From: Mikko Rintasaari (rintasaa@mail.student.oulu.fi)
Date: Fri 04 Feb 2000 - 16:48:43 EET
: I'm running a campaign set in Sartar, in which each PC is initiated
: into a different Lightbringer cult. Each character has gotten a
: specialized initiation ritual, some of which have been very minor
: hero-quests, while others have been more mundane. Thus the Chalanan had
: to ritually confront death and defeat it with harmony, while the Lankhor
: Mhyte had to go on a ritual search for the Goddess of the Light of
: Reason and overcome the tricks of Tien, and the Eurmali had to get drunk
: and re-enact Eurmal's role in the discovery of death.
: The problem that I'm running into is that I'm having trouble coming
: up with something interesting for the Issaries initiation. I expect
: that it opens with the Spare Grain ritual, but the player is more
: interested in Issaries' role a a scout and traveller, so I've been
: toying around with having her go seeking for something lost (or
: unknown) and have to trade
: things to get what she needs to recover the item.
: Does anyone out there have any suggestions or ideas for this. The
: mythology for Issaries isn't much help, since there aren't many stories
: about Issaries (as was noted on the list just a short while ago).
: Andrew E. Larsen
For several months I've been working on an Issaries character with one of
my players.
In my campaign the year is 1600 AA. The Pharao rules Holy Country and
Sartar has not fallen. I don't believe in following set plotlines, so I
don't know if these things will happen either. Anyway...
Janatan Librum is a young man from a powerful Esrolian trading family. The
family name Librum is an honoric gained from a Malkioni noble, long ago
while trading with the western lands. (I use Latin as a model for the
Malkioni languages... suitably strict and logical)
The family Librum is led by Matriarch Dunlaith Librum, chosen of
Asrelia. Young Janatan's mother is the sister of the Matriarch, and his
father is a "trophy" husband of pure Yelmic blood. Janatan was born on the
high holy day of Orlanth, at the beginning of sacred time.
Janatan was quick of intellect, though a bit stormy in nature. The family
had big plans for him, and he was taught the difficult art of writing at a
young age, and put to be educated at a temple of Issaries in Nochet since
he was twelve.
Janatan proved good at math, and excellent at learning languages. His life
was planned for him. He was to learn the secrets of Garzeem, marry some
money into the family (a bit difficult, him being a boy in Esrolia, but
Dunlaith had plans) and then start running a branch of the family
business.
Unfortunately there was a small problem with the plans.
Matriarch Dunlaith's brother, Hector, had been just such a Garzeem
merchant. He was happily married and prosperous. His wife died tragically
of a sicness though, and he became depressed and brooding. When Janatan
was still very small Hector sold his share of the family trading house,
equipped a caravan, and wentured outside Holy Country - seeking the
restless life of a Goldentongue.
Hector returned eventually, bringing wonderful goods and strange tales,
only to leave again within the season. His stories ignited a flame in
young Janatans heart, and a restlessness that grew with the years.
Janatan's initiatory Guest went strangely. While the other boys and girls
ended up in a primitive godtime village, and learned trading at the foot
of the wise Master (an aspect of Issaries), Janatan went the wrong way,
and run like the wind into the green highlands.
Like the other children Janatan had been allowed to choose some things to
carry with him. And he'd taken a travelling stick, and sandals, as well as
a beautiful golden necklace.
After running for some time in the beautiful highlands Janatan found a
forest, and run inside. He noticed something bounding in the tree branches
and in the bushes alongside him. It was a large, greyish cat that called
itself Yinkin (being an Esrolian Janatan didn't immediately recognice him)
Janatan asked Yinkin if there was something valuable nearby, and Yinkin
showed him a field full of beautiful (and tasty) butterflies. Yinkin had a
good laugh at Janatan trying to leap after the butterflies.
It started to rain, and Yinkin ran into a hole under the roots of a large
tree. Janatan got soaked right through, and set to walking to keep
warm. After a while he decided to just take off his shirt and let the rain
wash him. When he started to feel comfortable there was a giggle near him.
A beautiful windchild maiden was looking curiously at him. The windchild
wasn't getting wet, because there was a whirlwind around her, keeping the
raindrops away.
She flirted with Janatan, trying to get him to give her the pretty
necklace he had around his neck. Janatan was friendly and polite, but
asked for something in return.
The windchild asked if Janatan would like the whirlwind she had, and they
made the exchange. The Windchild left, and the rain ended.
