Orlanth

Orlanth (fighting the dragon Aroka), as depicted in *Ride Like The Wind.*

Orlanth is the chief god of the Rams, and father to their founding hero, Vingkot. Orlanth is the son of the old storm god, Umath, whose slaying at the hands of the Shargash, the Demon Sun, prompted Orlanth to kill Shargash's own father, Emperor Yelm, the head of the solar pantheon, as vengeance. This ushered in the Storm Age, wherein the the rest of the solar gods fought for Yelm's vacant throne in the War of Many Suns, leaving the storm gods to rise to primacy. As a result, worshippers of the sun gods despise Orlanth and call him "the Rebel".

Orlanth's wife is Ernalda, the primary earth goddess worshipped by the Rams. Vadrus, Yinkin, and Urox are his brothers. He also counts Humakt and Ragnaglar as former brothers. Besides Vingkot, Orlanth is also the father of Voriof.

Orlanth is most known as the Storm God, but is sometimes called the god of freedom. However, as some may point out, this does not prevent his worshippers from keeping or trading in slaves.

## Ride Like the Wind

### Lore

In *Ride Like the Wind*, your clan circle has the following to say about Orlanth:

* "Orlanth brought disharmony to the Sky Court. Literally—he played some sort of flatulent horn."
* "I have heard that their god Orlanth is told what to do by his wife. Ridiculous!"
* "Yelm’s son Shargash slew Umath. Umath’s son Orlanth murdered Yelm."
* "When Orlanth murdered the sun, it is doubtful he had plans to take over the heavens. But he surely harbors them now."
* "When Orlanth murdered Yelm, he not only robbed the world of his light, but his warmth."

### Myths & Rituals

Orlanth appears in the following rituals:

* A fight against a sea dragon
* A fight against invading trolls

Although your clan cannot participate in *Ride Like the Wind*, your Ram neighbors may perform a ritual called "The Wooing of Ernalda", in which Orlanth courts his future wife.

## Lights Going Out

Since *Ride Like the Wind*, your clan has become the royal clan of the Berenethtelli tribe of Rams, and have adopted Orlanth-worship. By the time of *Lights Going Out*, Orlanth is largely considered dead, unresponsive to his worshippers at least as far back as the reign of Brolarulf.

### Worship

In *Six Ages 2: Lights Going Out,* you can have either a temple or a shrine to Orlanth. The Magic Screen indicates that, were he still alive, you could have built him a great temple—but since Orlanth is dead, you can only decide whether to maintain or reduce the temple that existed at the start of Brolarulf's reign.

His blessings are inaccessible in play, but are listed as:

* Lightning: Deals out more wounds in battle
* Rain: Helps raise our crops
* Thunderstone: Improves the effectiveness of the skirmishers
* Woad: Reduces deaths and wounds among the farmers

(Incidentally, these are the same blessings Orlanth offered in *King of Dragon Pass*.)

### On the Ring

    Having a worshipper of Orlanth on the clan ring allows you to put more magic into Harmony at Sacred Time.

### Lore

Since joining your pantheon of gods, you clan ring has the following to say of Orlanth in *Lights Going Out*:

* "We don't know exactly how Orlanth died, but since he was the most powerful air god, it's not surprising that the air is no longer good."
* "Has anyone found the bronze bones of Orlanth? No, because he has not died."
* "Even if Orlanth is dead, many wind spirits still live."
* "Orlanth is dead. If we destroy our temple to save theirs, we will never be able to rebuild it."
* "Orlanth died seeking Yelm."
* "With Orlanth dead, his kingdoms fight one another."
* "Orlanth's arrival in hell unleashed the talokans."
* "Orlanth decreed wergild. Lhankor Mhy, his lawspeaker, remembered what he had said."
* "In the stories, Eurmal transgresses, and Orlanth assers command."
* "The world suffers without Orlanth's vital force."
* "Orlanth sent Nontraya to the Underworld. But he didn't stay there."
* "Orlanth's magic helps us rule our tribe."
* "Before his demise, Orlanth granted thunderstones as war blessings."
* "When Beren married Renalda, Orlanth and Ernalda joined Elmal as our main deities."
* "Ernalda helped Orlanth make the first tribe. We are stronger together, and the tribe is stronger still with a king."
* "Everyone told Orlanth not to duel the Emperor, but if he hadn't, who would he have been?"
* "When Orlanth slew the haughty Bright Emperor, many smaller suns stepped up to claim his throne."
* "When Orlanth saw Yelm's cows he said, 'I will not be king until I have this many.'"
* "Orlanth routinely judged against his own kin."
* "Orlanth wooed Ernalda, but really Ernalda was testing him. Then they said the first marriage voews together."
* "One story says that Orlanth became Voriof in order to impregnate Nevala, who birthed the first sheep."
* "We lent aid to Orlanth as he rescued the sky god Dayzatar from Tyram's grip."
* "Orlanth saw that Ernalda was the best woman, and so took her from the haughty Emperor."
* "To guard his citadel, Orlanth trusted Elmal over his unruly brother Urox."
* "Orlanth asked Elmal to set him aflame, so he could die and come back."
* "Orlanth said to Elmal, 'Place me on your pyre, that I might fight in another form.'"

### Myths & Rituals

In *Lights Going Out*, though you now worship Orlanth as one of your main gods, you still cannot perform any of his rituals, on account on him being dead. However, over the course of the game, it is possible to perform a special ritual to visit his wedding to Ernalda in the Gods War.

Also, his rescue of Ernalda is mentioned in the myth Ages of Glorantha.

Orlanth's relation to the Chaos gods, including his brother Ragnaglar, is told in the myth Unholy Trio.

His slaying of Yelm is told in a number of myths, inclusing the aforementioned Ages of Glorantha, as well as How Horses Came to Orlanthstead and Humakt Divides Life from Death.

## Other Stories

Orlanth is prominent in other tales of Glorantha:

* Orlanth on the King of Dragon Pass wiki
* Orlanth on the Glorantha wiki

## Images

Orlanth battles the dragon ArokaOrlanth prepares to fight a Chaos monster.Orlanth fights a different Chaos monster.Orlanth confronts the heroes Beren the Tall and Redalda.Beren and Redalda seek a reward from Orlanth.Orlanth makes peace with Elmal.The final screen of the game, showing Orlanth and Elmal in the sky above the Black Eel Valley.Berenethtelli in Brolarulf's time sacrifice to a silent Orlanth.The marriage between Orlanth and Ernalda.Orlanth on Berenstead's wall, to the right of the gate to the hillfort.