History Characters / SixAges

* [[Characters/SixAgesMiscellaneousGods Miscellaneous gods and Chaos entities]]

* [[Characters/SixAgesHyaloringGods The primary gods worshipped by Hyalorings]]/Riders
* [[Characters/SixAgesOrlanthiGods The primary gods worshipped by Orlanthi]]/Rams/Vingkotlings

[[foldercontrol]]

!!Human Characters

[[folder: Beren the Tall]]
[[quoteright:234:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/berenyoung.png]]
[[caption-width-right:234:Beren the Tall]]
[[quoteright:234:[[labelnote:Click here to see Beren's alternate portrait]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bbereny3x_sharedassets1assets_495.png]][[/labelnote]]
[[quoteright:234:[[labelnote:Click here to see Beren's portrait in middle age]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/berenm3x_sharedassets1assets_51.png]][[/labelnote]]
[[quoteright:234:[[labelnote:Click here to see Beren's alternate middle-aged portrait]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bberenm3x_sharedassets1assets_512.png]][[/labelnote]]

->''"My love for Redalda burns like a hundred Southern suns. You may call me troublesome for asking, but this feeling in my heart is so pure that I cannot believe the gods forbid it."''

An Elmali hero born into your clan.
----
* {{Ambadassador}}: His strongest stats are Combat and Diplomacy, both of which start at Excellent (two grades down from the maximum of Heroic). In general, he's in favor of peaceful solutions (especially when dealing with your Ram neighbors), but willing and able to fight instead if it comes down to it.
* ChosenOne: His birth is surrounded by omens, he's descended from a god (although that isn't too unusual in this setting), and he can achieve a great destiny... provided you as the player can make it happen, of course.
* EyeScream: It's possible for him to be attacked and blinded by Wheels. Your own clan's healers can only salvage one eye, which will be reflected in a change to his portrait. [[spoiler: If you send him to Redalda instead of dealing with the matter yourself, her own clan's healer can save both]].
* FallenHero: One possible fate. [[spoiler: If he fails to marry Redalda and your Clan Circle can't calm him down, he can abandon the clan, murder his old friend Beren the Swift, and then run off with Redalda to live as bandits.]]
* FamedInStory: The protagonist clan of ''Lights Going Out'' live in a settlement named Berenstead, and Beren's crown is a powerful artifact.
* FlatCharacter: Barring certain bad endings, he doesn't have much personality other than "ideal Rider hero".
* GracefulLoser: [[spoiler: Failing to marry him to Redalda will result in a bad ending, but your choices can still influence whether he takes the loss gracefully -- potentially still being remembered as a hero in his own right -- or decides to take revenge, becoming a murderous outlaw.]]
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: He can pull one off in one of the bad endings -- he will sacrifice himself to protect Redalda and Beren the Swift from wedding crashers. This usually happens if you decide to be gracious towards Swift and your Beren has a high opinion of him.]]
* StarCrossedLovers: He falls madly in love with a Ram girl, Redalda. This is forbidden by both their cultures, [[spoiler:although consulting the gods reveals that they don't actually care, opening up the possibility of a happy ending.]]
* WhatTheHellHero: He can call out [[spoiler: Orlanth himself for Yelm's murder]]. Depending on Beren's powers of persuasion, this can annoy him or prompt [[spoiler: Orlanth]] to ask for his fealty.
* WorthyOpponent: In one event, he asks the clan to let him duel Autronos, a young Wheel hero much like himself. This can result in them becoming friends.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Beren the Swift]]
[[quoteright:234:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/swift.png]]
[[caption-width-right:234:Beren the Swift]]
->''"I fervently wish that our rivalry be forgotten, so we can return to the friendship of our sun-dappled days."''

Beren's best friend of the same name, born to a different clan.
----

* AntagonistInMourning: Although he and Beren the Tall fall out over their mutual desire to marry Redalda, Swift will be devastated if Beren the Tall dies. He'll actually show up to upbraid your nobles for not mourning dramatically enough. [[spoiler: If Tall dies defending Swift and Redalda at their wedding, the game will end with Swift holding his dead friend's body, making a solemn promise to be as good a husband to Redalda as he was a friend to the Riders of the valley. In either case, this is quite the contrast to Beren the Tall, who can actually ''murder'' Swift in one set of bad endings.]]
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Blond and heroic. [[spoiler:And unlike your own Beren, Swift never turns villainous, even in a bad ending.]]
* MellowFellow: He's a jolly, flirtatious sort who cares so little for the LoveTriangle he's is that he often agrees to be his rival's best man.
* OneSteveLimit: Averted. The two Berens are best friends, too.
* StaticRoleExchangeableCharacter: Either he or your Beren can be the "Beren the Rider" of Orlanthi legend [[spoiler: who marries Redalda and eventually becomes the first king of the Berenethtelli tribe. Although neither is truly guaranteed to succeed...]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Redalda]]
[[quoteright:234:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/redalda.png]]
[[caption-width-right:234:She will make the valley more verdant for all.]][[quoteright:234:[[labelnote:Click here to see Redalda in the endgame]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/redaldaportrait.png[[/labelnote]]]]
->''"Together you and I must fight, not for the victory of Ram over Rider, or Rider over Ram, but to plant a seed of possibility. If we are strong, and smart, and brave, that seed will one day germinate, making unity where today there is hate."''

A young Ram sorceress, born to one of the three powerful priestesses called the Daughters of Vingkot.
----
* AnimalMotifs: Horses, although she is not a Gamari devotee. If the player successfully calls a spirit to guard the infant Redalda, that spirit will be a horse who tells Redalda's mother what to name her. Certain decisions in the endgame can trigger a divine vision in which Redalda appears as a horse, running circles around the vision's recipients. [[spoiler: In later eras, Redalda is deified as the Orlanthi goddess of horses.]]
* TheChessmaster: As one of your advisors may point out, Redalda spends the game "moving secret mountains" in order to [[spoiler: marry Beren and gain horse-riding magic for the Orlanthi.]]
* ChosenOne: You don't get the details as you do with Beren, but she definitely seems to be this for the Ram side of things. The priestesses of her clan promise that she will "make the valley more verdant for all."
* DeityOfHumanOrigin: Either this or ShroudedInMyth. In the future- where most ''[=RuneQuest=]'' books are set—the Orlanthi worship a goddess named Redalda, Orlanth and Ernalda's Horse-Loving Daughter, who married Elmal to bring him into the Storm Tribe. Meanwhile, Beren is remembered simply as the first king of the Berenethtelli tribe, and as the husband of Redayle, Vingkot's youngest daughter.
* DoesNotLikeShoes: She's barefoot at her wedding.
* EleventhHourRanger: [[spoiler: Should you successfully marry Beren to her, you control both of them in a ritual immediately after the wedding; the game ends immediately after this ritual.]] Unsurprisingly, she is a powerful sorceress, exceptionally skilled in Magic and Lore.
* FacialMarkings: She has the rune of her ancestor Vingkot (a variant of the Air Rune spiral with lines protruding from the outside) tattooed in blue on each cheek. Additionally, she has Life runes tattooed around her neck like a choker.
* FallenHero: In some bad endings, [[spoiler: she runs away to live as a bandit with Beren the Tall, squandering her destiny as well as his.]]
* HeroOfAnotherStory: While we learn little of her exploits, the Rams of the valley consider Redalda a great hero, in deeds as well as divine heritage. [[spoiler: After she and Beren finally marry, she reveals to him that for every great deed he and the player clan performed to make the wedding possible, she and her mother and aunts did another--and sometimes more than one.]]
* HeroesWantRedheads: Bright red hair, and your destined hero is madly in love with her.
* WomenAreWiser: She has a much better idea of what's really going on than Beren (either one) does. While Beren the Tall is motivated entirely by love, Redalda has a plan to [[spoiler: unify Rams and Riders, gain horse riding magic for her people, and enable both to survive the coming darkness.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Yatakan]]
[[quoteright:234:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yatakan.png]]
[[caption-width-right:234:Sometimes heroes can be troublesome...]]
[[quoteright:234:[[labelnote:Click here to see Yatakan's portrait in mature adulthood.]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yatakanm3x_sharedassets1assets_862.png]][[/labelnote]]
[[quoteright:234:[[labelnote:Click here to see Yatakan's portrait in old age.]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yatakano3x_sharedassets1assets_376.png]][[/labelnote]]

->''"I don't need divine blessing. I am a divine blessing."''

