From: Chris Bell (remster@ns1.interport.net)
Date: Thu 18 Sep 1997 - 02:23:14 EEST
In Carl Fink's post on Rape and becoming a Broo, he expresses distate that
not becoming a Broo due to either lack of belief in the process or
locality the rapist is in. Hugh McVicker raises a related point that if
rape will lead to either a chaos taint or involuntary initiation into the
Thed Cult, do acts that fall under the aegis of other deities lead to
involuntary initiation into other cults?
In response to the first issue, I for one think it depends on the
influence of local deities and pantheons. Regardless of how one feels in
regards to the whole Sobjectivist issue, it's plaion and clear that in
differing regions of Glorantha, different pantheons rule and have sway.
In Seshnela, one or more of the Saints may curse the maldoer with some
sort of brand, or the servants of the Invisible God may put some mark on
the rapist that will bring forth attention so that mortal authorities can
put matters right. The transformation to Broo seems to me that it would
take place across a large part of Genertela, as Thed, under a wide variety
of different names, is regarded as the Goddess or Broos and rape.
As to the question of 'involuntary initiation' (as brought up by Hugh
McVicker), it seems in order to join a rune cult there must be an act of
free will involved, as provided under the compromise. According to the
Central Genertelan/Theist point of view, The Compromise provides that the
Gods may not interfere with the free will of humans, so that the Issaries
who is a skilled swordsman will not automatically forced to worhsip
Humakt. The transformation from Human to Broo seems more similar to
Maliant involuntary initiation... 'involuntary', IMO, is really a bad
term, since the person who becomes an initiate of Malia due to disease
spirit possession or the like chooses of their own free will to become one
of Malia's serious worshipper's, usually to save his or her life from
disease, just as the rapist knows full well of what he is doing when he
violates someone else.
In the case of more benign Gods, several sources (CoP, etc.) establish
that worship of the Gods began in the Godtime, in the Greater Darkness
(again, according to the Central Genertelan/Deist point of view.) These
methods of contacting the Gods were set forth as part of the Compromise,
so it goes that anyone who follows the ancient rites can worship the Gods
and contact them for their Rune powers. The temple heirarchies provide
easier access to the powers of the Gods, but some one who has a problem
with old grizzard the high priest due to political problems can go to a
far off holy site, or just may travel to a shrine and as an initiate keep
sacrificing for those 'Worship <whoever>' spells and conduct worhsip on
their own. This is the exact case with the Lunar Aerollian church, which
is devout to the Red Goddess but opposes the current Lunar political
heirarchy and worships on their own. Can a person who is just a lay
worshipper become an Initiate, and then an Acolyte/Priest on their own?
That depends on whether or not you, as GM, believe that the Gods have an
independent nature. IMO, if the god wills it, then that person should be
able to become an Initiate and then a full Priest, perhaps after much
Questing (this seems to be again, the exact case with the Red Goddess.)
You may even have to resurrect the God or Goddess you want to worship! If
you are an Acolyte, then it should be no trouble setting up you're own
sect.
Another thing which keeps worshippers in their places, and leads to less
corrupt clergy than in our RW, is the Gods themselves. Don't obey Cult
Strictures, and you get zapped by Spirits of Reprisal, and perhaps
Excommunicated. Remember, the god who you're initiated to knows all about
you, so if you blow your cult strictures, the Big O will boot you out, for
example.
In the case of the Orlanthi who also has strong Humakti traits, he or she
would not become an 'involuntary initiate' of Humakt, but I think that the
person would find joining the Humakt cult all the more easy. And most of
Humakt's virtues are not opposed to Orlanth's, so as long as the person
could balance the responsibilities of both cults, they'd be fine.
Chris Bell
remster@interport.net
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