee the battlefield.

Oath

Duration Special, Rank Rune Lord/Priest

This spell creates a binding oath between the caster and the subject. If the other party breaks the oath in any way, shape or form, he immediately sustains a number of points of damage to all Hit Locations equal to the default Magnitude of the caster: thus, as the Pact of the caster increases so does the potential damage that the Oath Breaker would sustain. The oath can only be negated by the caster who must verbally free the other party, or if the caster dies.

Reveal Truth

Duration 15, Rank Initiate

This spell reveals the presence of all verbal lies within a radius equal to the caster’s dedicated POW x2. The liar is shrouded in a dark, smoky glow visible only to the caster. The spell cannot be resisted although magical defences such as Countermagic will counter the Reveal Truth spell if their Magnitude exceeds that of the Reveal Truth spell.

Gifts and Compulsions

All cult members must accept at least one Gift, using Dedicated POW to buy it and take the number of Compulsions, or Geases, indicated by that Gift. Gifts can be chosen from the following list but Geases are always rolled randomly.

Humakt Gifts

Increase any one Combat Style by 10%.

Gain 1 Combat Action.

Increase Strike Rank by 1D3.

Increase any one Cult Skill by 10%.

Increase one from STR, CON or DEX by 1 point.

Increase one from POW, SIZ or INT by 1 point.

Gain the Sense Assassin ability or increase it by 25%.

Humakt Geases

01 Favored by Humakt; no geas.

02–04 Mistrust all Dwarves.

05–07 Mistrust all Elves.

08–10 Mistrust all Trolls.

11–13 Mistrust all non-Humakti except those friendly to Humakt’s cult.

14–16 Mistrust all non-Humakti, friendly or not.

17–18 Never eat from a dish.

19–21 Remain silent for one week per season (this includes casting spells).

22–23 Do not speak for one day per week.

24–26 Eat no meat on Windsday.

27–29 Eat no meat on Death week.

30–32 Eat no cooked vegetables.

33–36 Eat no vegetables.

37–40 Ride no animals for one day per week.

41–43 Ride no animals for two weeks each season.

44–46 Ride no animals.

47–50 Drink no alcoholic beverages.

51–57 Never participate in an ambush.

58–60 Never lie to a friendly cultist.

61 Never lie.

62–65 Dedicate a further 1 POW to the Humakt Pact during Sacred Time.

66–67 Dedicate a further 2 POW to the Humakt Pact during Sacred Time.

68–71 Never use non-cult weapons.

72–75 Never strike first in battle.

76–79 Never Evade in combat.

80–81 Cannot use any Shield.

82–85 Cannot use metal armour in one location(random).

86–89 Cannot use any armour in one location (random).

90–93 Cannot use metal armour in two locations (random).

94–95 Cannot use any armour in two locations (random).

96–98 Roll twice more.

99–00 Roll thrice more.

Cult Skills

All Sword Combat Styles, Athletics, Brawn, Lore (Burial Rites), Lore (Humakt the Claw), Lore (Regional), Resilience.

Sense Assassin

This ability is roughly analogous to Insight and begins at INT+Dedicated POW. The ability gives the Humakti the ability to suspect an associate who intends to assassinate someone the Humakti is currently attached to, whether as a part of a temporary adventuring party or a permanent fealty relationship. This of course includes an assassin coming after the Humakti. The Sense will not tell the Humakti who the intended victim is but does point out the assassin.

Allied Cults

Hedkoranth provides Shield.