The oldest of the three children of your clan who manifest powerful fire magic. He grows up to be a great warrior, loyal to the clan and his friends within it, but burdened by a temper that flares like his fire on occasion.
----

* BadassBoast: "I don't need divine blessing, I am a divine blessing."
* DisproportionateRetribution: Yes, the guy was being a jackass, but ''melting someone's skin'' over mere ''words'' is not okay. And if the clan demands Yatakan apologize, there's a chance '''he'll''' get offended and storm off, leaving them forever.
* FieryRedhead: He has red hair and controls fire. And although he's unambitious and loyal, he has a fierce temper if you manage to provoke it.
* GoldenEnding: Yatakan doesn't have a personal arc, unlike the other Fire Children, but if certain conditions are met ([[spoiler:keep him alive until the endgame, attract Elmal to your clan by gathering skyfall bones, ask that Elmal invite your warriors into his retinue, give Yatakan permission to lead said warriors]]), there is a final scene that involves him specifically [[spoiler:going to fight beside the gods]].
-->[[spoiler:Yatakan smiled with joy, but it was not a smile that enemies of the Sun would wish to see. Beren embraced Yatakan like a father. Those standing by thought they heard Yatakan say, "Carry the torch, my son."]]
* LikeBrotherAndSister: With his best friend Ayvtu. Yatakan outright says that he can't marry her because she's like a sister to him.
* PowerIncontinence: He can't walk on ice- it just melts beneath his feet.
* SupernaturalSensitivity: He can sense Fire Tribe magic other than his own, as shown if he's on the ring during a "story tent [[LivingDrawing animates]]" scene. He will note that the fabric is shimmering and emanating heat, and be surprised that the other leaders can't feel it.
* UndyingLoyalty: Yatakan is deeply loyal to his friends. If he's on the ring, his advice for events related to Ayvtu is always to do what would make her happy; [[spoiler: if she becomes pregnant out of wedlock, a deeply shocking thing in Rider society, he says that if the circle votes to send her away, he'll go with her—even if he's the clan chief.]] And in one event, he [[spoiler: nearly kills a Sword of his own clan]] for insulting Beren.
* PlayingWithFire: His fire powers manifest unusually young, before his initiation as an adult.
* WalkingTheEarth: He generates as either a devotee of Elmal or Zarlen, the traveller god. Either way, he will often suggest that the clan send him out exploring, and may join up with a nomadic priest of Zarlen if his arc ends badly.
* WhyCouldntYouBeDifferent: He is horrified when his pupil, Beren, falls in love with a Ram.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Ayvtu]]
[[quoteright:234:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ayvtu.png]]
[[caption-width-right:234:Sometimes heroes want the same things as anyone else.]]
[[quoteright:234:[[labelnote:Click here to see Ayvtu's portrait in mature adulthood.]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ayvtum3x_sharedassets1assets_746.png]][[/labelnote]]
[[quoteright:234:[[labelnote:Click here to see Ayvtu's portrait in old age.]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ayvtuo3x_sharedassets1assets_989.png]][[/labelnote]]

->''"No one is a hero without the gods."''

One of the three fire children, she grows up to be a powerful magician and warrior. Although she'd like to marry, the clan will lose her skills if she marries into another, and she doesn't like any of your own young men as potential husbands.
----

* ActionGirl: As a worshipper of Osara, she would be this already, but her fire powers do help.
* ActionMom: If she marries away from the clan, you'll hear about both her victories in battle and the births of her children. And if she doesn't, [[spoiler:she will become pregnant out of wedlock, while still remaining one of your top warriors.]]
* FieryRedhead: She has blood-red hair and fire magic. [[spoiler: And should she become pregnant while unmarried, she suggests raiding the first clan that mocks her and hers for it.]]
* LikeBrotherAndSister: With her best friend Yatakan. Ayvtu says that they're TooMuchAlike to view him as a potential husband.
* MagicKnight: Magic is typically her strongest starting skill, with Combat not far behind. This is notable in a game where Magic is almost impossible to artificially raise and your best magicians are usually either shamans or noncombatant Erissa worshippers.
* PlayingWithFire: Her fire powers manifest unusually young, before her initiation as an adult.
[[/folder]]


[[folder: Lyafor]]
[[quoteright:234:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lyafor_child.png]]
[[caption-width-right:234:Some heroes' destinies do not lie with their kin.]][[quoteright:234:[[labelnote:Click here to see Lyafor as an adult.]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lyafor_adult.png[[/labelnote]]]]
->''"Who do you want me to slay with fire for you? I will go by myself and cut them down as a firestorm does a forest."''

The youngest of the three fire children, his destiny does not lie with the clan.
----

* ExoticEyeDesigns: As a child, he has fiery irises and no visible pupils. As an adult, he has bloodshot eyes with entirely black irises, as though his inner fire has burnt out.
* PlayingWithFire: His fire powers manifest unusually young, before his initiation as an adult.
* TakingTheBullet: He comes home saying that he tried to burn death and has it inside him now. One of your circle members overheard him saying that that death was meant for ''Elmal'', meaning that Lyafor sacrificed himself to save your people's chief god.
* TakingYouWithMe: His story can end with him making a suicide attack against a clan of your choice.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: The Former Wheel]]
[[quoteright:234:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/formerwheel.png]]
[[caption-width-right:234:True daughter of Hyalor.]]
[[quoteright:234:[[labelnote:Click here to see the Former Wheel in old age.]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wheelo3x_sharedassets1assets_294.png[[/labelnote]]]]
->''"Becoming [Player Clan] was the best day of my life."''

A young Wheel woman who does not fit in among her own people due to her bold and independent nature. She can either marry or be adopted into your clan, and after about a decade will become a potential member of the Clan Circle.
----
* AnimalMotifs: A devotee of Gamari, goddess of horses. Naturally, she is sensible and independent.
* TheCharmer: Her birth clan "rather like her" despite their sexism- enough to give her away, instead of doing any of the more awful things Wheels do to women who don't submit. Having her on the Circle opens up special dialogue options for certain Wheel-related events.
* GoingNative: JustifiedTrope as the patriarchal Wheels sent her away to the Riders, whose egalitarian views on women suited her [[TheLadette less-feminine personality]] quite well.
* HappilyAdopted: As she herself tells you much later, the day she joined your clan was the best one of her life.
* TheLadette: At least among the Wheels: she is no less unique among female Riders.
* LikeADuckTakesToWater: She adapts to Rider ways quickly, and fits in much better among your clan than she ever did in the one she was born to.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: The Daughters of Vingkot]]
[[quoteright:305:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/daughtersofvingkot.png]]
[[caption-width-right:305:"If they are priestesses, they worship Nyalda like we do. They just call her by a different name."]]
->''Those are perhaps the most powerful women in the valley. I for one don't want them as our enemies.''
Three Ram sisters, widely separated in age, who wield immense divine power. The youngest is Redalda's mother.
----
* TheDividual: They're always mentioned together, and the only time they are differentiated is to note that only one of them gave birth to Redalda. The three do look different from each other, though.
* GlamorousSingleMother: Possibly. Redalda's father is never mentioned; either her mother is unmarried (which would be acceptable among the Ram People) or her father was a man of no particular note who married into his wife's clan. If Redalda's mother is unmarried, she has no trouble raising a daughter alone, given her power and the support her sisters and their clan give her.
* HeroicLineage: Their clan claims them as the literal daughters of their founding god Vingkot, son of Orlanth himself. Given that Vingkot lived long in the past, your clan takes to mean they are distantly descended from him. In any case, it is through them that Redalda gains her divine blood.
* NoNameGiven: None of the three is ever named.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: The Antler Society]]
[[quoteright:306:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/antlersocietyshamans.png]]
[[caption-width-right:306:"Hyalor said we should make our own rules as needed. That’s what the Antler Society is doing." ]]
->''Coming generations will rue our contact with the Antler People.''

