Written by Vensasrol the Scribe, Archbishop of Galentor, keeper of the faith of Invisible Orlanth, favoured by the Angel of Knowledge, Lankormy.
Galentor, Heortland 1616 S.T.
May the Forces of Truth prevail!
May the Knowing of the Law continue eternally!
During the time of the Dragonewt Dream, Tarsh was ruled by King Palashee Long Axe. The influence of the moon worshippers had subsided under his reign as he was from the non-Lunar tribes, collectively called the Exiles. Thus life in Tarsh during his reign was more like it had been before the coming of the Lunars and without their control the tribes fell into their old ways.
Amongst these tribes must be numbered the Henninga. They were a tribe of Orlanthi peoples that lived in a land of Tarsh called Orsted, which can be said to be that part of the kingdom nearest the westside of the Snakepipe Hollows. It is a hilly land, wild and untamed for the most part. During this period, the Henninga raided the lands to the south growing bolder as each summer passed. The Henninga were old enemies of the Kerofini tribe, of which the King was a member. Hence they were outlaws even when the Exiles held the throne. To us they would seem the basest of barbarian scum.
Principally their raids were conducted by their Wind Lords against the Satari kingdom. Almost always the route was identical. They first headed south, crossing the River and rampaging into the sun worshipping lands of Elmalia, wreaking havoc. This may explain some Elmalion superstitions about folk that reside in hills, as in one Elmalion prayer that states, "oh Lord of Light, enchant our skins with gilded shielding so we suffer not the Hill-Giants."
I mention the Dragonewt Dream for it seems the success of the Henninga depended upon their use of magical sites sacred to the draconic beings. Of obsidian or chalderban were these but to those of us of clerical rank engaging the sacred sight that God may grant, they appear spherical with a hole running through the centre (I learnt this during a trek to Larnste's Print in my youth).
It is said by Friar Ramthros that the last Henninga raids were some sixty-odd years ago and conducted by a clan of theirs called the Yetzinines. The Yetzinines took Urox (the Storm Bull) as their god. Some of their leaders had heard tales that an ancient shrine in Elmalia had a number of the sacred Torches of Ever-Burning, which had been made when the Cragspider had taken the spilt blood of Elmale (which is to the pagans the god of light) and cast it onto a set of na-metal rods. It was these they sought as they thought to use them as weapons of great power. They set out after deciding on the route by reading the entrails of a victim sacrificed in a blasphemous ritual at their holy site in Orsted.
However, it seems the Yetzinines were unsuccesful in gaining one of these. To their dismay, trolls from a land south of the Eastern Rockwood Mountains had ransacked the shrine the previous year, taking these items with them. Furious, the Yetzinine leader ordered the remnants of the shrine destroyed and then left taking with them the only treasure to be found: a large golden crystal the size of a man's head.
Travelling north, they entered the fabled land of Dragon Pass. The chronicles state they sought a dwarven outpost at the base of the sky-reaching Mount Wintertop, said by the Vingkotki to be the mother of God. The chronicles, called Togrochsaga, then state that the Henninga were devoured by a Dragon, though this I believe is a metaphor for the manner of their disappearence from History.
About the author: Despite Archbishop Vensasrol's important position in the Aeolian church in Heortland, he is a man noted for his relatively tolerant attitude to those of other faiths. Indeed, it was often remarked that as great a proportion of his advisers and admirers were worshipers of Orlanth the High King as were of Invisible Orlanth. Another interesting thing about the man was his great interest in secular affairs, as illustrated by his learned and almost totally accurate account of the Henninga as given above. Unfortunately, this fascination in politics irritated others in the Aeolian church so much that the Archbishop was not invited to the Council of Cokmetch in 1621 S.T. which (although overtly declaring itself to be a purely theological research body, looking into the ongoing conversion of pagan worshippers of Orlanth into the body of faith in Invisible Orlanth) was secretly set up to consider the correct spiritual approach to follow in light of the threat to Esrolia posed by the Lunar Empire. It was this rejection that conversely lead to Vensasrol becoming an apostate, forsaking Invisible Orlanth and joining the ranks of the Storm Voices. Later (after a divination in 1626 S.T.) he became convinced of the heresy inherent in the worship of Invisible Orlanth, how it was weakening the mythic planes and acquiescing in the expansion of the cult of the Red Goddess - but that is a tale for another time.
Translator's Notes: This article is inspired by an ancient scenario entitled "The Watchers of the Sacred Flame", Set 3 in "The Complete Dungeon Master" series, produced by Tortured Souls and Integrated Games, a superb adventure well worth seeking out. This piece was used to translate that adventure into a Gloranthan setting and to provide some background detail for the intrigued player characters.
lawrence@aslak.demon.co.uk