[Glorantha] Gods, Actions, Emotions, Compromises and Absolutes.

> I believe, though, that under the new game system [Kyger Litor]
> isn't necessarily a god.

Really?! Where did *that* come from? It's news to me!

The issue about gods' ***absolute*** inability to change since time began does puzzle me in places though, and there was a question I had resulting from Greg's and Peter's pretty unequivocal replies to my previous question about Waha's worship.

On change: some gods, including Nysalor/Gbaji were born within time, no? Others remained active, and therefore changing, since time began - Waha would be a pretty good example of this, as he withdrew from the world only after the founding of Pavis. Was it his act of retreat from the mortal world that sealed him into the compromise or was he affected by it before then? Same goes for a few others, notably the Red Goddess. Is she now considered active? Inactive? Is she now bound by the Compromise in any meaningful way? Because I always thought that her very existence was a form of violation of it.

Then of course there was the Sunstop incident, which actually was a card carrying breach of the Compromise, proving - I'd have thought - both that it can be done, and that consequences would result if it did. (Though I never got the impression that Yelm stopped of his own volition, but that it was a by-product of the momentous events surrounding the birth of Nysalor - all of which were instigated by mortals).

The question that occurred to me after the replies on Waha was about the ability of deities to feel emotion. Waha is neither happy nor sad about worship received. OK, understood. What of other emotions and causes? Gods who hate chaos hate chaos, but that is a part of their nature, and not an ephemeral change from one moment to the next. Still fine. But what of - say - Orlanth. He is being directly challenged by the Lunars and their goddess, in ways that could marginalise, enslave, cripple, maybe even destroy him. Is he incapable of any emotional response to this, even granting that he cannot physically act, save by the action and volition of his followers?

I'm not actually trying to disprove anyone here, or even catch them out, I just want to understand!

Cheers -

Malk.   Received on Mon 23 Jan 2006 - 14:59:50 EET