The Antler Society is a new shamanic movement that can emerge in your clan.
----
* AmbiguouslyEvil: It's not clear if the Antlers are up to no good or simply inexperienced with their powers.
* ManlyFacialHair: One reoccurring Antler Shaman has a beard, which is common among Hyaloring men but unheard of for shamans, who usually project an androgynous appearance.
* WalkingShirtlessScene: The blond Antler shaman appears in multiple events, and he never acquires a shirt. This, along with the Antlers's simple clothing in general, is a stark contrast to the elaborate costumes worn by traditional shamans.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Yanade Spirit-Father]]
->''It was Yanade, a member of Hyalor's retinue, who figured out the differences between spirits and gods.''

The first Hyaloring shaman, who appears in several myths. He's the special patron of the Yanadlings.
----

* GoodIsNotNice: Yanade makes it clear to Raven that he does not give free lunches to unreliable beings who never give anything back.
->'''Raven:''' But I am hungry!\\
'''Yanade:''' You are [[OneTrackMindedHunger always]] hungry.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Basikan Southclan]]
->''... they understood the Third Lesson: to catch your prize, be willing to wander. Basikan learned this more deeply than the rest.''

When the first Rider clan split in four, Basikan was the chieftain of the South Clan, the distant ancestors of your own clan.
----

* ConstantlyCurious: His defining trait, along with wanderlust.
* FamousAncestor: To your clan.
* MinorMajorCharacter: He's the ancestor of your own clan, so theoretically he's the most important of the four legendary chieftains of his generation. But he's mentioned less than any of the others.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Stelfor Westclan]]
->''Nameforgot said "I cannot afford any more tribute." Stelfor replied, "Your daughters look plump, and your sons well-muscled."''

The chieftain of the West Clan, known for his cruelty and brutality.
----

* TheBully: He's constantly picking on Nameforgot.
* FamousAncestor: Stelfor's descendants are the only Riders who still practice slavery, making him this to the Pure Horse Clan.
* HonorRelatedAbuse: "Stelfor said to his daughter, 'You have been caught in the arms of a Ram.' Without further word, she drowned herself."
* MurderByInaction: Stelfor refused to ride to the Gods War to save Hyalor, because he knew Hyalor wouldn't allow him to conquer the other clans.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: When he saw the dying Hyalor (after having refused to help save his life), Stelfor wept and begged his forgiveness instead of finishing the job as Hyalor expected. Hyalor told him to forgive others instead. [[IgnoredEpiphany There is no evidence that Stelfor actually did this.]]
* RightWayWrongWayPair: The "wrong way" counterpart to Zenangar.
* WeUsedToBeFriends: All four chieftains were close as children, but as adults, Stelfor was the most hostile of the lot to the others.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Zenangar Eastclan]]
->''Some say Zenangar brought down Stelfor with rumors. Others, that what sounded like lies were future truths.''

The chieftain of the East Clan, known for his cleverness. Zenangar is sometimes cited as an ancestor of your own clan; presumably his clan and Basikan's intermarried.
----

* FamousAncestor: Although your clan traces its descent from Basikan's South Clan, your advisors occasionally mention descent from Zenangar as well.
* RightWayWrongWayPair: With Stelfor, and less frequently with Nameforgot. In both cases, Zenangar is the "right way" half of the equation, behaving sensibly in contrast to Stelfor's often pointless cruelty and Nameforgot's utter folly.
* TheSmartGuy: The most cunning of the four chieftains.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Nameforgot]]
->''Elders came to Nameforgot / Said with you we ain't worth a pot.''

The chieftain of the North Clan, who failed so terribly that his name is forgotten and his descendants, the Yanadlings, are no longer even Riders.
----
* ButtMonkey: Stories of Nameforgot are either about his bad choices or his bad luck.
* DirtyCoward: He refused to ride to the Gods War to save Hyalor because he was afraid.
* {{Expy}}: He has a great deal in common with Bad King Urgrain in ''VideoGame/KingOfDragonPass'', another legendarily terrible ruler who serves as an example of behavior the player clan ought to avoid.
* FamousAncestor: To the Yanadlings, not that they're proud of the connection. Rather, Nameforgot was such a failure as a chieftain that they abandoned not only his culture but the worship of the gods themselves.
* HatedByAll: No one ever has anything good to say about Nameforgot.
* MultipleChoicePast: More than one explanation is given for his ultimate destruction.
[[/folder]]


!!Hyaloring Pantheon

[[folder: Hyalor]]
[[quoteright:234:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hyalor.png]]
[[caption-width-right:234: Hyalor Change-Maker]]
->''When Hyalor gave us the blank gold tablets, he said, “Let this be your only emperor.”''

A human who became a god, partly because he invented riding.
----

* DeityOfHumanOrigin: Started out human.
* DivineParentage: His father was Yamsur, a minor member of the solar pantheon. And he in turn is the ancestor of the Riders.
* EthnicGod: He's the namesake god of the Hyaloring people, and the origin of their basic philosophy: "There is no rule that can't be changed, when survival is at stake."
* HeroicBastard: It is, at least, strongly implied that he was the product of a one-night stand.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: Hyalor realizes that Nivorah is doomed and sets an organized retreat while his rival Samnal is still trying to fight to save it.
* MayflyDecemberRomance: He lived a ''very'' long life, and outlived eight wives (sequentially) as well as many of their children together. By the end, the knowledge that he would outlive everyone he loved had caused him to keep other humans at a distance.
* ParentalNeglect: He was a bastard son of the minor sun god Yamsur, but Yamsur figured into his life so little that this is completely unknown to the modern Hyalorings.
* SemiDivine: These days he's all divine, but before his death and ascension Hyalor was "merely" an immortal hero with secret divine heritage.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Gamari]]
[[quoteright:306:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gamari.png]]
[[caption-width-right:306:Gamari Horse Mother]][[quoteright:306:[[labelnote:Click to see her as Hippogriff.]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hippogrif.png[[/labelnote]]]]
->''When Gamari lost her wings, Hyalor adopted her into his clan.''

The first horse, and the goddess of horses. Originally called Hippogriff.
----

* CompositeCharacter: She combines aspects of the deities known to later Gloranthans as Gamara, Hippoi, and King Hippogriff.
* CoolHorse: She fought demons, trolls, and a goddess of earthquakes. She can also supply your clan with kumis- a type of booze.
* InspirationallyDisadvantaged: Invokes this trope. She was initially distraught by her mutilation, but came to see it as a "necessity", a shedding of the the unnecessary parts of her body. After all, who needs wings when you can ride like the wind?
* FantasticRacism: In a non-canonical variant of Busenari's myth, Gamari will scoff that if cows were meant to be brave they would've been born horses.
* FlamingHair: Her mane and tail are flames, appropriately so for the steed of sun gods.
* ThatManIsDead: She started calling herself "Gamari" when she became a horse.
* UndyingLoyalty: Hippogriff was often hurt because she was loyal to a friend who didn't deserve it and often abandoned her in the midst of battle. Gamari's later partnership with Hyalor formed many legends and became the Rider ideal of friendship.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Elmal]]
[[quoteright:234:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/elmal.png]]
[[caption-width-right:234:The Guardian Sun]]
->''When Yelm fell from the sky, Elmal took his place on the Sunpath.''

