Beren the Tall is a Rider hero who is descended from the sun-god Elmal through his son, Verlaro.
As a boy, he becomes close to Beren the Swift, another young hero from a nearby Rider clan. He later falls madly in love with the Ram priestess Redalda, who he and his friend both wish to marry.
Ride Like the Wind[]
Beren is a set character that always appears in a game of Ride Like the Wind.
Skills & Religion[]
Beren will always worship Elmal, your chief god. His skills can be damaged and improved in the same way as any other leader's, but he seems to always start out with the following, regardless of what choices you make before he is of age:
- Combat: Excellent
- Diplomacy: Excellent
- Food: Good
- Leadership: Very Good
- Lore: Good
- Magic: Good
He is a required quester for the following rituals:
- A fight against a sea dragon
- A fight against invading trolls
- A threat to crops and forests
- Rivalry between warlords
These rituals test him in Combat, Magic, and Diplomacy. Some also test Strategy (likely Combat + Leadership), WedCultures (likely Diplomacy + Lore), Mythology (likely Lore + Magic) and Hunting (Combat + Food). Investing magic in particular areas (especially War, Ritual, and Diplomacy) at Sacred Time can also help his chances of success. Some of his actions will also be boosted if Yelm was your clan's first god.
A fight against a sea dragon has multiple stages that Beren must handle without Redalda's help, and Rivalry between warlords has one such stage. In the other two rituals, you can have Redalda handle things if Beren's skills are poor.
Events[]
Beren appears or is mentioned in the following events:
- Beren Born
- Two Berens
- Golden Mirror Discovery
- Beren Marriage Petition
- Beren Second Marriage Petition
- Beren Blinded
- Redalda Proposal
- Beren Rejection
- Wedding of Beren the Swift
- Wedding Preparations
- Wedding Crashers
- Wedding Ritual
- Beren's Murder
- Requiem for Beren
He can also appear in
- Borrowing A Hero (although it can star Yatakan instead, if Beren is not available).
Foreshadowing[]
Even before he's born, his power of his potential destiny may be foreshadowed as follows:
| “ | The <Family> bloodline is expecting a new arrival. Henmul's wife Nerya is pregnant with their first child. The <Family>s have always claimed descent of their main male line from Verlaro, son of Elmal. Many portents attend this pregnancy. Nerya dreamt of talking with the stars. The woman's tent vibrates when she enters it. And an eagle told us what his name should be, and that, yes, it is a boy. | ” |
The event Beren Born will happen the following year.
This culminates some 19 or so years later, when Beren becomes accomplished enough to become one of your notables:
| “ | Beren, son of Henmul and Nerya, has grown into a fine young man, strong and better-spoken than his years would suggest. His every action shows that he is indeed descended from Elmal, through Elmal's son Verlaro. | ” |
Lights Going Out[]
By the time of Lights Going Out, Beren has long since passed on and entered the world of myth as King Beren, the legendary founder of the Berenethtelli: the tribe formed by the fusion of his Rider clan with the Rams of the Black Eel valley. Even into the Chaos Age, Beren's descendants still nominally rule the tribe from Berenstead, a mighty fortress bearing his name. It is said he rode a legendary steed called Charandar, which was killed by Chaos creatures.
Though your clan, naturally, has a special connection to Beren, you are not the only ones related to him. Throughout the game, you may hear the following rumor:
| “ | The <Rider> clan reports that they were visited by Beren. Supposedly he had kin among them, which I guess is possible since he was born a Rider. The <Rider clan> received his blessings before he returned to the realm of the gods. | ” |
Events[]
Though he has long since passed on, with the deteriorating state of the world, the line between the living and the dead is breaking down, and it is possible for Beren to visit his descendants, your clan, in the following events:
Lore[]
Your clan ring may say the following of their legendary founder:
- "Beren was the first king."
- "It took great heroism for Beren to go from chieftain to king."
- "Beren and Redalda are our greatest ancestors."
- "What Beren touched, we preserved."
- "It’s still strange to think of calling on Beren as if he were a god! Though I suppose some of our Rider neighbors did call on his ancestor Verlaro, and Beren’s much more impressive than him."
Myths & Rituals[]
The mythic retelling of his and Redalda's deeds are told in the myth How Horses Came to Orlanthstead.
Though not a god, he is considered the most illustrious ancestor of his people and is sometimes called upon by them, much the same that some Rider clans call on his ancestor, Verlaro. He can be contacted by your clan by traveling through a tear into the Gods War on the map, see Other Side: Beren's Court for the event kickstarting his audience in the Otherworld.
Other Stories[]
For more information on how Beren—or perhaps his friend Swift—may be remembered by later Gloranthans, see Beren on the Glorantha wiki... but maybe wait until you've won the game before checking!
Images[]
Concept Art[]
