From: Nick Brooke (Nick_Brooke@compuserve.com)
Date: Mon 22 Dec 1997 - 10:52:18 EET
_____ ______
Danny "newbie" Bourne asks:
> Just who are the Black Fang & what do they do? (My take was that
> they are the 'unofficial' law enforcement arm of the Pavis cult).
More like the Mafia. They're a Family-led criminal organisation =
that carves up the Pavic underworld between themselves, and also =
carves up anyone who they take a dislike to. Strictly based in Pavis =
and the Rubble -- they aren't a world-wide conspiracy, though they =
may have informal links to related "enterprises" in other cities =
and lands. Conspiracy theorists could use Black Fang as an "unoffi-
cial" arm of the Pavis Cult, but this is unlikely; more likely, your
informant knows about the strong (and illegal) ties between some =
current Daughters of Pavis and the Black Fang Cult. Politics can be =
A Lunar secret policeman, apparently human. He's presumably illumi-
nated and initiated into a bunch of nasty cults, including the likes
of Krarsht, Black Fang (?), Danfive Xaron (!), the Blue and/or Secret
Moons (?!), you name 'em. Jim Chapin did some good stories from his
cynical, world-weary POV ("It Isn't Easy Being Grim"), a while back.
Of course, I like to imagine he's a harmless bureaucratic pen-pusher, =
and all the rest is rumour to build him up as a feared opponent... =
but his appearance in Argrath's Saga may nobble this ploy. Apparently =
his secret informants wear "Moon Masks" so they can't be recognised =
when they're denouncing enemies of the Empire.
____
V.S. signs off,
> I'd like to see some sort of universal lore collection published
> as I've been noting repeatedly.
As I mentioned in my last post, most of the presumptive contents of
such a collection are in the public domain, and you can find out
what you need to know by asking a question.
Example Q: "Is the sky blue?"
A: "Yes (in the daytime, anyway). Lorion did that when he
invaded Heaven. Before that, it was golden."
When you get a difference of opinion, you pick whatever best suits
your campaign.
Example Q: "Is the Lunar Way intrinsically evil?"
A1: "Of course not. It is intrinsically *wonderful*."
A2: "Kill Chaos!"
Here, it's obvious that Answer 1 will add joy and love and peace
to your Gloranthan gaming, while Answer 2 will only result in death,
bloodshed and violence. The choice is clear.
And when you ask a question that doesn't have a definite answer,
once again you can pick what works for your campaign.
Example Q: "Are days longer in summer and shorter in winter?"
A1: "Well, I think so, as it doesn't break the Compromise
for there to be long summer days and winter nights,
and it makes the world more fun, and gives us key days
of the year -- solstices and equinoxes -- that are
important in Real World mythology, so why not eh?
A2: "I've never read anywhere that the length of days
varies, so in my game days are always twelve hours
long. It makes Glorantha more *different* that way."
(Warning: A1 is likely to become the "truth" eventually, but that's
no reason to change your campaign if you prefer A2. And if you're
scared of giving trolls long winter nights to get up to no good, I
can sympathise, you Yelmalion wimp, you!)
Compiling every existing Gloranthan source into one megacompendium,
and ironing out any wrinkles (including minor dating differences,
typos, deliberate uncertainties, rethinks and revisits), ain't some-
thing that's likely to happen. For a start, it couldn't be done
overnight. For seconds, it'd have to be hugely expensive (as once
Chaosium/Issaries reprint every key Glorantha source in one book, =
they're pretty much out of reprints, no?). And for thirds, it's =
pretty much what we're up to here on the Digest, anyway. Some people
come up with new ideas to replace or transcend old, limited concepts;
some come up with neat reconciliations of pre-existing facts; some
come up with gnarly old chestnuts (and new spins thereon). We all do
our best to refer questioners to sources (or gloss them here); when
we think of something original, creative and new, we don't hide our
brilliance beneath a bushel. I'm proud to take credit for the new
ideas I've introduced to Glorantha, and know others feel the same.
(Like the others who pretend my ideas are their own, frex! :-)
A Dragon Pass centred "Encyclopaedia" might be achievable. You'd
look on the world from a known POV (and could give a name-check but
nothing more to weird foreign gods and concepts), but unless it's
done from a tediously mechanical perspective, it's still not going
to include e.g. simple cultural analogies ("Sartarites: use Celtic =
Norsemen"; "Grazers: use Scythian Injuns"). For a start, there are
none (this is Glorantha, not the RW -- if you want a Viking game,
play Vikings). For seconds, it's a lot of work to describe them
accurately, and I don't see anyone wasting the time to put quality
work into a culture just for the sake of an Encyclopaedia entry.
Example: the Wenelians. Time was, they were "stock Orlanthi". I
ran a game taking players through Wenelia, and cooked up their
local mythos and culture -- Monomyth-based and Orlanthi/Hsunchen
in flavour, I assure you! -- and now, obviously, prefer this to
having *yet another* "stock Orlanthi" tribe (in woads'n'plaids)
throughout the forests of Maniria. But part of the fun of doing
this is that, from an Encyclopaedist's perspective, they *are*
"just average Orlanthi". It's only when you get there on the
ground and encounter worshippers of wild Vorlan Storm-Father;
and Wendel, child of the Lightning-Struck Oak, crazed bringer of
divine revelations in the Darkness; and the mysterious Oak Woman
of the deeper forests (and her sinister Council of Trees); and
the furious Boar, defender of the wild against all who would
profane it... well, if you're a dullard, you'd say "Orlanth, a
local ancestor, an Aldrya/Ernalda hybrid, and a local variant
of the Storm Bull". But if you're there when Greymane summons
his Lion Clan warriors to sniff out his opponents, and the Wild
Hunt begins to lash the treetops, and there's ozone in the air,
and the Dead are starting to stir beneath the trees... well, you
kinda wish you hadn't in believed the Monomyth quite so much.
Just my way of having fun... :-)
::::
Nick
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