A god of the sun. After his father, Emperor Yelm, died at Orlanth's hands, he reluctantly took on his divine role. \\\
For tropes related to his depiction in ''VideoGame/KingOfDragonPass'', see [[Characters/KingOfDragonPass here]].
----

* BrutalHonesty: When Verlaro complained that his herd animals were following Osara instead, Elmal replied that "You should shine brighter." Which is cruel, but given how lazy and thoughtless Verlaro was, not untrue.
* CargoShip: Invoked. He was apparently married to Nivorah, [[GeniusLoci as in, the city]]. That was when she was still alive.
* ClosestThingWeGot: The empire is vastly and irreparably reduced, Elmal couldn't stop that, but it's only because of him there is still an empire at all. All of his brothers were too cowardly, evil or hidebound to care about protecting the people.
* ComesGreatResponsibility: He becomes the (not "a") sun not when the previous sun died, or even when he fought to protect his inheritance, but when he sacrificed some of it to save his people.
* TheCreon: He started calling himself a king only when he realized that the Riders needed one to be safe from Yonesh.
-->''[Elmal] said what needed to be said to power his strike.''
* DramaticIrony: He was the only "small sun" to remain loyal to the empire after Yelm's death (the others tried to destroy it so they could get power), and he vowed to every one of them that he would somehow rescue Yelm from the underworld. [[spoiler:In the end, however, Elmal's role was not to save Yelm, but to hold down the fort for the Lightbringers who did, and to sustain humanity while they quested.]]
* {{Foil}}: To Orlanth, whose basic story is him going out and starting fights for/over something. Elmal's story is him just staying at home, doing his duty, and repeatedly getting threatened by asshole outsiders...but invariably surviving every calamity they throw at him.
* HopeBringer: He couldn't maintain all of his father's sunpath, but he could preserve enough of it that the Riders wouldn't freeze to death as they migrated to the mortal world.
* HumbleHero: Much of Elmal's refusal to bend before false suns comes from his humility: as a loyal servant of Yelm, he sees just how fake his would-be usurpers are, and won't recognize anyone lesser as having the right to rule.
* MarsAndVenusGenderContrast: Elmal's sunlight is contrasted by the rain of Shella, a goddess.
* PapaWolf: He was not happy when he found that a Wheel clan had bullied the son he'd left them with. So he gave them two years of drought. [[note]]For clarification, your clan can be utterly ruined by ''one season'' of the same.[[/note]]
* ReluctantRuler: Elmal is reluctant to lay claim to his father's authority, but in the end he must.
* ShutUpHannibal: To Shargash as he destroyed the sunpath.
-->"I am not the sun, and neither are you."
* StartXToStopX: He hates change as much as anybody, but he also acknowledges that it's suicidal to pretend the empire hasn't fallen and the old ways will still work. For this reason he took charge of the empire's remnants; since Yelm wasn't coming back no matter ''how'' they acted, it was better to be slightly disobedient (and manage to preserve some lives) than [[ToBeLawfulOrGood totally obedient]] (and watch passively as his subordinates were killed or corrupted into being ''really'' disobedient).
* SuddenlySuitableSuitor: An example unrelated to bloodline. Elmal came last of all Nyalda's suitors to court her. When Nyalda asked why, Elmal replied that he had been unworthy of her until he [[EpiphanyComeback became the sun]]. This is in contrast with the other suitors, who were arrogant, sexist assholes that Nyalda summarily rejected.
* SurvivorsGuilt: In Elmal's myth, the plot pauses briefly so the narrator can emphasize that ''if'' Elmal had been with his dad when Orlanth struck the fatal blow, he would've been able to shield Yelm with his body. Once this period of wishful thinking is over, the story resumes its natural flow.
* TalkingTheMonsterToDeath: Most of the thieving "small suns" Elmal had to fight off...but when he found Little Yelm stealing, he simply looked into his eyes and said "This is unworthy of you." Little Yelm fled.
* TopGod: In Yelm's absence, he is the king of the gods.
* WarGod: More so than in ''King of Dragon Pass''. Here, all Elmal's blessings are related to war.
* YouAreInCommandNow: He was given sovereignty after Yelm's death, and he gave it to Hyalor and to every Rider clan since the Exodus.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Nyalda]]
[[quoteright:234:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nyalda.png]]
[[caption-width-right:234:Nyalda Earth Mother]]
->''When Hyalor asked Nyalda to join us in the exodus, she told him, “We must no longer be below you, but rather beside you.”''

The earth mother of the Hyaloring pantheon, and Elmal's wife.
----

* BatmanGambit: She never told Elmal that she wanted him to court her because there was never any need to; he decided to court her on his own, just as Nyalda had anticipated (although she didn't predict how ''slow'' he would be in doing so, so she had to fend off several unwanted suitors while waiting).
* DivineDelegation: While not the TopGod, Nyalda is the top earth goddess and delegates most of the physically earthy stuff to her daughters, a bevy of crop, animal, and food-related goddesses.
* DoesNotLikeShoes: Unusually for a Rider god, she's depicted barefoot.
* LoveMakesYouStupid: Narrowly averted. She was so interested in Elmal's proposal that she almost broke protocol to talk to him directly, instead of through intermediaries as proper Hyaloring women do.
* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: She likes Elmal because he didn't try to force her into marrying him and he offered a thoughtfully-chosen marriage gift.
* SummonBiggerFish: She doesn't fight, but she has no shortage of followers, kin, suitors, etc, who ''do'', and are more than willing to help her fend off unwanted attention.
* SoapboxSadie: Her myths indirectly but noticeably teach listeners how women should be treated.
-->"A wife is not a slave."
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: She bears a ''very'' strong resemblance to the Orlanthi goddess Ernalda (see below under the Vingkotling pantheon). They have similar personalities, blessings (although Ernalda is more involved with farming), and daughters—they even share the same holy objects. A circle member can even comment that they might be the same goddess under different names...

[[/folder]]


[[folder: Busenari]]
[[quoteright:306:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/busenari.png]]
[[caption-width-right:306:Busenari Cow Mother]]
->''When the exodus came, Busenari followed the sunpath to Elmal's side.''

Goddess of cattle.
----

* ActionSurvivor: She's no fighter (except in non-canon heroquest routes), but she was calm enough to escape and endure the darkening, monster-filled ruins of Yelm's court. And to help her daughters do the same.
* FoodGod: As the goddess of cows, she provides milk, cheese, and meat. (One origin story variant indicates that long ago, she blessed the Riders with lactose tolerance after a brave priestess quested to her.)
* TheHeart: She convinced her daughters- all the cows in the world- to venture out and find a new pasture as predators and frost were devouring the heavens. And when they were tired or scared or grieving, she convinced them again.
* StayInTheKitchen: An example specific to species, not gender. When Busenari's daughters were worrying uselessly about [[SuccessionCrisis the state of the world]], she told them, "Let Elmal worry about what lies beyond the fields". This was wise because cows- being ''cows''- couldn't do anything to help even if they tried. All that mattered then was surviving.
* YouAreInCommandNow: She and her herd used to be led between meadows by the Emperor, but when he died, she had to do the leading. She turned out to be pretty good at it.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Ekarna]]
[[quoteright:234:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ekarna.png]]
[[caption-width-right:234:Ekarna Four Trader]]
->''Busenari said, "All the cows are my daughters." Ekarna replied, "And the gold they fetch will arm our sons."''