Unfortunately the whirlwind didn't obay Janatan, since he had no idea how
to command it (he asking nicely, and negotiating with it :) ) The
whirlwind stayed close, since the windchild had given it to Janatan.
Janatan spent many frustrating moments with the whirlwind, and was startng
to feel stoopid. He had traded away the only valuable thing he had, and
gotten a something he could not use.
Janatan travelled on, and found a young boy, of maybe 8 years. The young
boy said he was called Morden, and that he was waiting for his father who
was a hauscarl of the Stormrock clan.
Morden liked Janatan's whirlwind, and Janatan asked if he'd want to by it
from him. Morden didn't have anything valuable, but he offered to trade it
for something nevertheless. He asked Janatan to follow.
Morden tracked down a small family of roe deer. Janatan, an urban Nochet
dweller tought that the beasts were quite big, and had dangerous looking
horns. Morden started circling behind the beasts.
As Janatan watched in horror the young boy sneaked up a tree, and when the
deer passed under the tree Morden leaped on one of the young.
Morden and the small deer went down on the gound, and the outraged stag
came and slashed at Morden with his horns. Morden was wounded but refused
to let go of the fawn. Janatan rushed from his cover, and wrestled with
the stag, pinning it to the ground.
(these deer were somewhat bigger than the less than one meter of actual
roe deer, but I don't have the time to look up the name of the deer I
mean)
The stag spoke to Janatan. "Take my son, for you have beaten me."
Janatan let the stag get up, and followed Morden (Who was determinately
carrying the fawn away)
Morden tore some strips from his shirt, and made a leash for the
fawn. Then he proudly gave the the leash to Janatan and recieved the
Whirlwind.
He spoke sharply to the sylph, and it lifted him to the air. Hanging there
he spoke to Janatan "I'll go seek my father now, for I want to show him my
whirlwind. You know. The wind will never come to your call until you
believe it will"
Janatan was left holding the small fawn, and started leading it away. The
fawn spoke in a small worried voice "Where are we going? Where's mummy?"
Janatan, was a softharted city dweller, and couldn't take the creature
from it's parents. He took it back to the clearing of the Deer and spoke
to the Stag.
"Deer King, I offer you back your son. What would you offer me in return"
And the deer spokeĻ
"Foolish hunter! What doe's a deer have to give but himself or his young?"
This was a problem to Janatan. But he asked for knowledge of the forest,
and protection from it's dangers.
The deer king demanden that Janatan would never use this knowledge
against deer nor let others use it so. Janatan agreed and the deer
King talked at length of the forest, of food, predators and shelter. He
also touched Janatans forehead, and left there his Rune.
Janatan started his way back home, but wasn't really very sure where to
go.
He found a small pond, and drank to his fill. He also found some berries
to eat. Unfortunately it was fast getting dark, and there were predator
tracks (as he now knew) on the banks of the pond.
He found a large spruce which had branches hanging down to the
ground. There was space to sleep in underneath, and the smell of the
spruce would hide his scent from the predators. Just as he was about to go
inside he noticed the light of a lantern in the distance. A richly dressed
courier was walking in the darkening evening, apparently lost. Janatan
greeted the person, and offered him shelter. The traveller gratefully
agreed.
Janatan fed the courier some berries, and told him to be still and
quiet. They both fell asleep, and Janatan dreamed of balls of light
dancing around the spruce. And then proceeded to dream of a life at an
earlier age travelling the world trading and learning... of the coming of
darkness and chaos, and ultimately of the unity battle.
In the morning they indeed found some wolf tracks around the pond, and the
courier was rather surprised that he had gotten lost, and that it had
gotten dark so soon.
Janatan was back in the world of the mortals. And pretty soon he knew
where he was (some 30 km outside Nochet). He helped the courier reach his
destination, and got a hole gold wheel(!) as a reward, parhaps the grace
of Issaries was with him at the moment.
Janatan used the wheel to bye himself nice clothes, and hiched a ride to
Nochet on a passing chariot.
People at the temple were rather disturbed that the initiate had
disappeared from the temple, but undoubtedly the initiation quest was
successful, and Issaries had accepted this young man.
As for what happened when Janatan went home with a strange reddish-broun
tattoo on his forehead... :)
but parhaps I'll stop here for now...
-Mikko, the Adept
"thinker, dreamer and adventurer"
------------------------------
End of The Glorantha Digest V7 #352
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