From: James Frusetta (gerakkag@wam.umd.edu)
Date: Mon 16 Dec 1996 - 04:22:28 EET
ARNOLD@XRAY.BMC.UU.SE (Arnold Andersson; BMC; SLU; Sweden)t writes:
> I have a question regarding how a Chalana Arroy Priest would
> react to being killed (assuming that she gets resurrected ASAP).
>
> She could start lecturing the killer on how wrong his deed was,
> how to live his life the right way etc. Aka, trying to convert
> him to a new lifestyle, or she could put the killer below the
> slug on the healing priority list.
>
Who killed her? There are many possibilities... <g>
If it was a harmless beast of nature (eg, a bear), she might well leave
it to frolic in the wild; if wounded, she might have others help her to
find it and heal it ("Sniff! That poor bear is ill, and needs our help!"
"It's a rabid grizzly. And you're asking us to hold it down while you try
to treat it? Uh-huh.")
If it was a chaos critter, she might drop "innocent" little hints in the
local Orlanth or Stormbull temple. "Gee, you know, I wonder if that Broo
that killed me last week is still around...." It's those sword-weilding
goons' job to go about slaying the Chaos folk, of course.
If it was a Lightbringer, let the gods sort it out. "Say, wonder what all
these spirits of Retribution are here for. Oh, yeah, I killed that CA
priest." <g>
If it was a Human cultist of other deriviation, would depend on the cult.
Court might be a good recourse; I'd think the local healing temple would
be one of the _most_ important temples to secular/religious leaders. So
when the poor waif of a CA priest accuses some blood-splattered Humakti of
killing her... (which, yes, I've seen happen. Accidental resurrection).
If it was a troll (trolls, I believe, are not bound by this "don't kill CA
priests" business) then it'll probably get sorted out by someone else.
Either your local Uz matriarch will bash the offender ("Stupid! Don't piss
off the humans! Stick to killing the sun worshippers!") and offer
contrition -- because there's little good to be made of alienating CA --
or, if the CAer was killed because she was in Bad Company (eg, helping out
Troll Haters), the local Troll Haters Assocation (HTA) will seek out
vengeance.
If it was, er, a fumble (which I've seen happen twice) I'd think the
CA priest would request proper contrition. Perhaps devoting time to
learning healing skills, a donation to the temple, a future request to
spare an enemy's life/lives, or many, many bedpans to be emptied.
A hyper-orthodox Chalana Arroy, IMO, would forgo all these methods for
either: A) leaving whatever killed them in peace, or B) attempting to
convert said killer. But such hyper-orthodox CA priests wouldn't be
likely to adventure, would they? "Hey, we need some healing before we
slaughter our enemies." Hmmmm <g>. I'd think they'd dislike violence
enough to refused to accompany groups which would likely seek out combat,
which includes many PC groups. (Not always true -- we had an orthodox CA
character in a campaign once, and _man_ was she a pain in my Stormbull
butt. "Don't kill the helpless Broo," "don't kill the innocent Lunar,"
"are you _sure_ you sensed chaos?," "stop your nasty Zorak Zoran friends
from eating those elves alive," etc. Sheesh.) A chance for some fun
roleplaying between the various factions.
Any CA flexible enough to deal with death, violence and bloodshed should
be flexible enough to deal with being killed.
****
MOB brings up the topic of Gloranthan drugs...
... for Trolls, how about salt? Mostali are supposed to be euphoric
because the rock stomach has an easier time digesting it. I'd think that
salt would go down the same passage -- if you eat a couple chunks of salt,
you might get the same sensation. (After all, orange rainbow delight is
salty, eh?). Be interesting, BTW, as an area of cultural divergence,
because uz should be aghast humans waste all that salt on preserving food,
and vice versa. If salt's rare in Prax (?), then it makes for an
interesting interspecies trade/treasure item.
A typical troll usage might be....:
SOKAL'S SLUSHY -- TROLL STRONGHOLDS
This vile if harmless troll drink is a slushy mix of salt and water.
Different trolls prefer different ratios of water to salt, but generally
1:1 is standard. Popular as an after-dinner drink, as a sedative ("Mom!
I can't sleep! Can I have a drink of warm salty water?") and to accompany
Mostali cuisine. (Or, rather, Mostali _as_ cuisine.) Large mugs are the
preferred dosage.
Some trolls will drink seawater as well, and seawater from different
parts of the coastline are compared in terms of saline content and taste.
The high expense of carrying seawater to inland troll strongholds is
prohibitive, however, as Sokal's Slushy is preferred.
- ------
I recall they note in Trollpak that trolls get "high" by distorting
perceptions -- Skullbuster weakens hearing and sight (I think...). So you
could have a range of drugs which effect one or the other senses. One such
being...
GASH'S AGONY -- TROLL STRONGHOLDS
Gash's agony is a nondescript shrub found in temperate hillsides
throughout Glorantha. The leaves of the bush, when burned and inhaled
through the nose, dulls and limits the darksense sensitivity of a troll.
This "warping" of reality can create phantom sonar images, limit range to
very short distances, and even (in some cases) increase range and
"clarity." The effect is generally consistent for the ruser.
Once a troll has experienced the effect of the drug, future use depends on
individual effect. Some trolls enjoy the weird effects of sonar; some find
pleasure in "avoiding" the world; and some use the drug to heighten their
senses. Note, however, that excessive use will gradually begin to
deteriorate a troll's ability to control darksense; some trolls may find
the drug addictive, others may not. As such, some concerned troll leaders
will frown on its use by warriors, or even its use in general, as harmful.
Uzuz do _not_ receive pleasure from the drug; their sense of sonar is so
refined that the warping of the drug causes intense pain. Gash
was the first troll to feel its effect, while using Conversely, Enlo
receive less pleasure than would an Uzko or Uzdo. Ergo, most uzuz will ban
the drug from their presence (or, in some cases, everywhere in their
power. Romal generally refuse to use the drug. As the climate conditions
are wrong, uzhim and muri rarely have it available, and uztagor dislike it
nearly as much as uzuz.
Occasionally shamans will use the drug in rituals and some trollish
artists swear by its effects, but addicts are usually objects of contempt
and pity, harbored in the Xiola Umbar temples. Price is usually variable,
but most trolls if so inclined can find sufficient leaf to supply their
habit.
- --
This has various interesting applications. A party of PCs I GM'ed once
bought a bunch, to conduct a "raid on trolls." Figured they'd burn it
outside the tunnel in question, and let the smoke waft in. The
seller said it dulled the troll's ability to "see in the dark."
Unforunately, since it had unpredictable effects, the result was chaos
with a small "c"... the only thing more fun than Zorak Zorani are
hopped-up Zorak Zorani swinging at hallucinations. ("Hey! It's the Crimson
bat! Crimson bats, everywhere! Aaaaa! Look out, behind you!" <whack,
whack, whack>.... ) <g>
==========================================================================
James Frusetta gerakkag@wam.umd.edu
Department of History University of Maryland, College Park
http://www.wam.umd.edu/~gerakkag
==========================================================================
------------------------------
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