Goddess of trade and diplomacy.
----

* TheAlmightyDollar: As the goddess of trade, she's also strongly associated with wealth and prosperity.
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: A downplayed example: she's clearly good, but like all deities her nature is limited. For example, she ''can't'' "reward" heroquesters, because trade is incompatible with giving people something for nothing. So she works around this limitation by offering them extremely generous deals that are lopsided in their favour.
* BoyishShortHair: To fit her 'fearless adventurer' aesthetic.
* ChainOfDeals: The Ekarna-centric myth is about her making trades with various foreigners, all to eventually get the stuff her clan actually needs. She has to walk pretty far.
* FriendToAllLivingThings: She did business with geese, Orlanthi and even ghosts.
* GuileHero: She succeeds by bringing people together, but also by using a rival god's sexism against him.
* HopeBringer: When the refugee Riders ran low on supplies, she showed them how to procure more goods from the Sky (mortal) World's inhabitants.
* IAmWho: She did not know at first she was the goddess of trade, because the perfect city Nivorah had never needed trade. It was only during the exodus that she realized her identity.
* PragmaticHero: According to your advisors, "Busenari said, 'All cows are my daughters.' Ekarna said, 'And the gold they fetch will arm our sons.'"
* TheStoryteller: She is so good at telling stories that she can trade them for actual tangible items.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Relandar]]
[[quoteright:306:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/relandar1.png]]
[[caption-width-right:306:Relandar Role Sorter]]
->''Relandar said, "The law is clear. People are not."''

God of wisdom.
----
* GoodOldWays: While Relandar is willing to accept change if need be, he and his worshippers still stand for tradition and continuity.
* MesACrowd: In his myth, he divides himself into many Relandars in order to teach the Riders an object lesson about the value of hierarchy.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Erissa]]
[[quoteright:234:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/erissa.png]]
[[caption-width-right:234:The gentle goddess of healing.]]
->''Erissa embodies mercy.''

Goddess of healing.
----
* ActualPacifist: Erissa will never hurt anyone, period. Of course, [[ReviveKillsZombie healing Death]] is such a contradiction that it throws him halfway across the world.
* AllLovingHero: Erissa loves and heals all people. In Rider stories, she favors them, of course.
* CelibateHero: In Rider myths, Erissa abstains from romance to make herself value all lives equally. (This is not the case in Wheel myths, in which she has a son.)
* ColorMotif: Erissa (and her followers) wear white with green accents, indicating purity and life. It also contrasts with her suitor Death, who wears solid black aside from a belt of white skulls.
* CulturalRebel: Erissa defies a male god, which is notable because she used to belong to Yelm's court- a ''very'' patriarchal pantheon.
* DeliberateValuesDissonance: Her enemy is death itself- not a race, or a clan, or a species. Battles that involve killing may be necessary, but they're [[PyrrhicVictory Pyrrhic Victories]] at best, not something to be celebrated.
* DontYouLikeIt: [[LoveInterest Death]] spread himself through the world partly so he could show everyone how wonderful Erissa was. Erissa knew he was well-intentioned, but was still horrified by the misery and fear he'd caused. Death didn't listen.
-->''When the Rebel killed the Emperor and darkened the sky, Death sought her again. "See what I put into motion? Now all the mortals will wish to worship you. [[{{Yandere}} Because much more of my gift is coming]]."
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: She has golden hair and is the kindest and gentlest of the gods.
* HealerGod: Her role in the pantheon. Her blessings cure your sick and heal your wounded.
* HopeBringer: As first Pain and then Death came into the world, Erissa helped people deal with them.
* StarCrossedLovers: She and Death strengthen each other just by existing, but their nature as opposites means they will always be working against each other.
* TechnicalPacifist: Erissa's devotees do not kill, but they are just as capable of becoming clan chiefs as anyone else- thereby tacitly permitting its soldiers and tricksters to do things the devotees personally would never do.
* MagicMusic: She sang the first Bone-Mending Ballad.
* OppositesAttract: Death has been in love with her since before he properly existed, and while Erissa will never accept his offer, she does return the attraction.
* TookALevelInBadass: Once, Erissa was just a cupbearer for higher gods. She didn't even know what she was the goddess of! Then physical injuries came into existence, and she knew all too well.
* ToughLeaderFacade: Being anything less than totally unbiased and totally committed to duty would endanger the thousands of people who depend on Erissa to survive.
* UndyingLoyalty: She will ''never'' betray life, no matter what Death offers her.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Osara]]
[[quoteright:306:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/osara.png]]
[[caption-width-right:306:Flame Sister]]
->''"Freedom is not about pleasure. It requires more discipline, not less."''

Goddess of archery and female warriors and leaders. Formerly the Nivorah goddess of daughters, but she took on a more assertive role after the Hyalorings left the city.
----
* ActionGirl: She became one after leaving Nivorah. Her worshippers also qualify.
* ArcherArchetype: Osara is a self-possessed archer. She's pictured firing an arrow, and her blessing is Firearrow.
* DecompositeCharacter: Osara and her brother Zarlen split the role that Vinga, goddess of female warriors and exploration, played in ''VideoGame/KingOfDragonPass''. Osara shares Vinga's association with warrior women and her close relationship with her father, the head of the pantheon (Osara's worshippers can perform Elmal's ritual as though they were Elmali, just as Vingans could perform Orlanth's heroquests just like Orlanth worshippers).
* FamilyHonor: One reason she saves Verlaro's bacon so much if that she doesn't, people will think less of the Fire Tribe as a whole.
* FieryRedhead: Red-haired, a fighter, and associated with fire and the sun.
* FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling: Osara is responsible, and her brother Verlaro is foolish. The myth about them (and many stories advisors can tell in the game) boil down to "Verlaro gets in trouble; Osara gets him out of it."
* HorseArcher: She's depicted shooting a bow while riding a horse.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: She bears a very strong resemblance to [[Characters/KingOfDragonPass Vinga]], the red-haired Orlanthi goddess of female warriors. Her worshippers can even perform Elmal's rituals, just as Vingans could perform Orlanth's heroquests.
* WarGod: The goddess of female warriors.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Pela]]
->''The next emblem [...] depicts when the grain goddess Pela showed how to plant and harvest her golden barley. Our ancestor Sarsadiga was there in the celestial fields, and brought back the seeds and sickle.''

Goddess of barley and the local land. She is Nyalda's daughter.
----
* CompositeCharacter: In most versions of Glorantha, Pela the barley goddess and Peloria the land goddess are different characters. (Peloria is, however, the goddess of wheat.)
* FoodGod: Responsible for your harvests.
* SatelliteCharacter: You can build a shrine to her, and she's mentioned whenever you prepare new fields. But Pela appears in no myths and is rarely mentioned during the game. Her worshippers don't appear among the nobles you can appoint to the circle that governs the clan. Despite being connected to one of the possible backstory events for your clan, she's the least-mentioned of your gods.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Uryarda]]
->''Uryarda Goat Mother and Yanade the Spirit Father bet each other they could make goats more fruitful. The winner was the clan that owned those goats.''

Goddess of goats.

----
* FoodGod: One of several, responsible for your herds along with Busenari.
* HeroOfAnotherStory: She's the principal goddess of the Ergeshites, a people who keep no livestock other than goats.
* SatelliteCharacter: She plays very little role in the myths and is only occasionally mentioned in dialogue, although you ''can'' have her worshippers on the circle or build a temple to her.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Zarlen]]
[[quoteright:306:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/zarlen2.png]]
[[caption-width-right:306:Bright-Tailed Wanderer]]
->''Zarlen was born from a mixed marriage, which is why he is a wandering star.''

God of exploration, son of Elmal with the Wheel Witch.
----

* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: He left the clan because he had no place there. While wandering, though, he discovered an attack planned by the Rams. He warned the clan of this attack, thereby saving many lives and being accepted as a legitimate son.
* BoldExplorer: As the god of exploration, he almost has to be this. Zarlen braves many dangers with only his horse for company, learning secrets of the land and secrets about the gods' foes.
* DecompositeCharacter: Zarlen and his sister Osara split the role played by Vinga, goddess of explorers and female warriors, in ''VideoGame/KingOfDragonPass.'' Zarlen gets exploration, Vinga's Pathfinder blessing, and shares Vinga's association with the Motion rune (which marks both of their worshippers among your nobles).
* OnlyFriend: His horse, Wandering Star. She was the first one who realized Zarlen's potential as a god.
* SolidClouds: He and [[CoolHorse Wandering Star]] discovered many secrets unknown to the Riders, including how to walk on clouds.
* TheUnfavorite: Being a bastard son of Elmal. He was grudgingly accepted into Nyalda's clan, but disrespected by almost everyone.
-->''Busenari made sure he was the last to drink from her bowl. Pela gave him only crusts. When Inilla dropped berries into his hand, she left the stems and worms in.''

