Elmal

Elmal, known as the Sun Chieftain, the Guardian Sun, the Loyal Sun, among others, is one of the many sons of former Emperor Yelm, the dead Sun; his brothers include Shargash, Yamsur, Relandar, Little Yelm, and, maybe, Yelmalio. Elmal became the head of the solar pantheon following his father's death. He was married to Nivorah before she died, and afterwards married Nyalda, the Earth Queen. He is the father of many, including Reladivus, with Nivorah, Samnal, Osara, Verlaro, Zarlen, with the Wheel Witch, and Inilla, with Nyalda. His foes include the Chaos god Teghern, who he vanquished in the distant past, the Storm Pantheon—particularly his father's killer, Orlanth—and the Darkness gods worshipped by the trolls. Both the Riders and their rivals, the Wheels, consider Elmal to be their principal deity.

Worship[]

Ride Like the Wind[]

You can build a shrine, temple, or Great Temple to Elmal. He is the only god that you can build a Great Temple to in Ride Like The Wind. If you build a temple or great temple (not merely a shrine) to Elmal in Ride Like the Wind, you may see the event Elmal Temple Request.

Elmal can provide the following blessings:

Flaming Lance: Doubles the effectiveness of our elite warriors.
Protection: Reduces wounds in battle.
Morale: Improves the confidence of our warriors during battle.
Steadfast: Improves our chances while defending.

If you chose the Battle of Akashar during clan creation, your leaders will have extra skill in Combat, Elmal's ritual will be easier, and you will start knowing his Protection blessing. If you chose Yelm as the main god your clan worshiped in the Golden Age, you will start with a shrine to Elmal and know Steadfast.

The treasure Helm of Elmal grants a divine blessing to worshipers of Elmal. Similarly, the Sky God Bone treasure bolsters the fortunes of both Elmal and Osara devotees. Possession of this treasure will eventually trigger the event Elmal Visits, which is necessary to earn the Vision achievement. Other treasures associated with Elmal are Elmal's Battle Standard, which aids your battle leaders in duels; the Emblem of Elmal, a holy emblem which, when sewn into the story tent, improves mood when your leaders win a duel; and Elmal's Torch, which aids actions undertaken by Elmal devotees.

Lights Going Out[]

As in Ride Like the Wind, you can build a shrine, temple, or great temple to Elmal in Lights Going Out.

In Lights Going Out, Elmal offers a slightly different list of blessings:

Horsefriend: Prolongs the life of our horses.
Protection: Reduces wounds in battle.
Shield: Reduces deaths and wounds among our Swords.
Steadfast: Improves our chances while defending.

Morale is now offered by Humakt instead, whose Truesword is also equivalent to Flaming Lance. Elmal offered the Horsefriend, Shield, and Steadfast blessings in King of Dragon Pass as well. In addition to these blessings, the Decade Rite event (occurring every ten years) will allow you to choose a special blessing from Elmal, which will protect your people, herds, horses, or reputation.

The clan creation choices have slightly different results in Lights Going Out than in the previous game. If you choose for your ancestors to have supported Elmal in the Battle of Akashar, your leaders will still have extra skill in Combat, but your ancestors' Famous Event blessing also makes your leaders' Combat skill increase faster. Choosing for Yelm to be your Golden Age main god will now let you start with a temple to Elmal. Importing a save from Ride Like the Wind to Lights Going Out will carry over your previous choices.

All of Elmal's treasures from Ride Like the Wind, other than the Sky God Bone and the Emblem of Elmal, return in Lights Going Out.

On the Circle[]

A worshiper of Elmal on the clan circle allows you to put more magic into War during Sacred Time.

Elmali are often good (and certainly traditional!) choices for clan chieftain. They may even argue that "This clan needs a worshiper of Elmal to lead it." All of the Berenethtelli kings, including Iverlantho, Venef, and Erenlanth, are devotees of Elmal, and your clan in Lights Going Out, depending on its factional politics, may expect them to be on the ring.

All members of Elmal's cult are male and, in the noble selection screens, are marked with the Fire rune.

As Nobles[]

Elmal's worshipers tend to be strong in Combat and Leadership, making them good chiefs and war leaders.

Lore[]

Ride Like the Wind[]

As you might expect, your advisors have much to say about the chieftain of their pantheon:

