Hero Wars
  Support
Glorantha
Issaries, Inc.
Market Place
Tribes
Library
News
Utilities

Yelorna the Starbringer

(As worshipped by the independent Pavis Temple)

By Ian Thomson and Greg Stafford.
Additional ideas from Stephen Martin, Wesley Quadros, Daniel Fahey, and Andrew Bean.
Based on material by T. Michael Trout and Greg Stafford.

Yelorna is the daughter of Yelm and Ernalda, though her magic is closer to that of the Sun than of the Earth. She is usually pictured as a young woman riding a unicorn, with rays of starlight about her head, and is normally shown in armor, carrying a bow or spear. In the Golden Age Yelorna was courted by several gods but refused all such ties, resolving to show her power as an individual woman within the Sky Tribe. Her friends were her brothers Yelmalio and Yamsur.

When the Gods War began, Yelorna remained with the other sparks of light, proving her right to be a warrior. She fought Zorak Zoran (known as Dark Eater in Prax) and other children of Dread Lady Night, and brought Polestar and some of his children to help. This earned her the title of 'Starbringer'. After witnessing the death of Yamsur to Chaos, she battled this new enemy even harder than she had fought against the Darkness. When Yelm returned, she acknowledged the Dark's right to exist as part of the Great Compromise, thus participating in the renewed world.

In Pavis, as everywhere else, the Cult of Yelorna is seen as an oddity. Other Solar Cults ridicule her worshippers because they are women taking the roles of men, the Lunars are wary of them because of their fiercely held independence, and many Heortlings distrust them because they are both female warriors and followers of the sun. Nonetheless, they are respected fighters and have often ridden as mercenaries alongside groups of nomad warriors. Whilst several of the leading cult members ride unicorns, this is a privilege and not a right, and most of the Yelornan women ride Praxian beasts.

The current temple was founded in 1596 by Morganeth Runestar of the Old City, who later became the new High Priestess. She had lived amongst the Unicorn Tribe and become a war leader by the time she was 20 years old. Morganeth rebuilt her ruined family home in the Old City into the Temple.

Entry Requirements:	Must be a female human or elf to gain full acceptance into the cult. Occasionally, non-Chaos/non-Darkness females from other races are allowed to join.
Physical Abilities:	Close Combat (Lance Attack, Sword and Shield Fighting), Ranged Combat (Javelin), Ride Unicorn, Tend Unicorn
Mental Abilities:	Mythology of Yelorna, Wilderness Survival.
Affinity:	Starlight (Enchant Silver, Lighten Darkness, See in Darkness, Starbright Arrow, Starlight Reveals Tracks, Starlight Wards the Camp).
Secret:	Meteor Bow (This gives a bonus of 1/4 the secret's ability rating to arrow attacks against beings of darkness or Chaos, Yelorna's two greatest foes. The arrow leaves a glowing trail as it flies through the air, and explodes into flame on contact with the target.)
Worshippers:	While some come from Sun Town or all the way from Sun County to join the cult, most of the initiates are women either of Old Pavic society or from the Praxian Unicorn Tribe. The horse, which is the normal steed of branches of the Cult outside of Prax, is so hated by the Praxian nomads that women without a steed are provided with a Praxian beast as soon as one is available. This makes the Pavic Yelornan cavalry an extremely diverse group of riders. Despite their traditional acceptance as initiates, there are only two elves within the ranks at present.
Other Side:	Worshippers pass after death to Yelorna's Star Lodge, from where they may exit to the house of Polaris, the Golden Age, the Greater Darkness, or the Gods War. Worshippers accompany Yelorna as they ride the god plane ridding it of darkness and chaos. Followers of Yelorna expect to return to the cycle of life several times before becoming pure enough to remain forever by her side.
Other Connections:	Their only solid local allies are found amongst the followers of Vinga and Pavis. The Vingans support them as fellow women warriors and haters of Chaos, and the people of the Old City value them as part of the defence force and as the revival of a traditional Pavic organisation. Yelornans are reluctantly tolerated by the Sun County and Sun Town Yelmalions, and although formal relations exist between the two cults, in practice interactions are strained. Aldryami have ancient connections with the cult, and Morganeth has had some success in reviving relations with the elves of the Garden. There is also a connection between Yelorna and the Earth pantheon, through her mother Ernalda, making relations with various traditional Earth cultists easier than with other groups within the Storm Pantheon. The Unicorn tribe of Prax also has very good relations with the Yelornans. The Yelornan Cavalry assists in the defence of Manside and Zebraside within the Old City, and is seen as a valuable part of the defence force.
Disadvantages:	The Yelornans have a mild feud ongoing with the Lunars, because each side claims to be the true owner of silver. Also, many Beast Riders see them as an aberration, much like the Unicorn Tribe. As with many solar cults, the Yelornans strive for chastity. Worshippers are not permitted to act in a promiscuous manner, and devotees may only marry (and engage in physical relations) with devotees within the Earth or Sky Pantheons. Unicorn Riders must be celibate, which is why many within the Cult never rise to this lofty position, remaining astride whatever other mount is available to them. Devotees must spend as much time beneath starlight as they do beneath sunlight, so they spend a lot of time out at night.

Yelornan Occupations