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Inilla]]
[[quoteright:234:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/inilla.png]]
[[caption-width-right:234:Inilla Forage Finder]]
->''It was during the exodus that Inilla proved her worth.''

Goddess of foraging, and a daughter of Elmal and Nyalda.
----

* FoodGod: Goddess of foraging, or finding food in the wild.
* GuileHero: Inilla's foe, Yatelo, is one that cannot be bested with weapons. So she defeats him with trickery and cleverness, all the while pointing out that if he tries to kill her out of frustration, he will become the kind of enemy her father Elmal knows how to fight.
* HiddenDepths: Although Inilla is emphatically not a fighter, her worshippers tend to have high Combat skill, perhaps reflecting her role as a goddess of survival.
* HopeBringer: See a pattern? After leaving the Golden City, the gods suffered from hunger for the first time. Inilla showed them how to survive in the wilderness.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Dostal]]
[[quoteright:234:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dostal.png]]
[[caption-width-right:234:Dostal Elk Hunter]]
->''On our journey into the wildlands, no god taught us more than Dostal.''

God of hunting, and husband to Inilla.
----
* ClassicalHunter: As the god of hunting (primarily for survival), Dostal qualifies as this.
* FoodGod: Yet another of the Riders' many gods of not starving to death.
* TheMentor: Back when the gods lived among their mortal worshippers, Dostal would often take small groups of young men into the wilderness to teach them to hunt. In his in-game ritual and the corresponding myth, he teaches the future leaders of the first four Rider clans, including your ancestor Basikan.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: He's presumably the same deity of Dastal, who the much later Pure Horse people of the Grazelands worship as god of the hunt and patron of young men entering adulthood.
* TheQuietOne: Throughout "Dostal and the Snow Elk", he never speaks.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Buseryan, Narva, Nocheli, Perondeto and Tepekos]]
When your clan left Nivorah, they took with them one and only one of these five minor gods. Buseryan, as one of Elmal's brothers, is mentioned a couple of times even if you don't choose him.
----
* FoodGod: Narva is a beverage goddess.
* OddJobGod: Each of them has a very specific domain:
** Buseryan is the god of writing.
** Narva is the goddess of beer.
** Nocheli is the goddess of the red dye insect ([[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochineal cochineal]]).
** Perondeto is the god of glassmaking.
** Tepekos is the god of bronzesmiths.
* MutuallyExclusivePartyMembers: You can only preserve the secrets of one of these gods.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Buseryan is usually spelled Buser'''i'''an. It was changed to make it less similar to Busenari.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Raven]]
[[quoteright:306:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/raven3.png]]
[[caption-width-right:306:Sharp-Beaked Spirit]]
->''Hyalor said, "Contain your droppings." Raven said, "I know what you want, and cannot admit to."''

The greatest of the spirits you can bargain with, Raven is still not a god.
----
* BrutalHonesty: Sometimes a Raven shaman will embarrass clan elders by listing their guilty secrets out loud.
* ColdBloodedTorture: Raven sometimes asks his people to kidnap and torture foreigners. Eye gouging is involved.
* HorrorHunger: Dialogue implies that he drinks the blood of living people.
* LaserGuidedKarma: Raven keeps the Riders honest. A clan that tacitly enables slavery may wake up to find their own children have been sold off.
* LiminalBeing: Raven seems to exist on the boundary between spirit and god, although the Riders firmly place him among the former. Raven is too unreliable for a proper god, but more powerful than any other spirit you can encounter--and Raven shamans are considered a different religion than regular ones.
* MoreThanMindControl: Raven shamans don't ''want'' to hurt the clan as in the LaserGuidedKarma example, but Raven doesn't give them a choice.
* OtherworldlyAndSexuallyAmbiguous:: As one Raven shaman points out, you can never be sure whether Raven is male or female at any given time.
* PetTheDog: Raven shamans often make ice slides or scavenger hunts, so the clan's children can have fun.
* ShadowArchetype: Raven is called Elmal's shadow, and represents the darkness that--because it is Elmal's opposite--Elmal cannot see.
* TokenEvilTeammate: At his worst, Raven can be this. One advisor says that his role is to do the things that Hyalor should not, while another quotes Raven as saying "I know what you want, and cannot admit to."
* TheTrickster: Raven and her shamans serve this role, similar to the Eurmali of ''King of Dragon Pass.''
* TricksterGod: Played with. The Hyalorings are very firm in their belief that Raven is a spirit rather than a god... but your tricksters identify the Vingkotling TricksterGod Eurmal as the same being as their patron spirit.
[[/folder]]

!! Vingkotling Pantheon

[[folder: Vingkot]]
->''Vingkot, a demigod whose father is Orlanth the Rebel, is to them [the Ram People] what Hyalor is to us—founder and lawgiver. ''

The ancestor of the Vingkotling people, Vingkot was once a mortal hero but rose to godhood. He's the son of Orlanth by a mortal woman.
----
* DivineParentage: Son of Orlanth by a human woman, Janerra Alone.
* EthnicGod: One of the defining gods of the Vingkotling people.
* EvilCounterpart: From the Rider point of view, he's this to their god Hyalor.
* FamousAncestor: To Redalda, through her mother, one of the "Daughters of Vingkot". Each of the Southern Ram Kingdoms also claim that their first ruler was either a child/grandchild of Vingkot or married to one.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Orlanth]]
[[quoteright:234:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/orlanth_rltw.png]]
[[caption-width-right:234:Orlanth the Rebel]]
->''When Orlanth murdered the sun, it is doubtful he had plans to take over the heavens. But he surely harbors them now.''

The god of storms and freedom, and the chief god worshipped by the Ram People. The Riders hate and fear him as the murderer of Yelm, the Bright Emperor.\\\
For tropes related to his depiction in ''VideoGame/KingOfDragonPass'', see [[Characters/KingOfDragonPass here]].
----
* AmazingTechnicolorPopulation: He's blue.
* EthnicGod: One of the defining gods of the Vingkotling people.
* GodCouple: With Ernalda.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Ernalda]]
[[quoteright:234:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ernalda_rltw.png]]
[[caption-width-right:234:Ernalda, earth mother of the Vingkotlings]]
->''Ernalda and Nyalda are not so different as we like to think.''

An earth goddess with marked similarities to Nyalda, she is Orlanth's wife and the chief goddess worshipped by the Rams. \\\
For tropes related to her depiction in ''VideoGame/KingOfDragonPass'', see [[Characters/KingOfDragonPass here]].
----
* AmazingTechnicolorPopulation: Green and growing.
* BehindEveryGreatMan: To Orlanth. All of his best ideas come from her—as he'll tell you himself, quite cheerfully.
* ChessmasterSidekick: Orlanth freely admits that she's the source of all his best ideas. Such as forming a tribe—that is, the Storm Pantheon itself.
* TheConsigliere: She is her husband's chief advisor.
* EarthMother: Similarly to Nyalda, she's an earth goddess associated with the bonds of family more than the physical earth, and is generous to her people.
* GodCouple: With Orlanth.
* MotherGoddess: Again, fills this role in her pantheon.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Vadrus]]
[[quoteright:234:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vadrus_rltw.png]]
[[caption-width-right:234:Vadrus the Smasher]]
->''[Vadrus] spluttered and cursed but finally said she was right. If you wanted to kill everyone, you should do it in the sensible order.''

