Cults of Glorantha

Oslira – River Goddess

The Great River

Oslira is the Blue River Goddess and the Great River flowing through the Pelorian basin. It stretches from the hills north of Dragon Pass to the White Sea in the far north. She was wife to Shargash until he cast her away. When she revolted from the cruel treatment, Lodril’s sons confined her with levees, ditches and irrigation. When Yelm died, many deities and powers revolted. One was Oslira, who said that the old laws no longer held and that now many new laws would begin. To prove her point, she flooded all the ancient dams and ditches that confined her. The diggers and workers ran to build them higher, but the goddess was determined to have her own way and no longer be constrained by the irrigation ditches. Only the intervention of Kendathalus, a son of Shargash, who forced her back into her bed, saved the Empire from her flood.

Mighty Oslira is the goddess of the river. She is the source of Dara Happa’s bounty and worshipped by the thousands and thousands who live along her banks. She is at times turbulent and troublesome but the Ten Sons and Servants of Lodril control her within the dikes and ditches and her waters fill the paddies and fields. Her children are blue folk who live in the deepest pools. Her holy places are of all sizes with each tributary or irrigation complex having its own shrine or temple. Shrines to Oslira teach Breathe Air.

Runes: Water.

Pantheon: Solar.

Worshippers: Fishermen, waders and weeders, blue boatmen.

Worshipper’s Duty: Keep the river flowing, support the river’s needs against the surrounding dirt-feet, break the river’s bonds.

Initiate Membership

Requirements: Standard.

Cult Skills: Athletics, Boating, Craft (Netmaking), Lore (Oslira Theology, World), Mechanisms, Spear.

Cult Spells: True (Spear), Water Breath.

Common Divine Magic: Consecrate, Excommunicate, Extension, Command (Naiad), Command (Undine).

Special Divine Magic: Breathe Water, Float, Purify Water.

Acolyte Membership

Requirements: Standard.

Runepriest Membership

Requirements: Standard.

Special Benefits

Initiates gain a +10% with any swimming test while in their river’s waters. Acolytes may talk to fish and other river dwelling creatures if they are air-breathing and acolytes who are intelligent fish, or similar, may communicate with air breathers such as humans. Runepriests cannot drown in their native river and may breathe either air or water at will.

Associated Cults

Other River Cults: Initiates of all river gods are considered to be initiates of all other river gods when travelling. This allows them to renew their spells at nonspirit, non-sorcery rivers.

River Gods, Spirits and Saints

Each important river has its own god, spirit or saint worshipped by those who ply his waters or swim in his currents. These creatures rule the waters from headwaters to mouth. Tributaries are the domain of subordinate entities, often the sons and daughters of the primary river.

The greatest rivers in Glorantha are all in Genertela and the majority of these are inhabited by deities. Oslira is a particularly powerful example of this type of being. However, others are inhabited by spirits and essences. The Zola Fel River in Prax is an example of a spirit-river and has a practice associated with it. Similarly, the Tanier in Ralios is home to a powerful essence, worshipped by many along its banks through veneration.

Typical Skills: Athletics, Boating, Lore (World), Mechanisms, Spear.

Typical Rune Spells: True (Spear), Water Breathing.

Common Divine Magic: Command (Undine), Consecrate, Find (Water).

Special Divine Magic: Float.