[Glorantha] Mating on the Heroplane (from "Helering Bodies")

In message <20060111140002.2978.qmail@diablo.albionsoft.com> tim_at_timellis.demon.co.uk writes:

>Isn't this (not the male host part) pretty much the method Cragspider
>uses to attempt to break the trollkin curse that gives rise to the Great
>Trolls?

Probably but we can't assume that what works for Trolls will work for Humans. And we've got a female body for the child to develop a physical body in.

>Great Trolls, IIRC are always male, I don't recall if they are also
>sterile, or if they can father children (and if so whether they always
>father more Great Trolls or are subject to the Trollkin Curse
>themselves...). If you want a challenge, how about a Great Troll who
>wants to use this ritual to become a "mother"...

Do great trolls have enough intelligence and magical ability to undertake HQs? They aren't accepted in most cults above the lowest levels. According to Unspoken Word's Uz book they are mostly male, about half sterile and those who aren't usually father Uzko and Enlo. Of course I doubt there are many Uzko females who want an Uzdo for the father of their children.

>Since this thread started out talking about Helerings and swapping
>sexes, maybe this is the solution for the putative male questor, use
>your Helering magic to ensure you exit the quest as a female, and
>thus capable of carrying the child to term. (then a gain if it is
>a male questor who is becoming impregnated, who or what is the father?
>The only thing I know of capable of impregnating males is a Broo, and
>I'm not sure you'd consider that as much of a "reward"

If Helerings could HQ to physically change their sex there wouldn't be a problem. I've not seen anything which suggests they can. I can see them adopting an opposite sex role on the heroplane which would allow a male who had done so to be impregnated by pretty much any other fertile male. That assumes that the role change is sufficent to include female fertility which I'm not sure it does.

-- 
Donald Oddy
http://www.grove.demon.co.uk/