Orlanth's brother, also known as Hurt-Everything.
----
* AmazingTechnicolorPopulation: Blue, like his brother Orlanth.
* ContinuityNod: In the myth "The Making of the Storm Tribe" in ''VideoGame/KingOfDragonPass'', Vadrus leads the Hurt-Everything clan. In this game, Hurt-Everything is the name the Riders usually use for Vadrus. Also, the rune on his cloak fastening looks like a simpler variant on his son Gagarth's unique rune.
* DoomedByCanon: Vadrus is a minor character in later Orlanthi myth, known mostly for picking a fight with [[EldritchAbomination the Devil]] and being annihilated.
* FieryRedhead: Vadrus has blood-red hair and is notably aggressive.
* HeroKiller: If your ancestral enemies are the Ram People, Vadrus (called Ovadorudus in the relevant myth) is the one who kills [[EthnicGod Hyalor]].
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: One of his names is Hurt-Everything.
* ThemeNaming: The same myth that calls him Hurt-Everything features his three children, Chase-Everything, Freeze-Everything, and Hide-Everything.
* WouldNotHitAGirl: If he gets angry with Redalda in the final heroquest, he'll hit Beren instead of her.
[[/folder]]

!! Other Gods

[[folder: Yelm]]
->'' When Orlanth murdered Yelm, he not only robbed the world of his light, but his warmth.''

The (original) Sun, who is dead. Father to Elmal, Shargash, Little Yelm, and others, and Emperor in the perfect Golden Age. After his death, the world has grown steadily colder.
----

* FisherKing: Justified by his mythological role. When the sun dies, everything else does too.
* GodIsDead: The game takes place after Yelm's death at Orlanth's hands, [[spoiler: and before his resurrection, also at Orlanth's hands.]]
* TopGod: Yelm was the undisputed head of the solar pantheon... and in his absence, his sons and various pretenders have quarreled with each other over who should take his place, with none really filling the gap he left.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Aldrya]]
->''When the first seed opened, it contained Aldrya, ancestress of all elves.''

Goddess of forests, worshipped by the elves.
----

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: {{Invoked}}. Your advisors can portray her as a fond lover to [[spoiler: Hyalor]], and she comes off as very human in these anecdotes. Their daughter's tale of their meeting makes Aldrya seem much more alien, and her choice as less a matter of love than an attempt to ensure the world's survival.
* SecondLove: She is the final bride of [[spoiler:Hyalor... if you accept the Cenala Revelation, at least.]]
[[/folder]]


[[folder: Samnal]]
[[quoteright:234:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/samnal.png]]
[[caption-width-right:234: Samnal Chain-Forger]]
->''The tension between our peoples erupts from the rivalry between Hyalor Change-Maker, and Samnal Chain-Forger. They are enemies, yes—but also cousins.''

A son of Elmal and the divine founder of the Wheel culture. Known as "Samnal the Thief" to the Hyalorings, and as "Samnal the Charioteer/Chariot Maker" to his own people.
----

* CainAndAbel: He frequently quarrels with his siblings among the Hyaloring pantheon, especially Osara.
* CondescendingCompassion: When his father calls him out for being a sexist douchebag, he scoffs that Elmal is "too generous" in accepting the Riders' "crooked worship".
* EnemyMine: He and Hyalor briefly cooperate during one of Hyalor's myths, but soon quarrel again. It's also possible to call on his aid if you're lost in the gods' war and about to be squashed by a dragon, although only if Wheel clans helped you prepare for the ritual.
* HeroOfAnotherStory: He's the hero of the Wheel versions of many familiar myths (although at least one goes to his son Rogoros instead). As Riders, your clan of course considers those versions of the stories absolute hogwash, but they ''do'' exist.
* PrettyBoy: For a god so focused on masculinity, he is surprisingly androgynous-looking, with a clean-shaven face and a slender body.
* TheRival: To both Hyalor (his direct counterpart) and his sister Osara.
* RightWayWrongWayPair: His role in [[UnreliableNarrator Rider]] myths is a cautionary/comedic one, used to illustrate what ''not'' to do. When Hyalor leaves Nivorah, Samnal stays. Where Ekarna respects strangers, he mocks them.
* StayInTheKitchen: His followers are strictly patriarchal, and Samnal has a rite called 'Samnal Woman-Tamer'.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Verlaro]]
[[quoteright:234:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/verlaro.png]]
[[caption-width-right:234:The man who was once a god.]]
->''Verlaro’s horses kept following Osara’s light. He complained to his father, Elmal, who said, ‘You should shine brighter.’''

Son of Elmal, brother to Osara and Samnal, and formerly the god of common men in Nivorah. Although he figures in Hyaloring mythology, they no longer worship him as a god.
----

* CharacterDevelopment: Some references to Verlaro eventually becoming a hero suggest that he eventually changed his ways.
* DistressedDude: Frequently, and it's generally his own fault for leaping without looking.
* FamousAncestor: To Beren the Tall, whose family trace their descent from Verlaro.
* FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling: The Foolish to Osara's Responsible. Stories about them tend to involve Verlaro getting into trouble and Osara getting him out of it.
* LoserDeity: At the time of "Osara and Verlaro", he's this to the extent that his sister warns him that his human worshippers may soon stop bothering. He's fine with that.
* MadeASlave: By his own brother Samnal. Fortunately for him, Osara rescued him quickly.
* ToxicFriendInfluence: Tried to be this to his half-brother Zarlen, because he knew Zarlen had the potential to outshine him and sought to convince him to become idle and dissolute instead, like himself. Zarlen saw what he was doing and refused.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Reladivus]]
[[quoteright:234:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/reladivus.png]]
[[caption-width-right:234:Reladivus River Tamer]]
->''The Arcos [River] can never be truly tamed, but Reladivus could always master it.''

City god of lost Nivorah.
----

* EthnicGod: To a people who effectively no longer exist.
* HeroicSeductress: In most retellings of "Taming the River", he seduces the dragon Arcos (who is also a river god) into going back to its banks. Which is good, because a lot of people were starving to death without the irrigation that Arcos provided.
* SilkHidingSteel: In accordance with the Fire Tribe's [[CulturedBadass male ideal]] at that time. He can fight the rampaging dragon, but he can also control his righteous fury well enough to flirt or bargain with it.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Shargash]]
[[quoteright:306:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shargash.png]]
[[caption-width-right:306:The Demon Sun]]
->''Shargash, god of Alkoth, is a half-brother to Elmal, mindlessly destructive where Elmal is loyal and just.''

The Demon Sun of Alkoth, Elmal's half-brother and adversary.
----

* TheFaceOfTheSun: During Elmal and Nyalda's ritual, Shargash is pictured flanked by a sun with his rather alarming face on it.
* MultiArmedAndDangerous: He has four arms, allowing him to simultaneously wield spear, mace, shield and drum.
* SinisterSentientSun: He's one of Elmal's nastier rivals.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Little Yelm]]
[[quoteright:234:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/littleyelm.png]]
[[caption-width-right:234:The Pretender Sun]][[quoteright:306:[[labelnote:Click here to see the solar god of the Hill of Gold, along with his foe.]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hillofgold.png[[/labelnote]]]]
->''"I suppose you think you're the sun now."''

Elmal's no-account little brother. May or may not be the Imperial god on the Hill of Gold, and may or may not be the deity known to later Glorantha as Yelmalio.
----

* TheFaceOfTheSun: Like the other solar pretenders, he's flanked by his face on a solar disk during the Elmal and Nyalda rituals. His is the smallest and least intimidating, other than the Small Suns.
* HeelRealization: He was the only "small sun" to stop scavenging the sunpath when Elmal reminded him that what he was doing was wrong.
* PsychologicalProjection: After their father's death, Little Yelm lashed out at Elmal for keeping order, accusing him of trying to replace the Emperor. Since Little Yelm was currently trying to steal all that remained of the Emperor's power, this trope is probably the reason he's so ashamed when Elmal refutes the accusation.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Yonesh]]
[[quoteright:234:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yonesh.png]]
[[caption-width-right:234:The Cold Sun]]
->''Elmal met a chill, pale orb in the sky. It hurled snow, hail and sleet at him, and said, “I am Yonesh, the Cold Sun.”''