"Elmal is the patron of defenses and guardians."
"Elmal fights to restore what was lost when Yelm fell, but despite his fire the world grows ever colder."
"When Yelm fell from the sky, Elmal took his place on the Sunpath."
"Elmal taught us to feast together. Gamari gave us her milk, and Hyalor showed us how to ferment it."
"Nyalda married Elmal, gaining protection and granting him greatness."
"Nyalda gives calm and purpose to blazing Elmal."
"When Elmal showed Nyalda Earth Mother how to protect herself from pounding hail, she left her useless husbands and married him."
"In Elmal, Nyalda found a guardian who would fight to protect her."
"Since the death of Yelm, Elmal illuminates the day. But there is now a night sky, where his star captains reign."
"Elmal used hawks to speak to Hyalor, when the two were apart."
"The watchful hawk helps Elmal see faraway threats."
"Elmal showed his love for his daughter Osara by showing her how to cleave off the heads of bandits."
"Elmal trained both his son and daughter by taking them out to suppress bandits."
"When Elmal gave Osara and Zarlen their belts, he said, ‘Do not let the Storm Gang take them from you.’"
"When Elmal seized a piece of bronze that once was a piece of the murder god's father, his retinue said he should present it to the Emperor."
"Relandar said, ‘It does not matter if they laugh at us.’ Elmal said, ‘You should have said that before I struck their heads off.’"
"Elmal told Zenangar, ‘When you are right, argue the point. When you are wrong, throw a feast.’"
"When Elmal blinded trolls with his brightness, they sent a curse of locusts in revenge."
"Elmal said, 'To steal a horse under the sun’s gaze is glorious. To steal one under cover of night is lowly.'"
"Elmal says, 'My arrows pierce the enemies of the 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.'"
"As creatures of the sky, birds owe fealty to Elmal."
"When the evil god Orlanth slew the sun, Elmal vowed vengeance."
"Elves encased Elmal in the murder tree. 'Wood burns,' he said, lighting an arrow."
"Elmal fought Orlanth three times. Each time his shield stayed steadfast against the Murder God’s thunderbolts."
"Elmal and Orlanth never will be friends."
"When Elmal seized a piece of bronze that once was part of the murder god’s father, his retinue said he should present it to the Emperor."
"Even in the Golden City few beheld Elmal himself."
"By Elmal’s fiery beard, I have ruled on this matter, and it is settled!"
"Elmal made the first whooping run, and the Golden Princes quaked, and gave his clan the gold they owed him."
"Enemy dogs followed Elmal at the Battle of Cresting Wind. That day they learned that arrows could bear the gift of flame."
"Trust in Elmal, god of war."
"The times grow ever worse, and Elmal grows ever more steadfast."
"The Vingkot Gang came across the ridge, laughing. Elmal's flame leapt to his arrowheads."
"When Yelm died, Busenari could not find her barn. Then Elmal's light showed her the way."
"Trolls came and stole the Cow Mother. Elmal found her before they could eat her, and they said, 'She was wandering, and we gave her shelter.'"

Lights Going Out[]

With the wedding of Beren, one of Elmal's mortal descendants, and Redalda, a daughter of Vingkot Orlanthsson, at the end of Ride Like the Wind, Elmal and Orlanth have made peace with one another. With Orlanth's death during the game's prologue, Elmal took up the task of guarding Orlanth's divine home, Orlanthstead.

Though your clan has fully become Rams by the time of Lights Going Out, they still worship Elmal. Having formed the Berenethtelli tribe out of the Rams in the Black Eel valley, your clan has spread Elmal's worship to some of the neighbouring Ram clans as well. Elmal is the patron god of the Berenethtelli kings, who belong to your clan. As such, your clan ring has quite a few things to say about Elmal:

"Hyalor, guardian hero of early Riders, taught them that kings were unnecessary. To have an Elmali king, we had to become Rams."
"Elmal was our god long before we accepted Orlanth."
"When Beren married Redalda, Orlanth and Ernalda joined Elmal as our main deities."
"Elmal honors the royal clan, as he does no other."
"When the sun god asks you to do something, you do it."
"My father earned the nickname "the Sun" by incarnating Elmal, but every attempt at 'Elmal the Vigiliant' since his has failed."
"Some call Yelmalio Sun-Spear a brother of Elmal. Others call him a False Sun."
"When Elmal confronted the Golden Men, they were called the Small Suns."
"Elmal fought the Teller of Lies, and though he was grievously wounded, was never killed. I am merely human, but I can still channel Elmal's power."
"When his father fell from the sky, Elmal sheltered us in his light, becoming the god of survival."
"Heler is to the Water Tribe as Elmal is to Fire."
"When it gets darkest, remember Elmal's light."
"Elmal might give us the traditional gift attending a royal birth—cows."
"It is Emal who defends us, not the undead."
"Elmal can always be found staunchly guarding Orlanth's citadel."
"Elmal guards Orlanth's stead while he sleeps in the underworld."
"When he pledged to protect Orlanthstead, Elmal brought a horse as a gift."
"Elmal owned horses and cows but above all is the defender."
"Elmal slew Teghern before joining the Storm Tribe. Yet in the Gods War all events happen at once, so here it is, before us now."
"Elmal will be the last of our gods to die. Will it be Teghern who slays him?"
"The stories we tell, including the battle between Elmal and Teghern, are a human way of imposing order on jumbled cosmic events."
"When Ernalda died, Elmal found seeds she left behind. 'Put these in all her temples,' he said."
"This is why Redalda brought Elmal and his children into the Storm Court."
"Elmal welcomed shamans into his fortress, saying that all were needed to defend it."

Myths & Rituals[]

Ride Like the Wind[]

Elmal's main myth is Elmal Guards the Sunpath, which is the basis for his ritual, Elmal Path Guardian.

He also appears in:

Lights Going Out[]

Elmal is not the main character of any myths in Lights Going Out, but he makes a brief appearance in his daughter Osara's myth Osara the Warrior. He also has a minor role in the myth How Horses Came to Orlanthstead, including him fighting Zorak Zoran and having to abandon his city after the onset of the glacier.

Though Elmal has no ritual of his own in Lights Going Out, he is one of the deities who can be contacted by traveling to a Gods War portal on the map. See Other Side: Elmal Guards Orlanthstead for the event kick-starting his event-chain in the Gods War, wherein you help him in his protection of Orlanth's divine fortress. You may also encounter him in the Dead World, see the event Dead World: Elmal Guards the Stead.

The game also makes mention of a ritual called "Elmal the Vigiliant" but all attempts have apparently failed since Brolarulf's incarnating of Elmal. It is not possible to attempt it yourself in-game. You may hear of the clan known for their strong magic trying to enact this ritual, but is likely to fail as their hero falls victim to the Braker of Souls, one of Teghern's many titles.