Glorantha: Tales of the Night Hag 
Tales of the Night Hag
Secrets Of The Kingdom Of The Trolls
originally published in Gods of Glorantha
This document is Copyright © 1998 Issaries, Inc. It may be freely linked to, and 
one copy may be printed for personal use, but any other reproduction by 
photographic, electronic, or other methods of retrieval, is prohibited.
Table of Contents
  Where did the world come from? 
  Can you tell me the truth about...? 
  Troll Deities 
Where did the world come from?
The dark has always existed. Once, it spawned seas, the cursed heavens, and the 
harsh surface where we now live. Someday it will swallow everything back into 
itself. And we and the dark will go on forever.
Where do we come from?
Once we all lived in the harmony of Wonderhome, Kyger Litor's wombplace.
The burning horror of death drove us forth to the Komor [Hurtplace], the surface 
world. Now we struggle in agony to survive.
Why do we die?
Death is the natural state of the universe. Our gods are alive, and keep us 
alive. We must be grateful to have a chance at all. But we know that all life 
must end someday.
What happens after we die?
Fearsome death is, yet it is the only return to the underworld. When we die, our 
spirits meet with Kyger Litor in Hell.
Why are we here?
We are here to serve our masters, to be served by our slaves, and to feast upon 
our enemies.
How do we do magic?
All magic ultimately comes from the shadows. Our gods know all the secrets of 
night, and so we have the most powerful magic in the world. Our priestesses know 
secrets that would send members of other races screaming into madness. Our gods 
do deeds that would blast the souls of lesser deities. And our home, the 
darkness, has secrets of ultimate power that have never been revealed.
I have heard of other powers. Can you tell me the truth about ...
...Aldrya?
This is a good food goddess. Her children can be annoying to the point of death, 
but they are well worth the killing and eating.
...Chaos?
When we were forced out of Wonderhome to grim Komor, Chaos came to rob us of 
even the miserable lands we had left. But we fought it, killed it, and ate it. 
Now chaos is driven into the hinterland.
...the Lunar Goddess?
New gods are being born all the time. This one consorts with vile gods who 
blasted our race with curses. She brings light where no light should be. Yet she 
tempers the harsh light of the sun. And she controls and subdues the monsters of 
chaos. We cannot yet say whether her rise has been for ill or well.
...Magasta?
The gods of the oceans are old, and they hide many mysteries. But their greatest 
mysteries are from the darkness, the oldest of all.
...Monotheists?
This is a burdensome human religion from a land near the setting sun.
They are troubled with castes, strange rituals, and a plethora of confusing 
saints. Yet their worthless god gives no rune spells. Arkat came from their land 
and pillaged their religion's secrets for us to use.
...Mostal?
This is another good food god. Some of his children are immobile stone, and 
others, called dwarfs, can move around. They are often clad in poison metal and 
rarely come aboveground, but they are the tastiest of all. The sweetest meats 
are the dearest.
...Orlanth?
This human war god battled us when we came to the Komor. When he could not win, 
he fled to the Underworld, seeking Death to wield against us.
When he returned with the Enemy, we were stronger and could endure its weakened 
light. He and his worshipers fight us still. We have faced far grimmer foes than 
he and we still survive.
...Pamalt?
Pamalt and his legions of servant gods and peoples killed our warriors and 
maimed the hero troll Moorgarki. Now Moorgarki's children are the mutant jungle 
trolls, who cannot bear the clean cold of the mountains and glaciers. Someday 
all trolls shall take vengeance upon pitiless Pamalt for this misdeed.
...Spirits?
Some spirits are broken pieces of dead gods. The most powerful and useful of 
them come from the source of all magic -- the Darkness. Other spirits are the 
souls of those that have died -- our ancestors. Our shamans know how to deal 
with all types of spirits.
...Yelm?
This bad god forced us out of the primeval Wonderhome. He crippled our gods. 
When we fled to the Komor, he followed us here to persecute us.
But now he must flee around the universe, eternally pursued by Xentha, goddess 
of night. His sons have been eaten and broken by our gods. And Subere has shown 
us secret parts of Hell untouched by Yelm's burning presence.
Troll Deities
Argan Argar, god of surface darkness
The burning death destroyed Wonderhome, broke our gods, made us flee. When we 
came to the Komor, everything was strange. We made many mistakes.
Then came Argan Argar. He showed us the correct ways of surface life. He taught 
us our enemies' languages and ways. And he conquered fire gods and enslaved them 
for our benefit.
Arkat Kingtroll, killer of Gbaji, knower of sorcery
This is the cleverest of all trolls. He fooled humans, elves, and dwarfs, and 
stole their most precious secrets for our use. They are still being fooled by 
him.
Dehore, father of shades
There are many types of darkness spirits, shadows, and shades. All owe 
allegiance to Dehore. Our shamans know Dehore well, and so we can command all 
the beings of darkness, too.
Himile, god of cold
Winter is our friend. We may walk openly, for there are none that dare hurt us 
or make us afraid. Himile's cold rushes down from his palace in the north. The 
weak gods of summer flee him and the hollri -- his ice demons.
Our enemies and our food hide away, paralyzed with fear of us and Himile.
Kyger Litor, troll ancestress
Kyger Litor, our mother, has given us much. Her secret magic protects us, gives 
us power, and cripples our enemies. Her divine family teaches us how to live, 
how to work, how to fight, and how to kill. We are her children, and we love 
her.
Kyger Litor, our mother, has suffered much. The dead sun burned her and drove 
her from Wonderhome. Chaos gods like Gbaji maimed her and crippled her children. 
Here in Komor, enemies battle us desperately and persistently.
We are strong, and feast on our foes. Gbaji is dead, and we have killed much 
chaos. The sun hides from us each night and each winter, when we roam the earth 
in might. We bless Kyger Litor for this.
We give our troll children Kyger Litor's blessing. We kill, fight, work, and 
live for her and our other gods, her servants. We give her our worship and 
power, precious gifts. She is our mistress, and we must do her deeds all our 
lives.
Subere, goddess of hell darkness
When the sun came long ago, its unendurable brightness drove our gods and us 
from Wonderhome. Its fiery rays burnt and slew many inhabitants of the 
Underworld. But many creatures sought and found refuge in Subere. She still 
dwells in Hell, the only god never tainted or blasted by the Enemy's unholy 
light.
Xentha, goddess of night
Half the universe is ruled by Kyger Litor, and Xentha is her steward to blanket 
the world with night. Her shadows and children, such as Argan Argar, cover the 
world and make it safe for us. She brings us darkness, ever-chasing the sun 
around the world.
Xiola Umbar, goddess of protection darkness, mistress of the dark deep within.
Xiola Umbar is the weakest of our gods. The most inferior and helpless entities 
seek refuge in her. But she has healing powers that can help even the mightiest 
Zorak Zoran berserk, and which we all value. She is precious to us.
Zorak Zoran, war god
Zorak Zoran is the strongest of our gods. Only the mightiest warriors worship 
him and can survive the battle frenzy he grants. But, though he kills chaos and 
our enemies, he also sometimes kills trolls. He is dangerous to both us and our 
foes.


See also:
Pantheons of Glorantha: The Troll Pantheon
Introduction to Glorantha: The Elder Races
A Personal View of Troll Culture
Cult of Kyger Litor
Cult of Zorak Zoran
Cult of Xiola Umbar
Cult of Argan Argar


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