The Cold Sun, an enemy of Elmal.
----

* TheFaceOfTheSun: In Elmal's ritual, Yonesh is flanked by a blue-white sun with his face on it.
* AnIcePerson: He can freeze a quester in a block of ice and then shatter it.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Yatelo]]
[[quoteright:234:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yatelo1.png]]
[[caption-width-right:234:The Hungry Sun]]
->''Some foes cannot be defeated with weapons.''

God of hunger and banditry, sometimes called the Hungry Sun.
----

* TheFaceOfTheSun: In the first scene of Inilla's ritual, Yatelo's face glares down at Elmal and Nyalda from the sun disc.
* LeanAndMean: As one might expect of a malicious god of hunger, he's skeletally thin.
* SinisterSentientSun: Yatelo is sometimes numbered among the small suns that have tried to take over the sunpath Elmal defends.
* WalkingShirtlessScene: He wears only a kilt.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Yamsur]]
[[quoteright:234:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yamsur.png]]
[[caption-width-right:234:Yamsur the Shining]]
->''Yamsur flickered hot, always saw to it that his exploits were well noticed, and took his pleasures with the same zest he showed in combat.''

A solar god that the Riders do not worship. He was once the companion of Hippogriff, before she became Gamari.
----
* DisappearedDad: He played such a small role in his son's life that the Riders don't actually know of their relationship. Gamari, however, can reveal it to them.
* DoomedByCanon: Later Glorantha knows only one thing about Yamsur: he died alongside Genert during the Gods War.
* FairWeatherFriend: To Hippogriff. When the tides of battle turned against them, Yamsur saved his own skin and left her behind to suffer.
* HandsomeLech: Yamsur liked to visit Nivorah back in the day because he said the finest women dwelt there. With one of those women he had a son, Hyalor.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Nivorah]]
[[quoteright:306:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nivorah.png]]
[[caption-width-right:306:The Golden City]]
->''We have come so far from the Golden City. Sometimes I find myself thinking that it is better as an ideal than a place to return to.''

Elmal's first wife, mother of Reladivus, and possibly the mother of Osara, Samnal, and Verlaro as well.
----

* GeniusLoci: She was both the city Nivorah and its goddess. Meanwhile, her husband and son were also gods of the city: Elmal was the city's governor under Yelm, while Reladivus was its protector god.
* GodIsDead: She died while Elmal was away trying to discover a way to bring his dead father back.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Death]]
[[quoteright:234:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/death_06.png]]
[[caption-width-right:234:Erissa's suitor]]
->''"I have become myself completely now. Do not call me Pain anymore. I am so much more than that. And I have increased [[HealerGod your]] importance a thousandfold, now that it is possible to die when bad injuries go untreated."''

Also known as Pain, a god who came late into the world.
----

* AgeGapRomance: Erissa was a full-fledged adult when Death was just a concept, in keeping with [[WomenAreWiser Rider ideals]]. It makes a little more sense symbolically: life ''has'' to exist before death, after all.
* AnthropomorphicPersonification: In "Erissa Denies Her Suitor", Death eventually appears as a young man.
* {{Bishounen}}: Appears as a handsome young man, though like all Rider men he is bearded.
* BornAsAnAdult: As a result of his godly nature. Before Death sprang into existence, he was just a disembodied voice.
* CardCarryingVillain: As a god, he is very honest and enthusiastic about his purview. He only feels ashamed about it on very rare occasions, and only then because it prevents him from getting laid.
* ColorMotif: Depicted in black, while his beloved Erissa and her followers wear white.
* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette: The personification of Death is depicted with black hair and very pale skin.
* GrandRomanticGesture: He claims that his efforts to cover the world with pain and fear is just his way of motivating everyone to realize Erissa's value.
* HopelessSuitor: He does not accept the word "no". ''Every'' death since the exodus is another attempt to intimidate Erissa into joining him.
* LackOfEmpathy: So overjoyed by his new invention that he got very drunk celebrating it. This invention? ''War.''
* LoveRuinsTheRealm: A narrowly averted example. Death's bullshit is one reason why the Riders don't consider "I really love her" an appropriate reason for marriage. Love doesn't mean shit if it's attached to complete disregard for the bride's people and cosmic purpose.
* SadisticChoice: He promised Erissa that if she married him, he'd allow her to choose who lives and who dies. Although he didn't mean it that way, this was a cruel thing to ask of an AllLovingHero like the goddess of healing.
* SkeletonsInTheCoatCloset: Death wears skulls (mostly of animals) on his belt.
* StarCrossedLovers: Death loves Erissa; she returns his feelings, but cannot accept his offer of marriage without betraying everything she is.
* SwissArmyTears: Apparently the heartbroken tears of the god of death make excellent medicines.
* {{Yandere}}: He was being honest when he said he'd never attack Erissa, but he is fully okay with using her people's lives as bargaining chips to entice her into marrying him.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Uldak]]
[[quoteright:234:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/uldak.png]]
[[caption-width-right:234:The Thirsty Earth]]
->''“I am parched, and must drink the life of a human to revive myself.”''

Uldak, the Thirsty Earth, is an outlaw god. He is also Nyalda's brother: they are both children of Oria, the first Earth Queen.
----
* HumanSacrifice: He offers cows in exchange for you sacrificing a member of your clan.
* KickTheDog: In addition to wanting humans sacrificed to him instead of cows or goods, he specifically requires the sacrifice to be a member of ''your own clan''.
* SdrawkcabAlias: If you already know and have rejected him, he'll present himself as Kadul the next time your explorers meet him, in an attempt to deceive them.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Cenala]]
[[quoteright:234:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cenala.png]]
[[caption-width-right:234:The priestess of the Last Tablet Plateau]]
->''“I have come to restore this land.”''

A powerful priestess, said to be the daughter of Hyalor and Aldrya.
----

* AmbiguousSituation: Is she truly the daughter of your founder god and the elf goddess? You have to decide that for yourself. And initially, no one claims that Cenala is a goddess— not even those who believe she's truly Hyalor's daughter. [[spoiler: But as time goes on, she starts providing miracles and omens to her followers when they pray to her...]]
* DivineParentage: Both her parents are gods. Interestingly, Cenala herself starts off SemiDivine, but there are hints her power is growing.
* CruelAndUnusualDeath: In a bad ending, the Ram Killer clan [[spoiler:rip her skin off]].
* HalfHumanHybrid: Of a sort. Hyalor is a human god, and Aldrya an elf goddess; as elves are plants in this setting, hybrids aren't usually possible— but gods aren't bound by the same rules as mortals...
* HopeBringer: Possibly. [[spoiler: She can rescue your clan—and the whole valley—from the devastation of the skyfall. And her parents created her specifically to help their peoples survive the darkness ahead.]]
* LongLostRelative: She regards all Hyalorings as her nieces and nephews, because they are the descendants of her father.
* SemiDivine: Her parents were gods, and she exists on the boundary between mortal and divine.
* WalkingSpoiler: Cenala's existence is revealed to your clan partway through the game, and comes as a great shock. It's hard to say much of anything about her without spoilers.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Venurtera]]

The Dara Happan goddess of pottery and Yelm's niece. Hyalorings do not normally worship her, but you may learn about her if [[spoiler:you adopt a particular group of Dara Happan refugees during an event, which will allow you to build a shrine to her]].
----

* OddJobGod: Her domain is very specific -- pottery. Her blessing is Porcelain, which gives you an additional exotic good and allows you to support an extra trade route.
* SecretCharacter: You can worship her only if you succeed at a specific choice in a certain random event; otherwise, she's not even mentioned.
[[/folder]]

* TheWomanWearingTheQueenlyMask: Being anything less than totally unbiased and totally committed to duty would endanger the thousands of people who depend on Erissa to survive.